Music Monday - 13 Great Halloween Songs That Aren't "Thriller" or "Monster Mash"

Throwing a Halloween party or looking for some fun music to listen to while handing out trick or treat candy?   I made a list of 13 of my favorite Halloween songs.  Although I like "Thriller" a lot, you won't find it here, and some of the songs you hear a lot like "Monster Mash" are missing too.  I went for songs you don't hear as often at Halloween, just to keep things interesting!  Just click on the song title link to hear each song at Youtube.

1. "Spooky" - Dusty Springfield (1968).  The Classics IV version is best known, but I prefer Dusty's jazzy cover.
2. "I Put a Spell On You" - Nina Simone (1965).  My favorite Halloween song, and Nina Simone's version is my favorite.
3. "Voodoo" - Chris Isaak (1987).  I confess:  Chris Isaak is one of my secret celebrity boyfriends.  And I love this song! 
4. "Dead Man's Party" - Oingo Boingo (1985).  THE Halloween song from my college years.
5. "The Twilight Zone" - Manhattan Transfer (1979).  I love them - my favorite vocal jazz group.
6. "Superstition" - Stevie Wonder (1972).  One of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs.
7. "Evil Woman" - Electric Light Orchestra (1975).  Great 1970's retro song.
8. "Bad Moon Rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969).  I think CCR deserves more oldies music love;  they're one of my favorite 1960's bands.
9. "Season of the Witch" - Donovan (1966).  A 1960's hippie rock addition.
10. "Hungry Like the Wolf" - Duran Duran (1982).  Some new wave dance fun!  Not a traditional Halloween song, but if you listen to the lyrics, it fits into this list. 
11. "Witchcraft" - Frank Sinatra (1957).  A cool jazz addition to your Halloween playlist.  Love Sinatra.
12. "Cat People" - David Bowie (1982).  One of my favorite Bowie songs, and also one of my favorites for Halloween.
13. "Bewitched" - Peggy Lee (1965).  Yes, it's the TV theme with lyrics!

What are YOUR favorite Halloween songs?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith (1969)

"Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith is a classic rock song that is new on my horizon.  I love retro music, but this song doesn't seem to get much airplay even on '60's on 6 (SiriusXM).

I have been watching, and enjoying, the new TV series This is Us.  It's a beautifully written show about relationships and connections between people and time.  It moves back and forth in time, giving little segments of the story out of order, and you slowly start to piece them together.  Although it is a show about relationships, it reminds me a bit of Lost in the non-linear storytelling.  It's really interesting.  Two of the characters in the show are a couple who have multiple babies (triplets) in 1980.  This is their song.  After the episode that featured "Can't Find My Way Home," I had to look this up on Youtube to listen again.  It's a sad song, but really beautiful.

This song was written in 1969 by Steve Winwood and recorded by Blind Faith.  Blind Faith put out one album in 1969.  The group consisted of Steve Winwood, and two members of the band Cream -- Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton, along with bassist Rich Grech.

I find this song beautiful and rather haunting.  



And here is a clip of This Is Us, featuring the song.



I'd love to hear from you in the comments, whether about this Music Monday song or This Is Us.  (I really love this show!).

Music Monday - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by The Eurythmics (1983)

If I ever make a list of favorite 1980's songs, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by the Eurythmics will certainly be high on the list.  First, Annie Lennox has the most amazing voice!  Her voice is multitracked in harmony on this song.  Second, this song just captures a time in the 1980's so perfectly for me.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was released in 1983 as the title track of The Eurythmics' second album.  I had this album and played it again and again - it's a great one!

Here's the original video - it's very 1980's!
Do you remember this song? Do you have other favorites by The Eurythmics? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

Music Monday - "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful (1966)

If I ever get around to making my summer favorites playlist, "Summer in the City" will be in the mix.

"Summer in the City" is a 1960's oldies pop song by the Lovin' Spoonful.  It was written by John Sebastian, Steve Boone, and Mark Sebastian.  It really captures summer in the city -- starting with a VW Bug horn and ending with a jackhammer!   The lyrics include:

"Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirt and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright
And babe, don't you know it's a pity
the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city."

