Tribute to Monster Mash
HALLOWEEN POLL: PICK YOUR FAVORITE SONG
Listen to all the songs in this blog post, click 'Start,' and vote!
Transylvanian Twist
Welcome to a new feature where Let’s Talk About the Music steps away from the current independent music industry to pay homage to the legacy of music from the past.
Today’s musicians owe their presence to those who came before them, paving the way.
Tribute to Monster Mash
Monster Rap
This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas
Monster’s Holiday
Until next time
Let’s Talk About the Music,
because Music is Everywhere!
Dracula Party
Did you know the Halloween radio hit “Monster Mash” is about a song called “Monster Mash” — and we’ve never actually heard the song? Heh, I’m sure you’ve heard that joke already. But, what many people don’t bring up is how early it’s mentioned that Dracula is at the party and his song is playing; but then midway through, it’s mentioned that Dracula showed up to ask, “Whatever happened to my Transylvanian Twist?” Perhaps the verses got swapped?
It’s Halloween Season:
Bobby Pickett is the artist who unleashed “Monster Mash” onto us. Born on February 11, 1938, in Somerville, Massachusetts, Pickett developed a love for horror movies, sparked by his father owning a local movie theater that played mostly B horror flicks. Pickett wanted to be an actor and follow in the footsteps of many horror icons like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. After serving three years in the military, he began auditioning and performing with a band called The Cordials. During one Halloween-themed show, he performed a song as Boris Karloff and received a positive response from the audience. This led Pickett and fellow bandmate Lenny Capizzi to write “Monster Mash” as a parody of dance craze songs.
Pickett and Capizzi
As with many great aspiring artists, Pickett and Capizzi had difficulty getting record labels interested in producing the song until they met producer Gary S. Paxton, who shared their interest in horror movies. The song was an instant hit when released in 1962 and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. Unfortunately, not everyone was initially able to enjoy the song because it was banned in the UK for being “too morbid,” although the ban was finally lifted in 1973.
Memorable
As memorable as “Monster Mash” is, not many people are aware that a Christmas-themed version was written not long after the original, entitled “Monsters’ Holiday,” a parody set to the poem of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Eventually, a full monster-themed album was released entitled The Original Monster Mash. Among the new songs was “The Transylvania Twist.” Now listeners could decide if Dracula was justified in getting upset over being upstaged.
Pickett even went so far as to write “Monster Rap” in the 80s, where his Boris caricature is trying to teach his monster to rap in place of speaking. Video essayist Seth Bailey believes the most interesting thing about “Monster Mash” is that in 1995 Picket wrote a film adaptation. It was directed by Joel Cohen (writer of the infamous Garfield movie), and starred Candice Cameron (Full House), John Kassir (Tales From The Crypt), and Jimmie Walker (Good Times). Pickett himself also had a starring role. This (combined with a fairly substantial acting resume on IMDB) shows that he did in fact accomplish his goal of becoming an actor. But for many of us it will always be “Monster Mash” that will be his legacy. Seth Bailey said it best: Pickett would probably love knowing that “Monster Mash” has essentially become the theme song for Halloween. (Although in my opinion, “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas is a strong rival.)
The rest of the story
Apart from airings on the radio during the month of October, many current artists are keeping “Monster Mash” alive at concerts or putting their own spin on the song. If you ever wanted to hear a heavy metal version of “Monster Mash,” check out Jonathan Young, who has a music video of his take on YouTube. If you find his music interesting in general, he will be performing live at The Tavern Tour at Colossalcon in Wisconsin Dells, WI, November 22–24. And, Geoff Castelluci does an inspired acapella version. His work can be discovered through his website at Geoff Castelluci . Enjoy finding more interesting versions of this popular Halloween hit, now that you know “the rest of the story”!
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