[Wikimedia Commons.]
Almanac Music: ‘I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost’ – Songs with a Halloween Vibe
Hi, Almanackers! This piece in my long-running series about key popular song themes concerns songs with a Halloween vibe.
A note about Halloween may help. According to Wikipedia: ‘Halloween, or Hallowe’en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve), is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It is at the beginning of the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. In popular culture, the day has become a celebration of horror, being associated with the macabre and supernatural.’ It is the popular culture version of Halloween that is the focus of this popular song theme I am putting forward.
So, dear readers, please put your ‘songs with a Halloween vibe’ in the ‘Comments’ section. Below, as usual, are some examples from me to get the ball rolling.
‘Purple People Eater’, written and performed by Sheb Wooley (1959)
‘It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater’
‘Monster Mash’, written by Bobby Pickett and Lenny Capizzi, performed by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962)
‘The guests included Wolf-Man, Dracula, and his son’
‘You’re the (Devil in Disguise)’, written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye, performed by Elvis Presley (1963)
‘You’re the devil in disguise / Oh, yes, you are, devil in disguise’
‘Witchy Woman’, written by Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, performed by Eagles (1972)
‘Woo-hoo, witchy woman’
‘Sweet Transvestite’, written by Richard O’Brien and Richard Hartley, performed by Tim Curry (1973)
‘So, come up to the lab / And see what’s on the slab’
‘Devil Woman’, written by Terry Britten and Christine Authors, performed by Cliff Richard (1976)
‘She’s just a devil woman / With evil on her mind’
‘Witchery’, written by Graham Goble and Beeb Birtles, performed by Little River Band (1977)
‘And it’s plain to see – it’s witchery’
‘Ghost Busters’, written and performed by Ray Parker Jr. (1984)
‘I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost’
‘Watching You Without Me’, written and performed by Kate Bush (1985)
‘There’s a ghost in our home / Just watching you without me’
‘Fright Night’, written by Joe Lamont, performed by J. Geils Band (1985)
‘Fright Night (Fright Night) / Who’s it gonna be tonight?’
………………………………………………..
Now, dear readers / listeners – it’s over to you. Your responses to this topic are warmly welcomed. In the ‘Comments’ section, please add your own choice of a song (or songs) with a Halloween vibe, along with any other relevant material you wish to include.
[Note: as usual, Wikipedia has been a good general reference for this piece, particularly in terms of checking dates and other details.]
Read more from Kevin Densley HERE
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His sixth book-length poetry collection, Isle Full of Noises, was published in early 2026 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
KD, I’ll get in ahead of Col Ritchie who usually opens the batting. How about ‘Horror Movie’ by Skyhooks?
Thanks, Ian – excellent! It was on my short list for initial inclusion. Thanks for that one.
Who knows who will partner you as opener today?
I’m in and out before the rush Kev!
Song From Under The Floorboards – Megazine
Magazine sorry!
Thanks, Willo, for being the fellow opener – two Ians to open the batting. Fair enough!
Your ‘Song From Under the Floorboards’ is such an apt choice.
Not sure if these songs fit the bill but what the hell(oween):
Ghost Riders in the Sky, by, well, everyone but let’s go with Johnny
The Devil Wend Down to Georgia, by Charlie Daniels
Daddy’s Little Pumpkin, John Prine (strats off sweet then goes bizarro)
Psycho, by Eddie Noack (written by the great songwriter, Leon Payne) and many others including little elvis but don’t go anywhere near the Beast of Bourbon version
Spirits in the Night, Bruce (They’re built like light/And they dance like spirits in the night (all night) in the night (all night)/Oh, you don’t know what they can do to you/Spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night)/Stand right up now and let it shoot through you)
So many errors! Sorry. Here:
Ghost Rider in the Sky, by, well, everyone but let’s go with Johnny
The Devil Went Down to Georgia, by Charlie Daniels
Daddy’s Little Pumpkin, John Prine (starts off sweet then goes bizarro)
Psycho, by Eddie Noack
Spirit in the Night, Bruce
Thanks so much, for these, Rick. They certainly fit the bill. What the hell(oween) is a highly appropriate attitude to bring to today’s theme! For me, the theme is all about magic, mischief, disorder, play, the supernatural and, to use an academic term – the carnivalesque. I encourage contributors to interpret the theme in their own way..
