Death is scary. It's actually the scariest thing ever. It's even more frightening than roaches or abject poverty. And what better way to to honor those who've already crossed over to the other side than enjoying their songs about the most horrifying holiday, Halloween.
We've rounded up a handful of songs that seriously don't suck, sung by people who are now very rad ghosts. These late musicmakers utilized werewolves, zombies, monsters, and all sorts of spooks to create killer creep-tastic tuneage.
See the cut for Crossfade's five freaky good songs by dead musicians.
5. The Cramps' "I Was a Teenage Werewolf"
There is nothing not to like about The Cramps. This horror-punk group is the all-around perfect band to enjoy on this dark holiday. Lead singer Lux Interior always brought the theatrics and the macabre. He left the Earthly plane at only 60-years-old, passing away at Glendale Memorial Hospital of a heart condition. Not long before that, guitarist Bryan Gregory also bit the dust at only 47. RIP Lux and Bryan.
4. Ramones' "Pet Sematary"
Remember Pet Sematary, the horrible nightmarish brainchild of Stephen King? Yeah, well, the Ramones remembered when they wrote the words, "I don't want to be buried in a pet cemetery, I don't want to live my life again." Within eight years of the punk band's demise, Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee Ramone had all died. While the singer and guitarist succumbed to cancer, Dee Dee's heroin overdose was a more sinister passing.
3. Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
When it comes to the King of Pop, we all know how that ended. Poor MJ died so tortured, so rich, and so famous. And now that he's dead, watching the "Thriller" video on Halloween with the lights out is scarier than ever.
2. Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You"
Now this is a sexy Halloween song if we ever heard one. Screamin' Jay may look like a crazy, possessed medicine man in this video. But man, what a good song! Hawkins died in 2000. It's been speculated that he left 75 kids behind on this Earth. No doubt the spell worked.
1. Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash"
Pickett sounds so spooky, his words tinged with a twinge of humor. There's nothing more Halloween than "Monster Mash." It's really a graveyard smash. Pickett died in 2007 of leukemia.
Enjoy the haunting gems these legends left behind. And a word of advice: Don't eat the taffy apples or unwrapped candy.
Happy Halloween!
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