"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. Pickett was an aspiring actor who sang with a band called The Cordials at night while going to auditions during the day. One night, while performing with his band, Pickett did a monologue in imitation of horror movie actor Boris Karloff while covering The Diamonds' "Little Darlin'". The audience loved it and co band member, Lenny Capizzi encouraged Pickett to do more with the Karloff imitation. See also: 1958 in music, other events of 1959, 1960 in music, 1950s in music and the list of years in music // Events 1959 (date unknown) Jimi Hendrix buys first electric guitar: a White Single pickup Supro Ozark 1560 S. January 5 The first sessions for Ella Fitzgeralds George... A novelty song is a usually intentionally humorous song, usually in published or recorded form. ... Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 - April 25, 2007), was a native of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, who found fame as a one-hit wonder musician under the name Bobby Boris Pickett. ... Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (London, November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who immigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and the creation of Frankensteins monster in 1931s Frankenstein. ... The Diamonds were a Canadian musical group of the 1950s and early 1960s who rose to prominence performing cover versions of songs by black musicians. ...

Pickett and Capizzi composed "Monster Mash" and recorded it with Gary Paxton, Leon Russell, Johnny McCrae and Rickie Page, credited as "The Cryptkickers". This song was partially inspired by Paxton's earlier novelty hit "Alley Oop", as well as by the Mashed Potato dance craze of the era. Gary S Paxton Gary S. Paxton (b. ... Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2, 1942 in Lawton, Oklahoma) is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist. ... Alley Oop is a song written by Dallas Frazier. ... Mashed potatoes. ...

The song is narrated by a mad scientist whose monster, late one evening, rises from a slab to perform a new dance. The dance becomes a hit when the scientist throws a party for other monsters. The producers came up with several low-budget, but effective sound effects for the recording. For example, the sound of a coffin opening was imitated by a rusty nail being pulled out of a board. The sound of a cauldron bubbling was actually water being bubbled through a straw and the chains rattling were simply chains being dropped on a tile floor. Pickett also impersonated the horror actor Bela Lugosi as Dracula when he said, "What ever happened to my Transylvania Twist?" Caucasian, male, aging, crooked teeth, messy hair, lab coat, spectacles/goggles, dramatic posing, beaker with strange colored liquid — one popular stereotype of a mad scientist. ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp. ... Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. ...

On October 20, 1962, eight weeks after it was recorded, "Monster Mash" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart just in time for Halloween. It has been a perennial holiday favorite ever since. The single was re-released twice, the first re-release was in 1970, and the second re-release resulted in the single peaking at #10 in early-May, 1973. The song remains a staple on oldies radio. October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1960s in music. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... Halloween, or Halloween, is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other gifts, called most commonly trick-or-treating. ... See also: other events of 1970 list of years in music 1970s in music // Charles Wuorinen, aged 32, becomes the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. ... See also: 1970s in music. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

"Monster's Holiday", a Christmas-themed follow up, was released in December 1962 and peaked at #30 on the Billboard chart. The tune was penned by the renowned novelty song composer Paul 'Oops! upside ya head' Harrison. Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

The Bonzo Dog Band released a version of "Monster Mash" on their 1969 album Tadpoles. The Bonzo Dog Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Bonzo Dog Dada Band and, colloquially, as The Bonzos) was a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... The third album by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. ...

Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers charted with "Monster Mash" in the UK in 1973 where it peaked at #3 in the early October. The BBC banned the record in 1962 on the grounds they thought the song was "too morbid." Hence part of the reason why the record failed in the UK.

In 2005, "Climate Mash", a version with re-written lyrics about global warming and new vocals by Pickett, was released on the Internet by the organization Clear the Air. "Monster Mash" was written by Pickett and Leonard Capizzi. Global mean surface temperatures 1850 to 2006 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and the projected... Clear The Air (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ) is a voluntary organisation aiming at reducing air pollution in Hong Kong. ...

Trivia

• When Elvis Presley heard the song for the first time, he said that it was "the dumbest song he had ever heard" (Music Choice Trivia).
• Mixing the cereals Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry into one bowl is commonly known as a Monster Mash.
• Horror punk group The Misfits covered this song on their album Monster Mash, and Project 1950.
• British ska band Bad Manners released a cover of the song on their 1980 debut album, Ska 'n' B.
• Jesse Sails played drums and Chuck Trainor played bass for this song.
• Vincent Price recorded a version of the song in 1977.

Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... For Music Choice in United Kingdom, see Music Choice Extra Music Choice is a name used by two different companies, one in the US and one in Europe. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ... Boo Berry is one of a line of monster-themed breakfast cereals produced by General Mills. ... For the movie of the same name, see The Misfits (film). ... Project 1950 is an album from the new incarnation of the Horror punk band The Misfits, released in 2003. ... Ska (pron. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... SkanB is the first album by Bad Manners from the year 1980. ... Vincent Leonard Price Jr. ...

Occurrences in the media

• The 1993 Simpsons episode "I Love Lisa" featured this song when a radio disc jockey played the wrong record.^{[citation needed]}
• The Cheers episode "Bar Wars V: The Final Judgment" featured this song prominently, played repeatedly as a prank by rival bar owner Gary on Halloween.^{[citation needed]}
• Ron Howard performed the song on Happy Days (episode 124, "The Evil Eye" 10/31/78), but used a Peter Lorre impression rather than Boris Karloff.^{[citation needed]}
• In 1995, a movie musical called Monster Mash: The Movie, written in the spirit of the song and starring Bobby Pickett himself, was produced.
• Mentioned in the Dire Straits song Your Latest Trick.
• Boris Karloff was so taken with the song that he performed it himself on a 1965 episode of Shindig!.^{[citation needed]}
• Mike Tyson appeared with Bobby Brown on Jimmy Kimmel Live, performing a duet of the song.^{[citation needed]}
• The song was performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in the first episode of Do Not Adjust Your Set. ^{[citation needed]}
• The song appears on an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, where a bunch of monsters invade the Spellman house on Halloween, caused by an evil talking doll.^{[citation needed]}
• Mannheim Steamroller's 2006 album, Halloween, Vol. 2 features a slightly re-worked version of the song.
• In American TV spots, the song was used to promote the film, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
• In the Freaks and Geeks episode "Tricks and Treats", Mrs. Weir sings "Monster Mash" at dinner to the amusement of her children.
• Bob Dylan is a fan of the song and played it on the Halloween 2006 edition of his Theme Time Radio Hour program on XM Satellite Radio.

Simpsons redirects here. ... I Love Lisa is the fifteenth episode from the fourth season of The Simpsons, in which the dim-witted and socially-awkward Ralph Wiggum plays a prominent role. ... Cheers is a popular American situation comedy produced by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with CBS Paramount Television for NBC. Cheers was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. ... Halloween, or Halloween, is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other gifts, called most commonly trick-or-treating. ... For other people named Ron Howard, see Ronald Howard. ... Happy Days is a popular American television sitcom that originally aired between 1974 and 1984 on the ABC television network. ... Peter Lorre (June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964), born Ladislav (László) Löwenstein, was a charismatic Slovak stage and screen actor and director, who later became a naturalized US citizen. ... Bobby Boris Pickett (born Robert George Pickett) on February 11, 1940; was fascinated with horror movies as a child. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Your Latest Trick is a 1986 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Shindig! was the name of a music variety show which was aired every week on the American ABC network from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. ... Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is a former American world heavyweight boxing champion and is the youngest man to have won a world heavyweight title. ... Robert Berisford Bobby Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and dancer. ... Jimmy Kimmel Live is a late-night talk show in the United States created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast from the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. ... The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (more often the Bonzo Dog Band) were the brainchild of a British art-school set of the 1960s. ... From left to right: David Jason, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Eric Idle. ... Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is the name of an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. ... Mannheim Steamroller is an 18th century classical rock group founded by Chip Davis, and co-founded by Jackson Berkey, well-known for their modern recordings of holiday music (notably Christmas). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Freaks and Geeks was an American television series, created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 TV season. ... Tricks and Treats is the third episode of Freaks and Geeks. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... Theme Time Radio Hour (TTRH) is a one hour radio show hosted by Bob Dylan. ... “XM” redirects here. ... Sherry is a song written by Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by The Four Seasons. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... This is a list of number-one hits in the United States by year from the Billboard Hot 100. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hes a Rebel is a pop song credited to the The Crystals which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in November 1962. ... The Crystals were one of the most successful girl groups of the 1960s. ...

References

• Bathroom Reader' Institute (October 1991). Uncle John's Fourth Bathroom Reader. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-06484-5. 

External links

• Official "Monster Mash" site