Had to put this one in – Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves of London’. Just about the ‘quality Halloween song’ par excellence!
This is definitely not a Halloween song and is probably not what you had in mind, Kevin, but it does mention a ghost and it is a great song.
The Ghost of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen
“The highway is alive tonight
Where it’s headed, everybody knows
I’m sitting down here in the campfire light
Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad
[Verse 5]
Now Tom said, “Mom, wherever there’s a cop beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there’s a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mom, I’ll be there
[Verse 6]
Wherever somebody’s fighting for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helping hand
Wherever somebody’s struggling to be free
Look in their eyes, Ma, and you’ll see me”
And this isn’t a Halloween ghost song either
The Ghost of You Walks – Richard Thompson
“Blue murder on the dance floor, French kisses in the rain
Blood wedding in the water till I see you again
Dutch courage is the game and the ghost of you walks
The ghost of you walks, the ghost of you walks
The ghost of you walks right through my head
Sleepwalks at the foot of my bed
Sends old shivers over my skin”
Sorry, just can’t bring myself to chase up songs like Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett or Haunted House by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons
Thanks so much, Dave, for participating. Your chosen songs have a strong supernatural element, so buy into the Halloween theme in that respect, I feel. So many songs, I believe, can potentially fit under the Halloween umbrella.
I put ‘Monster Mash’ into my introductory songlist not because I love the song (though I do see it as a fun, novelty piece) but because it interests me how a song with its peculiarly deviant lyrics can intersect with mainstream appeal.
The Supernatural Peter Green
Brilliant.
Thanks, Peter. Wil check it out.
“Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers from the soundtrack of “Ghost” or any other song recorded by Phil Spectre (sic).
Let’s have some fun, some spooky fun!
Spooks in the Dark, Dave Warner (Last week I locked my key inside/I had to spend the night a sleeping in the park/I awoke when someone spoke/They’re out to get me/They’re the spooks in the dark)
Monster’s Holiday, Buck Owens (Well, I hopped inta bed And covered up my head/Said, “I’m going to get a good night’s sleep”/I got woken up About twelve o’clock And I jumped right to my feet/There was gremlins, and goblins- Dragons, and zombies/Lordy, what an awful sight/I said, “Good Buddy, you may get me, But brother, let me tell you/It’s going to be after the fight.”)
I Put a Spell on You, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (I put a spell on you/Because you’re mine/You better stop the things you do/I tell you, I ain’t lying/I ain’t lying) and as we all know the lyrics hardly do justice to the, um, performance, both on vinyl and live. CCR do a great version. Speakin of …
Bad Moon Rising, CCR (Hope you got your things together/Hope you are quite prepared to die/Looks like we’re in for nasty weather/One eye is taken for an eye)
Marie Lavaux, by Dr Hook (Down in Louisiana, where the black trees grow/Lives a voodoo lady named Marie Laveau/She got a black cat’s tooth and a Mojo bone/And anyone who wouldn’t leave her alone/She’d go… another man done gone)
Cheers
“Werewolves of London” & “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” – Warren Zevon
“Season of the Witch” – Donovan
“Frankenstein” – Edgar Winter (blues guitar instrumental)
There are tons of “Voodoo” songs – dunno if that’s a stretch for the scary, supernatural theme
Thanks, Peter B, for all your selections. For me, ‘Unchained Melody’ was an especially good left-field pick, while Edgar Winter’s ‘Frankenstein’ was, again for me, a spot-on and unexpected choice.
I liked the Spectre (sic) gag, too!
(Small note: I put forward the wonderful ‘Werewolves of London’ earlier.)
Thank you, Rick, for your latest ‘spooky’ choices – an interesting bunch indeed – some reminded me that the American South would be a rich area to explore in terms of songs with supernatural references.
