What's in BeckEye's (Scary) Ear

This installment of "What's in BeckEye's Ear" is comprised of songs related to Halloween. If you're having a Halloween party, this would be a good mix tape to play during. And don't forget to invite me, because I have absolutely nothing to do this year.





1. Monster Mash, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and The Crypt Keepers - Well, duh. This is the ultimate Halloween song. It's not scary, but it's terrifyingly campy and I love that.



2. Twilight Zone, Golden Earring - Really, if you're making a Halloween mix this song should be prefaced with the actual Twilight Zone theme. This song really has nothing to do with the show, but it has kind of an eerie feel to it. And it's a good, straight-ahead classic rock tune.

3. Cry Little Sister, Gerald McMann - This was on the Lost Boys soundtrack and considered the movie's theme. A very atmospheric song that features the always creepy child choir singing back-up.

4. Witchy Woman, The Eagles
5. Devil Woman, Cliff Richard
6. Evil Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
I kind of lumped these all together, because they're variations on the same theme. I like all of them well enough, but "Witchy Woman" actually used to creep me out when I was younger. I'm not quite sure why.

7. Thriller, Michael Jackson - I enjoy the video much better than the song itself, but it's worth it just for that great Vincent Price "rap". He was the best.

8. Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper - I've never been a huge fan of this song, but it certainly belongs on the soundtrack to any Halloween party. I used to work with this weird lady who met Alice and said while she was backstage, she read him the lyrics to a song that she had written. She wanted him to record it. It never happened. I have to admit, as far as that kind of music goes, it was pretty good. All about corpses rising from the grave and hell fire and so on.

9. Down in a Hole, Alice in Chains - Just about any song from these guys could go on a Halloween mix. They just have that demonic sound. I believe that the lyrics to this song are a metaphor for something else, but it sure sounds like a song about being buried. Kind of creepy. Good song, though.

10. Tomorrow, Wendy, Concrete Blonde - I never really knew what this song was about, but I always assumed it was about someone waiting to be executed. I just found out recently that it's about a woman with AIDS. Whatever it's about, this song has a very chilling effect.

11. Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon - Now we're coming back from scary to a little silly. Yeah, it's a song about werewolves but it's pretty hilarious. Whether you like it or not, no one can listen to this tune without busting out at least a few "aaaa-wooooooooo"s.

12. The Time Warp, Richard O'Brien/Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast - More fun! Even if you've never seen the movie, you can still learn the dance. It's easy! It's just a jump to the left...

13. They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haa!, Napoleon XIV - Ok, I absolutely hate this song. It still deserves to be on a Halloween mix though. This song scared the beejeezuz out of me as a kid and still freaks me out a little today. All that crazy laughter is just a bit much. It's more than a little creepy.





14. Nightboat, Duran Duran - As with many Duran Duran songs, I have no clue what this one's about. It's rather zombie-esque though. And if you've ever seen the video, it's really quite odd.



15. Pet Sematary, The Ramones - Pet Sematary wasn't a bad book, but the movie was pretty ridiculous. I mean, I'm sorry but that cute little 4-year old trying to make a scary face while holding a scalpel? Didn't quite work on screen. This song was the best thing to come out of that flick.

I have to give a special mention to Bad Company's "Shooting Star". Although it isn't thought of as a scary song, it scared the hell out of me when I was little. Every time Paul would sing "if you listen to the wind you can still hear him play"...my eyes would get as big as saucers and I would pray for a non-windy day. I was sure I would hear the ghost of Johnny wailing on his guitar outside my window. And let's not even get started on Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary".

One last note - I didn't put any instrumentals on the list, like movie/TV themes and such. There are a lot of those that fit the bill, but I was looking for "real" songs if you know what I mean. Otherwise, the theme from Halloween would definitely be on here. The movies are dumb, but that piece of music makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I've purposely left out any crazy Latin chants. I'm trying to forget about them.

If you feel I've left out any great Halloween songs, let me know!