Photo courtesy of Lucé Tomlin-Brenner
So, if you find yourself asking questions such as, where did Halloween come from? How did it get to America? Why do we do the things we do—bob for apples, pull pranks, go to haunted houses, etc.—to celebrate this strange, shadowy time of year?
Then It’s Always Halloween is just for you.
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Eartha Kitt, i want to be evil
BY TIFFANY SCIACCA
Halloween is approaching fast and although I always have a list or two of scary movies I plan to watch, I rarely think about music. Of course, there is not as big a catalog for Halloween as for Christmas but you do have the standbys like Bobby Pickett’s, Monster Mash or Ministry’s, Every Day is Halloween, though I am more partial to Siouxsie and The Banshees, Peek-A-Boo myself. I decided to explore a bit and found five songs to add to your Halloween playlist.
First, we have a band recommended to me through my YouTube recommendations. Formed in 1982, Saâda Bonaire was intended as a disco/world music band fronted by Stefanie Lange and Claudia Hossfeld. They were destined to have at least one hit single, “You Could Be More As You Are” but their A&R man grossly went over budget for Tina Turner’s, Private Dancer as well Saâda Bonaire’s debut album and EMI refused to release the single, pushing the group into obscurity. My introduction to them was, Shut the Door (1983) a nice jazz fusion song you would think was almost too bouncy to tie in with Halloween but then when the vocals start it quickly sounds like a song you’d find on the soundtrack of Vamp or The Hunger .
The second tune is familiar to most of us I think. Spooky (1967) was originally an instrumental song by Mike Sharpe and only later were lyrics added. More than 30 artists from Lydia Lunch to Andy Williams have covered it and I’m going to share the two that were unfamiliar to me.
The first version is by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. It definitely has that signature sound with the Vandellas adding the appropriate backdrop making it a perfectly dark and sultry song with Martha taking lyrical liberties like, “Love is kind of crazy with a spooky old lady like me.”
The second cover of Spooky is by the interesting trio of Joan Osborne, Isaac Hayes, and Dave Sanborn. This video was produced at Studio 5, NYC in 1997 for David Sanborn & Friends, The Super Session. There is a little playful banter at the beginning, but then it sticks close to the best known version by the Classics IV with lyrics alluding to a “spooky little girl.”
Another oldie but goodie, I Put a Spell On You, was supposed to be the perfect love song. “What do you mean Tiffany?” You ask, “It is a perfect love song!” Well the versions we hear now, like Nina Simone’s are more than convincing, but the original version which was written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was recorded after a large meal consisting of too much alcohol and the final project was not the pristine song familiar to the 1950s and was banned for some time. Here is a later version but you will still get the picture, definitely has that Halloween vibe. You are welcome!
The last on the list is Eartha Kitt’s, I Want to Be Evil released in 1953 on the album, That Bad Eartha, and with lines like, “… whatever I've got, I'm eager to lose” and “The the closest I've been to a bar is at ballet class.” I Want to Be Evil” is just as fun as Monster Mash but with sharper lyrics. I hope you enjoy these 5 spooky songs as much as I did and if you have any to add, please let me know!
Tiffany Sciacca (senior staff) is a writer who has recently moved to Sicily from the Midwest. Tiffany’s work has appeared in the Silver Birch Press, SOFTBLOW, and DNA Magazine UK. When she is not learning a new language or trying to blend in, she is reading old poetry anthologies, binging Nordic Noir or of course, writing.
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They are the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Sexting Ghosts, Xenos, No(body), #Survivor, (forthcoming, The Operating System), and is the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault. They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is the founder of Yes Poetry and the senior managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine. Some of their writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Them, Brooklyn Magazine, BUST, and elsewhere. Joanna also leads workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com / Twitter: @joannasaid / IG: joannacvalente / FB: joannacvalente
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They are the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (ELJ Publications, 2016) & Xenos (Agape Editions, 2016), and is the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault (CCM, 2017). They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is the founder of Yes, Poetry and the managing editor for Civil Coping Mechanisms and Luna Luna Magazine. Some of their writing has appeared in Prelude, BUST, Spork Press, The Feminist Wire, and elsewhere. Joanna also leads workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com / Twitter: @joannasaid / IG: joannacvalente
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On a brisk December evening in the early 90s, my aunt took me and two of my cousins to stand in a stranger’s yard in rural Maryland and sing to a dead tree.
Read MoreBY LISA MARIE BASILE
Happy Halloween, dear readers! Our little digital coven hopes you have a magical evening.
Halloween completely embodies Luna Luna's vision — we love when the dark mixes with the light, when the veils come undone. On this day, we're vulnerable and curious and empowered by the night. And on this day, we are free to practice magic without a second glance. But really, we're making magic all year — witchcraft isn't always lavender and candles and alters. Sometimes it's being a strong woman without apologies. Sometimes it's manifesting so hard that reality changes.
The witch has always been such powerful symbol for me. Right now, she's a popular figure...and that's great. But she's eternal, regardless of trend or clever PR. For me — and probably for a lot of us — she's a symbol of strength, resilience and autonomy. Being a witch means honoring the women (either witches or just everyday women) who had no choice but to admit their "sins" or die refusing to lie. This is powerful and haunting. We should never forget that women throughout the world have been prosecuted for what essentially boils down to men/society's fears of what is different or strange or powerful. I embrace the label because I *do* live in world where I have a choice and because I live by the teachings of powerful, magical women who manifest their dreams.
And I am consistently inspired by the amazing people who write and edit for Luna Luna. It's magical, and we invite you into our coven....
We hope you have a safe and spectacularly spooky Halloween night. We love you!
So fun to help @lezacantoral in her book trailer video. It was a spooky weekend 🌙🎃🌙 xo
A photo posted by Lisa Marie Basile (@lisamariebasile) on