How about Kate Bush’s famous song WUTHERING HEIGHTS about the ghost of Cathy singing to Heathcliffe.
Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum
Haunted Heart (There’s a ghost of you within my haunted heart) – Frank Sinatra
The Ghost of Smokey Joe – Cab Calloway
Ghost of Yesterday -Billie Holliday
There’s a Ghost in my House – R. Bean Taylor
Ghosts of Cape Horn – Gordon Lightfoot
Thanks, Fisho, for this collection of ghost songs. To select a couple for comment – Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ is just about the most strikingly original first single a pop (for want of a better word) artist ever released, while Norman Greenbaum, with ‘Spirit in the Sky’, is a strong candidate for the biggest one-hit wonder of all time.
Ordinary World (Still I can’t escape the ghost of you) – Paul Anka
The House is Haunted – Mel Torme
Here’s four from Slim Dusty
Lawson’s Ghost
Joe Palmer’s Ghost
Ghosts of the Golden Mile
The Ghost of Ben Hall
Ernie, the Fastest Milkman in the West (Was that the trees a-rattling? Or the hinges on the gate? Or Ernie’s ghostly gold tops a-rattling in their crate) – Benny Hill
Waltzing Matilda (And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong) – Many vocalists including Mirusia in Andre Rieu concerts.
Some ripper calls Fisho!
Eye of the Zombie, John Fogerty
Zombie Zoo, Tom Petty
All you Zombies, The Hooters
Zombie Dance, The Cramps
Zombie, The Cranberries
Ballad of the Alamo (But sometimes between the setting and rising of the sun you can hear a ghostly bugle as the men go marching on) – Marty Robbins
I May Never Get To Heaven (We loved a while. And I lived a while. And I thought fate had it planned. The someone stole my Angel. And I lost what I loved most. I may never get to Heaven. But I once came mighty close. – Wanda Jackson
I heard a Ghost – Conway Twitty
I Don’t Love You (I won’t be haunted by your memories. “Cause I don’t love you) – Conway Twitty
Dixie Drug Store by Grant Lee Buffalo is a New Orleans ghost story.
Spooky by Classics IV with its very cool groove.
Thanks KD!
Wonderful work today, Fisho. Thanks so much for these song choices since my comment of this morning. I found your quartet of Slim Dusty songs particularly interesting because the subject of ghosts in Australian folklore is an area I find fascinating.
Some great pickups in your latest five, Rick. Thanks. I found ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries particularly notable is this context. Love this song, but it hadn’t entered my head.
And didn’t The Cramps also do a song called ‘I Was A Teenage Werewolf?’
Thanks, Mickey, for ‘Dixie Drug Store’ and ‘Spooky’. I’ll definitely check them out. The first one does ring a bell.
I’m a Believer (Love was out to get me. That’s the way it seemed. Disappointment haunted all my dreams) – Neil Diamond.
Ruby Baby (Ruby, Ruby baby I’m a want you. Like a ghost I’m gonna haunt you) – Bobby Darin
Ghost of Another Man – Kenny Rogers
Not quite the light Halloween touch, but the story of “witches” is much darker than most of the “witchy” songs reported so far in this thread.
Burning Times was written by Charlie Murphy and performed and recorded by Roy Bailey and Christy Moore
“In the cold of the evening, they used to gather.
Neath the stars in the meadow, circled near the old oak tree.
At the times appointed.. by the seasons..
of the earth, and the phases of the moon.
In the center, often stood a woman,
equal with the others, respected for her worth.
One of the many.. we call the witches,
the healers, the teachers, of the wisdom of the earth.
And the people grew in the knowledge she gave them,
herbs to heal their bodies, smells to make their spirits whole.
Hear them chanting healing incantations,
calling for the wise ones, celebrating in dance and song…
(…Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali… Inanna… repeat x2)
There were those that came to power, through domination.
They were bonded in their worship of a dead man on a cross.
They sought control of the common people,
by demanding allegiance to the church of Rome.
And the Pope, he commenced the inquisition,
As a war against the women, whose powers they feared.
In this holocaust, in this age of evil,
Nine million European women, they died.
