Over the years, there’s been a fair bit of “paranormal” activity on the charts, with numerous creepy crawly tracks climbing their way up the Billboard Hot 100 at different points in time.
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Frequently, such songs are summoned to the charts when spooky season is at its peak, particularly perennial frightening favorites such as Michael Jackson’s iconic “Thriller” and Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers’ “Monster Mash.” But smashes by Rihanna, Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber and more modern stars have also proven that the market for bone-chilling bops is year-round, whether the lyrics are about monsters, vampires or ghosts.
So, in honor of the ever-expanding canon of Halloween hits, Billboard recently rounded up the 25 biggest songs in the nightmarish niche based on chart performance. Based on weekly performance on the Hot 100, the ranking includes tracks with thematic words — such as “spooky,” “devil,” “monster” and “witch” — in their titles. Via an inverse point system, songs with weeks spent at No. 1 were assigned the greatest value, while those that spent weeks at lower spots earned less.
From the King of Pop to the Eagles, Blue Öyster Cult, Janet Jackson, Cher and more, entries by some of music’s biggest icons appear on the round-up — and Billboard is absolutely dying to know which one is your favorite. Tell us which creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky and altogether ooky anthem is your favorite to listen to during Halloween time — or at any point in the year — by voting in the poll below. (But, beware! The listed tracks might just send shivers down your spine or even cause uncontrollable skeletal movements known as dancing. You’ve been warned.)
