Quiz: Is This a Lyric From “Monster Mash” or “Spooky, Scary Skeletons”?

There’s nothing like some quirky, fun Halloween music to put you in the spooky mood every October. Whether you love the soundtracks of staples like Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas, or you opt for other classics such as “Season of the Witch” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” there are some songs you hear and instantly think of trick-or-treating of Halloweens past. These two songs definitely evoke those memories. How well do you remember the lyrics of “Monster Mash” and “Spooky, Scary Skeletons”?

Were you able to get all 20 lyrics correct? Though some were obvious, others were a bit more challenging. Plus, that two-minute time-limit makes the quiz so much harder. We hear these songs every year, but the ticking clock adds a lot of pressure!

More Halloween Quizzes:

The Most Essential Halloween Songs

Though Halloween party playlists can vary a bit depending on what you classify as a “Halloween song,” the basic handful of tracks are always there. No song list is complete without “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, which was released in 1962. The iconic holiday song began with a performance in which Pickett performed a monologue in the voice of Frankenstein actor Boris Karloff, and the rest is history.

“Spooky, Scary Skeletons” is a close second after “Monster Mash” for the most essential Halloween songs ever. Released in 1996 as part of Andrew Gold’s holiday album Halloween Howls: Fun & Scary Music, the track gained popularity when Disney used it for their 1998 video Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Happy Haunting: Party at Disneyland!.

Both songs are near impossible to not sing along to.

Behind these two classics, songs from popular movie soundtracks are always played every Halloween. This includes Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” for the 1984 movie Ghostbusters, and Danny Elfman’s “This Is Halloween” for the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Iconic instrumental tracks, like the “Halloween Theme” by director John Carpenter and Wojciech Kilar’s “Dracula- The Beginning” for Bram Stoker’s movie, are must-plays.

Then, there are those songs that don’t have much to do with Halloween or horror movies, but they have spooky-sounding titles and lyrics. Some examples include 1983’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell and 2010’s “Cannibal” by Kesha.

There’s something for everyone when it comes to Halloween music. Bookmark the Mental Floss quiz page for more daily challenges.

The countdown to Halloween is on, and we’re challenging our readers here at Mental Floss with our Trick or Trivia quiz giveaway. For 13 nights between October 19-31, we’re putting your knowledge of all things spooky to the test. Think you know Halloween? Take at least one quiz and enter to be in the running to win a $200 Barnes & Noble gift card.