I found a fun video of the song that sets the music to an old Harold Lloyd silent movie called Speedy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



What is your favorite summer song?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Let There Be Peace on Earth" by Nat King Cole (1963)

Last week was a sad one in America, with tragic news of violence over and over again.  In the midst of this, I kept thinking of this song.  I remember singing it in elementary school music class when I was a little girl, and it has always brought me peace and hope.  It imparts the idea that no matter what is going on in the world, we can all be a voice for peace.

This song was written in 1955 by Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller for a children's choir.  It has become a classic and is now often performed at Christmas time, as well as in churches throughout the year.  The inspiring lyrics include these lines:

"Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me."

I looked for a version of this song and found this unusual video on Youtube.  It features Nat King Cole (one of my all time favorite singers) performing on Danny Kaye's Christmas Special in 1963 along with Danny Kaye and a young Mary Tyler Moore (circa The Dick Van Dyke Show years).  It's a short, simple, lovely version, and I hope it speaks to you, too.



I would love to hear from you in the comments.  Are there any special songs that bring comfort to you?

Music Monday - "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush (1978)

"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush was released in 1978.  It appeared on her album The Kick Inside.  Kate Bush was inspired to write this song after seeing the BBC miniseries of Wuthering Heights.  She has said that the last 10 minutes of that program inspired this song.  "Wuthering Heights" was written at a single sitting.

I didn't discover this song until my college years, the 1980's.  I was an English: Creative Writing major, so of course I loved the swooping romanticism of this song, and the references to Wuthering Heights.  The lyrics include:

"Bad dreams in the night.
They told me I was going to lose the fight,
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights.  

 Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.
Come home. I'm so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.
Come home. I'm so cold!
Let me in-a-your window."

Here's a little trivia tidbit:  Kate Bush and Emily Bronte share the same birthday, July 30.

And now, the video for your enjoyment -- the interpretive dancing is a bit dated but the song is still beautiful!



Do you remember this song?  What is your favorite song based on literature?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "All Summer Long" by The Beach Boys (1964)

If I was making a playlist of my favorite summer songs, "All Summer Long" by The Beach Boys would be high on the list.  

This song was written in 1964 by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and it's the title song of The Beach Boys' All Summer Long album.  The harmonies are wonderful, and that is a xylophone you hear in the background, along with a piano.

The lyrics capture old fashioned summer fun like:

"T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs
(T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs)
We've been having fun all summer long
(All summer long you've been with me)
I can't see enough of you
(All summer long we've both been free)
Won't be long til summer time is through
(Summer time is through)
Not for us now
Miniature golf and Hondas in the hills
(Miniature golf and Hondas in the hills)
When we rode the horse we got some thrills
Every now and the we hear our song
(Every now and the we hear our song)
We've been having fun all summer long"

Here are two minutes of retro summer happiness:



Do you like the Beach Boys?  What is your favorite of their songs?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray

I love musicals, whether musical theater or movie muscials.  One of my favorites from recent years is Hairspray.  This musical, first produced on stage in 2002 and adapted as a movie in 2007, is set in Baltimore in 1962. Hairspray was inspired by the 1988 John Waters movie.  The musical version went on to win eight Tony awards.   It tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, who wants to dance on The Corny Collins Show (a dance and music show that resembles American Bandstand).  She is rejected because she is a plus sized girl.  The show tries to hold onto an old fashioned, 1950's image, and also refuses to racially integrate.

The final number of the show features Tracy finally dancing on The Corny Collins Show ... and the show featuring black teens for the first time.  The New York Times called this a "contagiously elating finale."

It is such a fun song with great energy and wonderful dancing.

I'm including a clip from So You Think You Can Dance (season 3) because I love the choreography of this number.


Here is a clip from the 2007 movie musical, which features Nikki Blonsky and John Travolta as her mother.



Have you seen Hairspray?  What is your favorite song from the show?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Dark Lady" by Cher (1974)

Cher turned 70 last week (March 20, born 1946).  One of my friends and I were talking about our favorite Cher songs, and we both decided our favorite is "Dark Lady."

This song was a hit in 1974.  It's a fun song, so retro, and it tells a story.  (Regular readers will know that I love songs that tell a story!)  This song was written by Johnny Durrill of The Ventures.  (You may remember The Ventures from songs like "Walk, Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O.")  The song has been called a "murder ballad."  It tells the story of a woman who goes to see a fortune teller in New Orleans to see if her boyfriend is cheating ... only to realize he is cheating with the fortune teller!  This song made it to the top of the Billboard chart.

