"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known
song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a
single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in October 1962
along with a full-length LP called
The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other
monster-themed tunes. The "Monster Mash" single reached number
one on the Hot 100 chart on October 20 of that year, just in
time for Halloween. It has been a perennial holiday favorite
ever since.
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 performing The Diamonds', "Little Darlin'". The audience
loved it and fellow band member Lenny Capizzi encouraged
Pickett to do more with the Karloff imitation.
Pickett and Capizzi composed "Monster Mash" and recorded it
with Gary S. Paxton, Leon Russell, Johnny McCrae, Rickie Page,
and Terry Berg, credited as "The Crypt-Kickers". The song was
partially inspired by Paxton's earlier novelty hit "Alley Oop",
as well as by the Mashed Potato dance craze of the era. A
variation on the Mashed Potato was danced to "Monster Mash", in
which the footwork was the same but monster gestures were made
with the arms and hands. Mel Taylor, drummer for The Ventures
claimed to play on this, and that fact is repeated many places,
including Taylor's N.Y. Times obituary.
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 "the hit of the land" 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 horror film actor Bela Lugosi
as Dracula with the lyric "Whatever happened to my Transylvania
Twist?"
The song was re-released several times and appeared in the
Billboard charts on three occasions after the original release
— December 1962, August 1970 and May 1973. The BBC had banned
the record from airplay in 1962 on the grounds that the song
was "too morbid". It was eventually released in the United
Kingdom in 1973, where it peaked at #3 in early October. It
re-entered the British Charts again on November 2, 2008 at
#60.
"Monsters' Holiday", a Christmas-themed follow up, was
recorded by Pickett and released in December 1962, peaking at
#30 on the
Billboardchart. The tune was penned by the renowned
novelty song composer Paul Harrison. In 1985, with American
culture experiencing a growing awareness of rap music, Pickett
released "Monster Rap", which describes the mad scientist's
frustration at being unable to teach the dancing monster from
"Monster Mash" how to talk. The problem is solved when he
teaches the monster to rap. A movie musical based on the song
starring Pickett was released in 1995.
"Monster Mash" became a pop music standard, and many cover
versions have been recorded over the years. The Beach Boys
covered the song just two years after its original release, on
their 1964 album
Beach Boys Concert. That same year the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah
Band covered it on
Tadpolesand in 1968 performed it on the British
television series
Do Not Adjust Your Set. Boris Karloff was so taken with
the song that he performed it himself on a 1965 episode of
Shindig!. In 1972 horror film actor and DJ Mike Raven
performed a version of "Monster Mash" on the music show
2 G's and the Pop People. Actor Vincent Price recorded a
version of it as well in 1977. A 1978 Halloween episode of
Happy Daysfeatured Ron Howard performing a rendition of
the song, using a Peter Lorre impression rather than Pickett's
Karloff one. In 1980 the British ska band Bad Manners covered
"Monster Mash" on their debut album
Ska 'n' B. Hardcore punk band Ill Repute covered it as
well on their 1985 album
Omelette. In 1988, The Big O covered it for the Return
of the Living Dead Part II Soundtrack.
The 1996 album Test for Echo by the Canadian rock trio Rush
includes an instrumental track,
Limbo, which contains several samples from "Monster
Mash" including the line "Whatever happened to my Transylvania
Twist?".
In 1997, the horror punk group The Misfits released a music
video of them covering "Monster Mash" live. They also released
a studio version as a single in 1999, and recorded a separate
version for their 2003 album
Project 1950(see below). A Kidz Bop cover version
appeared on
Kidz Bop Halloween(2004). Mannheim Steamroller also
covered the song for their 2006 album
Halloween, Vol. 2: Creatures Collection. The song has
also been covered by Zombina and the Skeletones.
In 2008, The Smashing Pumpkins released a live recording of
the song from Halloween of that year through Live Smashing
Pumpkins.
Horror punk band the Misfits recorded a cover version of
"Monster Mash" in 1997 as part of a promotion surrounding a DVD
release of the 1969 stop motion film
Mad Monster Party. Their version was released as a
single in 1999, and a new version was recorded for their 2003
album
Project 1950.
