Every Oct. 31, people from all corners of the globe descend onto Greenwich Village to revel in the reverie and mischief that is New York’s infamous Halloween Parade. The centerpiece of the annual celebration is a massive participation in the “Thriller Dance” on the street. For decades, costumed adults and children engage in Michael Jackson and Michael Peters’ iconic choreography in the spirit of the fiendish holiday.
If Mariah Carey owns the Christmas holiday, then Michael Jackson is the King of Halloween. Once September ends, fans play the title track of the biggest-selling album of all time with a similar frequency to “All I Want For Christmas is You” after Thanksgiving concludes. Like Carey, Jackson has numerous songs, besides the obvious one, that personify the respective season. Unlike Carey, who has recorded two Christmas albums, Jackson’s songs stretch throughout his career and were not specifically created to celebrate Halloween.
Jackson had a penchant for the dramatic. His ability to craft songs with earworm hooks and cinematic storytelling helped make him the most popular musician of the 20th century. He was often at his best when composing or recording songs about paranoia, making for a good backdrop for All Hallows’ Eve, whether as a solo act or frontman for The Jackson 5.
Here are the Michael Jackson songs to help usher in and officially celebrate the spooky season:
“The Boogie Man” (The Jackson 5, 1973)
Michael and Jermaine trade leads on this funky and spooky jam. They warn their ladies not to break their hearts, or the boogie man will get them!
“This Place Hotel (aka “Heartbreak Hotel”)” (The Jacksons, 1980)
One of the most ambitious songs that Michael wrote to that point, “Heartbreak Hotel” was conceived as nightmare fuel for the listener. Built on ominous strings, a brooding bass line, and paranoid imagery of deceitful women, “Heartbreak Hotel” is Jackson’s first purposefully scary song, and among his most beloved compositions.
What else can be said about this classic? An anthem full of ghouls and night creatures with a rap from horror legend Vincent Price, accompanied by a short film with werewolves and dancing zombies? The quintessential Halloween song.
“Somebody’s Watching Me” (Rockwell, 1983)
Rockwell, son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, recorded his debut single “Somebody’s Watching Me,” and it caught the ear of his childhood buddy, Michael Jackson. The haunting, macabre production with Rockwell’s weary, frightened vocal made the song unique, but once Jackson sang the hook, “Somebody’s Watching Me” was elevated into a Billboard hit and Halloween staple.
One of Michael’s last hurrahs as The Jacksons’ frontman. This Jackie Jackson-penned track evokes imagery of heartbreak, bondage, and mystery. Michael and Jermaine go back and forth on leads one more time, and yet neither could be bothered to show up to the music video, which included monsters, phantoms, and skeletons.
“Blood on the Dance Floor” (1997)
Michael had an ongoing fixation on mysterious, devious women in his music, from “Workin’ Day & Night” to “Dangerous.” For “Blood on the Dance Floor,” Michael takes the spirit of “Billie Jean” to a new extreme, melding murder and the sanctuary of body movement.
“Ghosts” (1997) Besides “Thriller” and “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Ghosts” is one of the songs that Michael made with the intention of conjuring imagery of dread and phantasm. He uses said imagery to call out those who practice jealousy, betrayal, and revenge atop Teddy Riley’s mechanical dance beat. The accompanying short film not only rivals “Thriller”’s frightful storytelling and progressive choreography of the undead, but it interjects a social subtext of bigotry and prejudice.
While the verses share the same words as “Ghosts,” “Is It Scary” is an accusatory declaration of defiance. With Jam & Lewis’ menacing bassline and foreboding choir voices peering in the background, Michael, who faced unrelenting ridicule for his eccentricities, turned the mirror on his detractors, saying he would become the monster they accuse him of being.
Michael ended his final album with a new dimension to “Thriller.” Rather than employing a living horror legend to do an original rap, he and producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins spliced audio clips of “Twilight Zone” host Rod Serling to set the tone for a terrifying track and vocal attack from MJ.