Here is the animated version of this song from The Sonny and Cher Show:



What is your favorite Cher song?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Everybody is a Star" by Sly and the Family Stone (1969)

Sly and the Family Stone Greatest Hits is one of my all time favorite albums.  It's one I had on vinyl, cassette, CD, and it just now occurs to me that I also need it in digital format for my phone.   Every single song on this album just makes me happy.

"Everybody is a Star" was written by Sylvester Stewart.   This song was released as a B-Side to "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," and it also charted and went to number one on the Billboard charts in 1970.  I love the positive message of this song ... it is so uplifting.

Here is a 1973 live performance of this song from the old show Midnight Special ... and the performance is amazing.  What beautiful voices!



Do you like this song?  Do you have other favorites by Sly and the Family Stone?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Jolene" by Dolly Parton (1973)

People who know me well know that I love classic country music.  My all time favorite country song is "Jolene" by Dolly Parton.  This 1973 classic tells the story of a woman who confronts "the other woman" who is threatening to take her man.  I love the melody of this song, the beauty of Dolly's voice, and the story telling.  (I love a good song that tells a story!)

I found a music video with the song, and with Dolly Parton telling the true life story behind the lyrics.  The video is from 1988, and I think you will enjoy it.



There is also a lovely acoustic version of this song by Miley Cyrus from 2012.  Miley is the goddaughter of Dolly Parton, so I am sure she grew up hearing this song.



Do you like classic country music? What is your favorite? Do you have a favorite by Dolly Parton? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "She Makes Me Laugh" by The Monkees (2016)

The Monkees have a new song, and a new album coming out.  One of my friends sent me a link to this song and I have listened to it several times -- I absolutely love it.   "She Makes Me Laugh" was written by Rivers Cuomo from Weezer.  It is such a catchy little tune with a jangly bubblegum pop sound that is so much fun.   I also love the video, which has a unique and clever retro comic book motif.  Just watch and see!



I have always liked the Monkees.  I love all their retro songs, but have a special place in my heart for "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (which I think is a perfect pop song) and "Steppin' Stone."

I'd love to hear from you in the comments. What do you think of this new Monkees tune? Do you have a favorite of their songs?

Music Monday - "Never Going Back Again" - Fleetwood Mac (1977)

"Never Going Back Again" is one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs.  You don't hear it often on the radio (even on SiriusXM), but it is a beautiful little song about moving on from a breakup.

This song was written by Lindsey Buckingham about his breakup with Stevie Nicks.  It was on the Rumours album in 1977, and was also the B-side of the 45 "Don't Stop."   I love the acoustic guitar work in this song, especially combined with such lovely, simple lyrics.   In a review of Rumours for Rolling Stone, John Swenson wrote:  "Never Going Back Again" is "the prettiest thing on [Rumours]."

Do you remember this song?  What are your favorites by Fleetwood Mac?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Mercy" by Duffy (2008)

I'm usually all about retro music here, but I do enjoy some newer music as well!  "Mercy" by Duffy was a 2008 hit.  It has a great, soulful retro sound that I just love.  Her voice is very distinctive -- she reminds me a bit of Amy Winehouse and a bit of Dusty Springfield as well.  This song was used in one of my all time favorite So You Think You Can Dance numbers as well, a contemporary dance about a relationship starring Katee and Twitch.

"Mercy" was on Duffy's second album, and it was a radio hit in 2008.  The song was written by Duffy and Steve Booker.  She has written:  "The lyrics were about having a feeling towards someone, whether it’s a romantic feeling or just some chemistry that you don’t want, and you desperately want to be released from that feeling."  This song captures that feeling so well!

Do you remember this one?   Any other Duffy songs that you recommend?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson (1977)

Do you remember "Strawberry Letter 23"?   This is one of those "turn the radio up" songs for me.  It always reminds me of spring and summer.  I think it's the lyrics, with lines like:

"All through the morning rain
I gaze - the sun doesn't shine -
Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind."

This song was originally by Shuggie Otis, who wrote and recorded it in 1971.  His version was a softer soul ballad.  Later, "Strawberry Letter 23" was recorded by The Brothers Johnson.  Their version, produced by Quincy Jones, was more of an uptempo dance tune.  It went to number 5 on the Billboard chart.

