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Here Are the 20 Most Popular Halloween Songs, According to Spotify Data

Surprise! "Thriller" didn't take the top spot.

Last year, many parents had to alter their Halloween traditions due to the pandemic. This year, we have more opportunities to make up for the lost time. And while that might not mean an extravagant Halloween party, we can still celebrate in our homes with music all month long. If you’re not sure what to play that will appeal to everyone, thankfully, we’ve got a list of the 20 most popular Halloween songs. Here’s what you need to know.

Play Like Mum is ready to have fun this year, and they know that having the right music is “crucial for setting the mood.” So, with that in mind, they were determined to have the ultimate Halloween playlist. So, they sorted through the data and discovered the 20 most popular Halloween songs.

To find the list of most popular songs, Play Like Mum used Spotify. First, they searched for playlists that contained phrases like “Halloween” and “Spooky,” which brought up 226 playlists. In total, there were 30,000 songs to wort through.

“We compiled the song and artist names to find the number of times each song appeared across all 226 playlists,” they explain. “This gave us the most popular Halloween songs.”

After they dug through the data, one clear winner took the most popular Halloween song title. And no, it’s not Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller” in the top spot – it’s “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett. The song, which was released in 1962, made 104 appearances in the playlists.

Rounding out the top five, “This Is Halloween” by The Citizens of Halloween, “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr., “I Put a Spell On Your by Screamin'” by Jay Hawkins.

“Our top 20 features four soundtrack songs, from the Ghostbusters theme to the more recent Stranger Things,” Play Like Mum reveals. “But it’s clear the genre with the most terrifying tracks is Rock – at six songs, it dominates our top 20.”

Play Like Mum

Looking at the data overall, it’s clear that people love the old classics, with most of the songs dating back to the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Like Rihanna’s “Disturbia,” some songs don’t necessarily feel like a Halloween song, but we’re not mad it’s made the top 20.

The list Play Like Mum compiled is pretty close to Spotify’s own “most-streamed Halloween tracks.” And between the two, there’s everything you need to set up the ultimate playlist.