The Misfits recorded their version of "Monster Mash" in 1997
in a recording studio in Newark, New Jersey. Bassist Jerry Only
later stated that "The 'Monster Mash' was a no-brainer for the
Misfits to cover as a timeless Halloween release. The song was
always a childhood favorite of mine." The recording was the
first time that Only had performed lead vocals for the band,
while then-Misfits lead singer Michale Graves provided backing
vocals. On October 18, 1997 a live performance of the song was
recorded and broadcast from the studio of the New Jersey-based
cable television music show "Power Play", the same studio in
which the song was recorded.
The Misfits' version of "Monster Mash" was used in a
cross-promotion campaign arranged by Deluxo and John Cafiero,
who had directed the Misfits' music videos for "American
Psycho" and "Dig Up Her Bones", to create awareness of a home
video release of the 1969 Rankin/Bass stop motion film
Mad Monster Party. Deluxo had recently acquired the
rights to the film in hopes of restoring it, but could not find
a quality print. They eventually found a quality 16 mm print
and the Misfits hosted a special screening of the film at
Anthology Film Archives in New York City, with the "American
Psycho" music video as an opening featurette. Notable attendees
at the screening included members of the Misfits, Cafiero,
Marky Ramone, Jimmy Gestapo of Murphy's Law, and executives
from both Geffen Records and Roadrunner Records. Deluxo
restored
Mad Monster Partyfrom the 16 mm print and
re-released it on VHS in limited numbers. A music video for the
Misfits' live recording of "Monster Mash" was created
interspersing clips from the film with footage from their
"Power Play" performance, and was intended to be included as a
bonus feature on a forthcoming DVD release. However, due to
complications over distribution rights, the DVD was not
released and the VHS version was discontinued. A DVD version of
the film was eventually released in 2003 by Anchor Bay
Entertainment, restored from a different 35 mm print.
As part of the promotional campaign, an image of Boris
Karloff as he appears in
Mad Monster Partywas used under license from his
daughter Sarah Karloff in artwork for a 7" vinyl single of the
Misfits' version of "Monster Mash". Percepto Records used the
same image of Karloff for the cover of the film's soundtrack
album which was released in September 1998. The Misfits single
was intended to be released the following month, but was
delayed due to lack of time to properly mix the studio
recording. Instead the artwork was used in connection with a
free MP3 download of the band's live recording of "Monster
Mash", available through their website as a "virtual single".
The image was used again as cover artwork when the finished
single was released physically in October 1999 as the first
release of the band's new label Misfits Records.
The Misfits' studio recording of "Monster Mash" was included
on their 2001 compilation album
Cuts from the Crypt. At the insistence of the band's
label Roadrunner Records, the live recording was omitted from
the album and only the studio version was used. The Misfits
recorded a new version of the song, featuring Cafiero on
backing vocals, for their 2003 album
Project 1950. By this time the band had a new lineup
consisting of Jerry Only (bass guitar and lead vocals), Dez
Cadena (guitar and backing vocals), and Marky Ramone (drums).
Only called this version of the song "probably the best version
we've ever done. I'm really happy with it. We've recorded it
several times in the past and this is the hardest hitting
version of them all." Ramone commented:
"'Monster Mash' always
reminded me of Boris Karloff. Our version's a lot faster than
the original, which was a slower 4/4 beat. I always liked the
way the drums seemed to come in out of nowhere after Igor
walked across the room." Cadena, meanwhile, remarked that "If I
didn't know any better ['Monster Mash'] could have been written
for the Misfits."
Two separate pressings of the Misfits single were released,
both issued on 7" vinyl in 1999. The first pressing had the
studio version on both sides and consisted of 1,000 copies: 800
on green vinyl, 100 on red, and 100 on gold. It was sold by the
band while on tour and also by mail order through their "Fiend
Club" fan club and official website. 1,000 promotional CD
copies of the studio version were also pressed and used for
limited solicitation to radio stations. A second pressing of
the vinyl single had the studio version on side A and the live
version on side B and consisted of 1,000 copies on
glow-in-the-dark vinyl, available exclusively by mail order
through the band's website. The single sold out and is no
longer in print.
All songs written and composed by Bobby Pickett, Leonard L.
Capizzi.