Fun trivia:  the 12" single was on red, strawberry scented vinyl.

For your listening pleasure:

Music Monday - "I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles" by The Proclaimers (1988)

When I was in college, I used to make mixtapes.  They often had a theme - happy songs, songs for a rainy day, songs that make me want to dance ...  If I was making a mixtape today of happy songs, "I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles" by The Proclaimers would definitely be on that tape.

This song is by the Scottish band The Proclaimers.  This band features twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid.  Charlie Reid wrote "I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles" in 45 minutes while waiting to travel.  

Although this song was released in 1988, it became a big hit in the U.S. in 1993 after it was featured in the movie Benny & Joon.  (That is where I first heard the song.)

I love the infectious happiness and energy of this song.   The singer is so in love that he declares:

"But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door"

How can you not love that?!   Do you remember "I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles"?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Girl Don't Come" by Sandie Shaw (1964)

This is another one of those great retro songs that I only discovered in recent years - thanks to SiriusXM radio.  I love the decades channels on XM, like '60's on 6, '70's on 7, etc.  And this is yet another song that would be great in the soundtrack for a tv show or movie.

"Girl Don't Come" was a 1964 song by Sandie Shaw.  Sandie Shaw was from Great Britain, and was the first winner of the Eurovision contest.  She had several British hits and performed frequently on tv, usually appearing barefoot as part of her image. 

This song was released in the UK in 1964, and made it to America by 1965.  It charted at #42 on the Billboard chart.  It probably would have gone higher if Sandie Shaw had been able to tour;  unfortunately, she was not able to obtain a work permit to travel to the U.S. to promote this single.

Later, Sandie Shaw got married and began pursuing acting and writing children's books.  Eventually she went back to school and became a psychotherapist.

Here's this week's song.  It's a jazzy little ballad with a distinctly 1960's sound.  What do you think?

Music Monday - "Jazzman" by Carole King (1974)

Last week I saw, and enjoyed, the PBS American Masters about Carole King.  (It's online at the PBS site, if you're interested.)  I have always loved singer/songwriter music, and Carole King is one of my favorites.  Her life is very interesting, especially the Brill Building years when she wrote music for many major 1960's artists.

My favorite song by Carole King is from the 1970's.  "Jazzman" was released in 1974.  It has a great (not surprising!) jazzy feel, cowritten by David Palmer (Steely Dan), with saxophone solos by Tom Scott.  "Jazzman" made it to #2 on the Billboard charts, and was nominated for a Grammy, although it lost to "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John.

This song makes me happy.  It is one of those songs that really takes me back to being very young in the 1970's, and it has that retro-but-timeless sound.

Do you remember this song?  What is your favorite song by Carole King?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Love Land" by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (1970)

I first heard this song while playing Song Pop, my favorite music trivia game.  I really love it, and can't believe I never encountered it before.

"Love Land" was released in 1970 by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.  This song reached #16 on the Billboard record chart in 1970.

Charles Wright hails from Clarksdale, Mississippi.  He is a former doo wop singer who sang with the Twilighters, the Shields, the Turks, and the Gallahads.  He started his own band in 1962, and over the years the changing band incarnation included many singers and musicians, including Daryl Dragon (The Captain and Tennille).

This is really such a great song!  If I was a music supervisor for a movie or tv show (one of my dream jobs), I would find ways to use this song over and over again.  It would be great on a show like Scandal, which utilizes retro soul music so well.

Have you heard this song before?  If not, do you like it?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney (1970)

Do you have a favorite love song?  My favorite changes from time to time, but I always seem to come back to "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney. 

Paul McCartney wrote this song for his wife Linda just before the Beatles broke up.  It's such an empassioned love song about how love can make you stronger and can fill you with a sense of wonder:

"Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time
Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you
Maybe I'm amazed at the the way you pulled me out of time
And hung me on a line
Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you"

There were several versions of this song over the 1970's.  The original was released as a music video in the U.K. in 1970.  It is all music and photos of the McCartney family, and it is beautiful.  Paul McCartney did not want to release "Maybe I'm Amazed" as a single, although it appeared on his McCartney album (1970) and also Wings Over America (1976).  The single was released in 1977.  Paul McCartney has said that this is the song he wants to be remembered for.

Here is the original video.  I hope you enjoy!