Boo!!!! Probably didn’t scare you much did it? But yes, it’s almost Halloween...that time each year when ghosts, goblins, zombies and ghouls all come out to play (and to ask for candy). Our title this week comes from the opening lyric to “Monster Mash”, a 1962 # 1 hit for the late, Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett. Obviously, that song won’t be one of the answers...neither will Rob Zombie or “Racing With The Devil”, but every song except one was a Top 20 hit (and that one made it to # 21), so conjure up your favourite spirit (or spirits if you’re a drinker) and take a whack at these 5 Halloween-y questions.
QUESTIONS:
1. This ‘soaring’ group named after the U.S. national bird had a song with a title that is perfect for Halloween. The opening lyrics are: “Raven hair and ruby lips, sparks fly from her finger tips. Echoed voices in the night, she’s a restless spirit on an endless flight.” What’s the name of this ‘kitchy’ song? (HNT ALERT – you just passed one)
2. The singer of the song whose title we’re looking for is named Gene Simmons, but he’s not the ‘long tongued’ guy from KISS. This Gene Simmons was born in Tupelo, the same tiny Mississippi town as Elvis Presley, two years before Elvis in 1933. In fact, Gene was also signed to Sun Records (same as Elvis) and used to open for Elvis early on in his career. The song title of his hit is similar to a ‘ghostly’ ride at Disneyland and Disney World. I gave you the name of the singer – can you give me the name of the song?
3. The man who co-wrote (and sang) our next ‘Halloween’ song also wrote several hits for other artists, including Linda Ronstadt, including “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me”. Long before the “Twilight” series of movies, this song highlighted a particular kind of ‘monster’, one that hunts by night (but it’s not a vampire). Think Taylor Lautner rather than Robert Pattison and you’ll probably come up with the answer to the song’s title.
4. He was the ‘King of Pop’ and his hits include thirteen # 1’s. This particularly ‘spooky’ song from 1984 wasn’t one of those # 1’s, although it did make it to # 4. The album that it came from however, became the ‘best selling album of all time’ – a title it still holds, with sales of somewhere around 110 million copies. Vincent Price’s laugh was also featured on this single. Alright, you’ve had enough clues. What’s the name of this ‘thrilling’ hit? Ooops, I guess one more clue won’t hurt.
5. This song went all the way to the top of the singles chart in 1984. You should know this one from the following four words: “Who You Gonna Call?” You know this one, so don’t let me down.
ANSWERS
1. The Eagles recorded “Witchy Woman” for their debut album, “Eagles”. Eagle Bernie Leadon started writing the song back when he was with the Flying Burrito Brothers. Once they were both in The Eagles, Don Henley helped finish it. “Witchy Woman” was the first Eagles song to break into the Top 10, making it to # 9 in 1972. Their first charted single, “Take It Easy” climbed as high as # 12. Of course, The Eagles went on to have 5 # 1’s from 1975 to 1979.
2. Jumpin’ Gene Simmons (as he was sometimes called) took “Haunted House” to the # 11 spot on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart in 1968. At the time, he was signed to Hi Records in Memphis.
3. In 1978, the late Warren Zevon had his ‘supernatural’ moment with “Werewolves of London” with lyrics like: “I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s. And his hair was perfect. Aaooooo, Werewolves of London. Aaooooo.” The song made it to # 21 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac played bass and drums, respectively on the track. Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003. He was 56.
4. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson is the answer you should have known. The single made it to # 4 on the Hot 100 chart while the “Thriller” album went to # 1. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008, 25 years after its initial release. It’s also one of 25 albums denoted by the Library of Congress as being ‘culturally significant’ and a part of their National Recording Registry. The ‘scary’ video for the song “Thriller” with its dancing zombies and Michael who turns into one himself near the end, was directed by John Landis, who sat in the directors’ chair for hit films such as “Animal House”, “The Blues Brothers” and “An American Werewolf In London” (not to be confused with the Warren Zevon song “Werewolves of London from question # 3).
5. Ray Parker Jr. wrote the theme from the hit movie “Ghostbusters” which was # 1 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart for 3 weeks in the summer of 1984. The video for that song features quite a few actors and musicians, including Chevy Chase (“National Lampoon’s Vacation”, “Caddyshack” and TV’s “Community”), Irene Cara (“Flashdance [What A Feeling]”), John Candy (“Uncle Buck”, “Trains, Planes & Automobiles”), Sara Gilbert (“Little House On The Prairie”), Jeffrey ‘Hey Now’ Tambor (“The Larry Sanders Show”, “Arrested Development”, “The Hangover”), George Wendt (“Cheers”), Saturday Night Live’s Al Franken (now a U.S. Senator), Danny DeVito (“Taxi”, “Romancing The Stone”, “Throw Mama From The Train”, “The War of The Roses”), singer Carly Simon (“You’re So Vain”), Peter Falk (“Columbo”) and actress Terry Garr (“Close Encounters of The Third Kind” and “Tootsie”).
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