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Mood Ring: Halloween

(Image via lifehack.org)

It’s finally spooky season! I cannot begin to explain my love for Halloween. Maybe it has to do with the weather changing, welcoming in the fall, cool breeze. Or it is the inevitable nostalgia that comes with the holiday.

I think about the joy I felt, all dressed up as a vampire or princess, running house to house. The night felt different on Halloween. Exciting and mysterious. My imagination goes crazy with ideas and it is a time to explore that creativity. It’s fun to be someone new and to let out your weird side.

I could also just be inclined to scary things. I like monsters and ghouls and mysteries, which is the more sinister side of Halloween.

(Image via Eventbrite)

With that being said, Halloween is primarily a family holiday. With kids trick or treating and families handing out candy, 20-somethings are left in limbo. Yes, we have the wild parties and the sexy costumes, but I, personally, want to feel that love I had as a kid again.

So, I comprised a mix of Halloween-y songs that make me think of my childhood, as well as new ones that I’ve discovered with my age that are fitting for a party.

The Classics

Here’s a brief list of some classic Halloween songs that I remember defined my spooky season growing up:

“Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett –– The most classic of classics. Everyone hears this songs at immediately thinks of Halloween.

“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr. –– This is the theme song from the 1984 classic, “Ghostbusters”directed by Ivan Reitman. This movie has always been associated with Halloween and therefore fits perfectly.

“I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins –– The passion in Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ voice makes for a scary undertone, as well as the obsession the song is about. Also, the use of “spell” is seen as witchy.

(Image via Den of Geek)

“Witch Doctor” by David Seville –– This song always seemed to play at my childhood Halloween parties. It is fun and juvenile, but still a classic all around.

“The Addams Family” by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra  –– The theme to The Addams Family series.

New Discoveries

These are songs I have discovered with age that still give me the same spooky feeling. These songs aren’t necessarily new, but ones I wouldn’t have connected this feeling with at a younger age. These songs all have something spooky about them. Whether it’s just the music and sound or actual lyrics, they are more obscure than the obvious classics.

(Image via Youtube)

“Heads Will Roll” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

“Tear You Apart” by She Wants Revenge

“Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan

“Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads

“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac

I wanted to highlight the importance of balancing adolescence and maturity in a Halloween. I don’t want to lose the joy of trick or treating and dressing up. Things differ with age, but having a joyful attitude doesn’t have to. That’s why even just the existence of a Halloween playlist shows an extra effort towards a spooky spirit.