The Ultimate 70s October Song Playlist

October needs its own soundtrack.
On a recent episode of The 70’s Buzz Podcast, CTD and I started talking about songs from the 1970s that just feel right for this time of year—songs about witches, werewolves, monsters, murder, nightmares and all-around creepy stuff. The goal was simple: if we were making an October record that we could pull out and play every year, what songs would have to be on it?

We quickly discovered that the 70s had plenty to choose from.

Some songs are legitimately disturbing. Others just have spooky titles or that strange nighttime atmosphere that works perfectly when the days get shorter and Halloween gets closer.

And yes, we’re bending the rules once.

1. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett

It wasn’t originally a 70s song, but there was no way I could leave it off. “Monster Mash” was first released in 1962 and became a #1 hit, but it came roaring back during the 70s, climbing back into the U.S. Top 10 in 1973. As kids, it was one of those novelty records we heard over and over, so it absolutely belongs on a playlist representing what we actually listened to during the decade.

2. Spooky – Atlanta Rhythm Section

The Atlanta Rhythm Section version arrived in 1979 and peaked at #17 in October—perfect timing. Despite the title, it isn’t really a horror song at all. It’s about a mysterious woman, with a little Halloween imagery thrown in. The song itself goes back even further, beginning as an instrumental before lyrics were added to an earlier version.

3. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads

Released in 1977, “Psycho Killer” gives us one of the decade’s most obvious October titles. It only reached #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, but became one of Talking Heads’ signature songs. One fun bit of trivia from the episode: the song contains French lyrics and apparently began life in a much more ballad-like form before evolving into the twitchy version we know.

4. Black Magic Woman – Santana

Santana’s 1970 version has that eerie guitar sound that immediately gives it a late-night October feel. What a lot of listeners may not realize is that Santana didn’t originate the song. It came from the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham ever joined the band.

5. Welcome to My Nightmare – Alice Cooper

You really can’t build a 70s Halloween playlist without Alice Cooper. “Welcome to My Nightmare” was released in 1975 and the album became one of Cooper’s biggest records. Even better for horror fans, the album includes a spoken section performed by Vincent Price.

Alice could probably fill half this playlist by himself. CTD also nominated “Cold Ethel,” “Dead Babies” and “I Love the Dead,” all of which prove that Cooper was willing to write about subjects most artists wouldn’t have gone near at the time.

6. Witchy Woman – Eagles

Released in 1972, “Witchy Woman” reached #9 on the Billboard charts. Don Henley and Bernie Leadon wrote it, with Leadon having started the idea before joining the Eagles. The combination of the title, the vocal and that mysterious atmosphere makes this one an easy October choice.

7. Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield

You don’t need lyrics to make a song creepy.

Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” became permanently associated with The Exorcist. The minute that melody starts, anyone familiar with the movie immediately gets that uneasy feeling. Oldfield was only 21 when he created the music, and according to the trivia we discussed, he was apparently so frightened by The Exorcist that he wouldn’t watch the movie.

8. Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group

“Frankenstein” was a huge instrumental hit in 1973, but the title wasn’t originally inspired by the monster. The song reportedly got its nickname because engineers had to piece so many different musical sections together—essentially stitching the recording together like Frankenstein’s monster.

That’s almost better than if the song had actually been about Frankenstein.

9. Halloween Theme – John Carpenter

John Carpenter didn’t just direct Halloween—he wrote its unforgettable theme.

The 1978 instrumental is one of those pieces of music you recognize almost instantly. Carpenter created the music himself with synthesizer assistance and humorously credited it to the “Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra,” even though there really wasn’t an orchestra.

If you’re building an October playlist, this one is mandatory.

10. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

The title song from Black Sabbath’s 1970 debut may be one of the darkest sounding recordings on this entire list. That opening atmosphere, the rain, the bell and Tony Iommi’s riff created something that must have sounded downright sinister in 1970.

11. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Öyster Cult

One of the greatest rock songs of the decade also happens to fit October perfectly.

Blue Öyster Cult released “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” in 1976. There’s also a great connection to Halloween: the song can be heard on the car radio as Laurie and Annie drive through Haddonfield while Michael Myers follows them.

12. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon

This is my personal #1.

I loved “Werewolves of London” when it came out in 1978 and still think it’s one of the greatest October songs ever recorded. There’s also a Fleetwood Mac connection that probably explains part of the groove—Mick Fleetwood played drums and John McVie played bass on the recording.

It started almost as a joke after Phil Everly suggested the idea of writing a song about werewolves. Somehow that joke turned into a classic.

A Few Darker Deep Cuts

CTD dug deeper than I did and pulled out several songs that don’t usually appear on Halloween playlists.

AC/DC’s “Night Prowler” from Highway to Hell is an exceptionally dark 1979 track. Cheap Trick contributed “Gonna Raise Hell” and the much creepier “The Ballad of TV Violence,” originally titled “The Ballad of Richard Speck.”

He also nominated the eerie “Prelude” from Gene Simmons’ 1978 solo album, featuring Janis Ian, which CTD remembered as especially unsettling when it unexpectedly came on during the night.

Then there’s Vicki Lawrence’s “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” It doesn’t sound like a Halloween song at first, but once you actually follow the story, you realize you’re listening to a murder mystery involving betrayal, revenge and wrongful conviction. That’s plenty dark enough for October.

The 70s Buzz October Playlist

Put all of our choices together and you’ve got a pretty great October soundtrack:

1. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
2. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Öyster Cult
3. Halloween Theme – John Carpenter
4. Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield
5. Welcome to My Nightmare – Alice Cooper
6. Witchy Woman – Eagles
7. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
8. Black Magic Woman – Santana
9. Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
10. Spooky – Atlanta Rhythm Section
11. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett
12. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
13. Night Prowler – AC/DC
14. Gonna Raise Hell – Cheap Trick
15. The Ballad of TV Violence – Cheap Trick
16. Cold Ethel – Alice Cooper
17. Dead Babies – Alice Cooper
18. I Love the Dead – Alice Cooper
19. Prelude / Radioactive – Gene Simmons
20. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia – Vicki Lawrence

That’s enough music to get you through a pretty good October night.

We originally set out to create a Top 10 list, but between the two of us we ended up with nearly 20 songs and very little overlap—which probably means we could easily build another volume.

So now it’s your turn.

What 1970s song did we forget that absolutely belongs on the ultimate October playlist?

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