And the tale is told, of those who by the hundreds,
holding hands together, chose their deaths in the sea.
While chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess,
a refusal of betrayal, women were dying to be free.
(…Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali… Inanna… repeat x2)
Now the earth is a witch, and we still burn her.
Stripping her down with mining, and the poison of our wars.
Still to us, the earth is a healer, a teacher, and a mother.
A weaver of a web of light, that keeps us all alive.
She gives us the vision to see through the chaos.
She gives us the courage, it is our will to survive.”
(Repeat Goddess chant x4)
Some lighter pieces than the previous contribution
Zombie Jamboree – Harry Belafonte (several Calypso singers from the 1950s are credited with writing the song)
“It was a Zombie Jamboree
Took place in a New York cemetery
It was a Zombie Jamboree
Took place in a New York cemetery
Zombies from all parts of the Island
Some of them was a great Calypsonians
Although the season was Carnival
We get together in bacchanal
And they singing
[Chorus]
Back to back, belly to belly
I don’t give a damn, I done dead already
Uh-oh, back to back, belly to belly
At the Zombie Jamboree
The Ghost that ‘aunted Bunty – Tommy Armstrong.
“This is a sang that’s just come out,
Ye’ll want te hear it, there is ne doot,
So aa’ll try te tell ye aal aboot
The ghost that ‘aunted Bunty
Bunty lives not far frae here,
He’s a terrible chap for drinkin beer;
An’ from his yem he went way,
But manny’s the time he rued the day.
As he was comin yem that neet,
Something white he chanced te meet;
He stood an’ leuked, he said Aalreet-
But thou cannot frighten Bunty.
Chorsu-
Fol de rol de rol de ray
Fol de rol de rol de ray
Fol de rol de rol de ray,
The ghost that ‘aunted Bunty.”
( I wrote in the “work” thread about the Nineteenth Century Durham miner Tommy Armstrong who wrote struggle songs as fundraisers and humourous songs for beer money. This is one of the latter about a miner who is scared into sobriety by a ghost)
Thank you, Fisho, for your latest trio – who would’ve thought ‘I’m a Believer’ would fit under our present theme’s ‘umbrella’, but it does, due to the aspect of haunting.
Many thanks, Dave, for your latest contributions, which have added to the overall sophistication of our thematic songlist; for me, Belafonte’s ‘Zombie Jamboree’ is of particular interest.
And of course, the extremely well-known Australian song ‘Waltzing Matilda’ (lyrics by Banjo Paterson) has a ghostly final verse which places it securely in our songlist.
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong
“You’ll never catch me alive” said he.
And his ghost may be heard if you pass by that billabong
“Who’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me?”
It would be remiss of me to let this topic pass without contributing
“Ghost” by the Indigo Girls.
The most hauntingly beautiful of songs. And one of their best – which is saying something.
Thanks so much for ‘Ghost’ by the Indigo Girls, Smokie. I’m a fan of this duo, and the song, I agree, is an absolute thing of beauty.
Ghosts, Bruce (I shoulder your Les Paul and finger the fretboard/I make my vows to those who’ve come before/I turn up the volume, let the spirits be my guide/Meet you, brother and sister, on the other side)
Rock and Roll Ghost, The Replacements (We don’t know until we’re gone/There’s no one here to raise a toast/I look into the mirror and I see/A rock ‘n’ roll ghost)
Ghosts of Highway 20, Lucinda Williams (Been sixty years, I don’t want for nothing/But my tears, they keep on coming/And my fears continue to haunt me/Along with the ghost of highway 20)
All Those Smiling Faces, Paul Kelly song fresh from his latest album released a couple of days ago (I’ve been talking to the dead/With this photo album here in my bed/Picnics, parties, long ago/Some are strangers, many I know)
Beautiful Ghosts, Taylor Swift, from the film Cats, which apparently didn’t have nine lives, so hold that against it (All that I wanted was to be wanted/Too young to wander London streets alone and haunted/And the memories were lost long ago/So I’ll dance with these beautiful ghosts)
Some selections from all over the place:
Maggot Brain, Funkadelic
Spanish Train, Chris De Burgh
Bat Out of Hell, Mr Meatloaf to you
Far from any Road, The Handsome Family
Welcome to my Nightmare, Alice Cooper, by now the name of the artist rather than the band
Thanks for your latest excellent song selections, Rick. Your choice of the song ‘Welcome to my Nightmare’ reminds me that the concept album (now there’s a 70s phenomenon!) of the same name led to another concept album by Cooper titled Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976), which in very broad terms can be placed under the umbrella of our present theme, especially with songs like ‘Go To Hell’.
Great theme KD!
I see RK beat me to it with some Fogerty/Creedence nominations. I’d also point you to Fogerty’s cover of ‘Haunted House’ which is a cracker – and the monster has one eye too (just like the purple people eater).
Fogerty knows how to get the spooky guitar and voice going….
I know RK mentioned Bad Moon Rising – I think by virtue of it’s inclusion in American Werewolf in London, it fits the theme nicely, as does the Midnight Special inclusion in Twilight Zone.
There’s also I Put A Spell On You (thanks RK), Tombstone Shadow, Run Through the Jungle and ‘chasing down a hoodoo there’ from Born on the Bayou. And don’t forget his unreleased album called Hoodoo (JF instructed Asylum to destroy the master tapes).
So pleased you like the theme, DB. Thanks for your detailed comments and song choices, too. One interesting issue your response underlines to me is how much the supernatural has influenced songs from the American South in particular – an issue I have touched upon before.
My Melbourne Cup tips. As if. I wouldn’t know who’s running. Here’s some ripper scary theme songs.
Don’t Fear the Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult and more cowbell sketch
Superstitious, Stevie Wonder
Highway to Hell, ACDC
Ghost Town, The Specials
Digging up Bones, Randy Travis
Belated tip of the hat to PBs great Phil Spector pun!
Thanks, Rick. Some beauties in your latest batch like ‘Highway to Hell’.
And did you mean ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder? It’s a song I’ve always loved.
Finally, like you, I loved PBs Spector/Spectre gag, as I told him in my response.
Apropos of nothing that has happened in the last 24 hours I offer the following:
The Monster’s Back, by Warner
And yep KD re Stevie Wonder, I think I was singing as I typed.
Cheers
Thanks, Rick, for Warner’s ‘The Monster’s Back’ – I just had a listen to his 2021 version of the song (as opposed to the two in the 1970s ) – it’s a veritable wordfest, and a very clever one at that.
‘Waking the Witch’, written and performed by Kate Bush, from her Hounds of Love album (1985).
Happy weekend KD
I happened to stumble on this offering – which, if I may say, is so on song & theme, that I can’t imagine a better album/concept to fully capture the essence you are seeking.
Russell Morris & Rick Springfield (ie The Morris Springfield Project):
Jack Chrome & The Darkness Waltz (2021)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morris_Springfield_Project
The youtube video of ‘The Darkness Waltz’ is chilling!
…and to think, that Russell & Rick began life so innocently (Sweet Sweet Love/Speak To The Sky)
Happy weekend to you, Karl, too. Thanks for The Morris Springfield project material – I just went to the link you supplied and the work sounds particularly interesting – and on theme.
And the youtube video I just looked at in relation to the ‘The Darkness Waltz’ is, I agree, chilling!
And a couple of left field calls:
Disorder in the House, Zevon with Bruce guesting
Seven Curses, Bob (maybe is, maybe not)
Psychosocial, Slipknot
Hungry like the Wolf, Duran Duran
Thanks, Rick, for these.
And thanks to all concerned in relation to our half-century.
.
‘That Old Black Magic’, written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer – many versions, but let’s go with the 1961 version by Sinatra.
An interesting addition to our Halloween list is ‘Every Day is Halloween’, released by Kate Pierson of B-52s fame in 2023 – she wrote this song in collaboration with Sia and Sam Dixon.
NOTE: NEW SONG THEME WILL APPEAR THIS COMING FRIDAY, 22 NOVEMBER.