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What to sing

Halloween karaoke songs

Halloween karaoke songs are half costume, half song. Pick one that suits the outfit, or one where the act beats the voice.

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Before you sing it

Where it sits

How hard

Easy goingSome effortA big sing

Every song below shows where it sits and how hard it is. Open one for what to sing next and a little trivia.

Tonight the room wants a show, not a singer. Monster Mash and Time Warp beat anything that needs real singing. Commit to the bit.

Sign up early. The spooky classics go fast, and some hosts won't run a song twice. Have a backup ready.

And lose the mask to sing. It muffles you and hides the lyrics screen.

Performance first

Where the performance beats the voice

Nobody's grading the singing tonight. Whoever commits hardest wins.

  • Monster Mash

    Bobby "Boris" Pickett

    Half-talked in a horror-movie accent from start to finish, so nobody can judge the singing — including you.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow side · Easy going

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Werewolves of LondonWarren Zevon
    2. Song 2I Put a Spell on YouScreamin' Jay Hawkins
    3. Song 3People Are StrangeThe Doors

    Did you know

    1. Bobby Boris Pickett delivered the lead vocal as an impression of horror icon Boris Karloff.
    2. The BBC initially banned the novelty song for being too morbid.

  • Thriller

    Michael Jackson

    The verses sit comfortably, it runs long, and someone will start the dance before the first chorus is over.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Before you sing itHigh side

    Sits on the high side

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Time WarpThe Rocky Horror Picture Show
    2. Song 2WannabeSpice Girls
    3. Song 3Y.M.C.A.Village People

    Did you know

    1. Horror icon Vincent Price recorded his famous closing spoken-word monologue in just two takes.
    2. The landmark music video directed by John Landis helped define the MTV era.

  • Werewolves of London

    Warren Zevon

    Deadpan verses you can nearly speak, then a howl in the chorus that the whole bar does with you.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow side · Easy going

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1I Put a Spell on YouScreamin' Jay Hawkins
    2. Song 2People Are StrangeThe Doors
    3. Song 3Monster MashBobby "Boris" Pickett

    Did you know

    1. Fleetwood Mac members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie played the rhythm section on the track.
    2. The song was inspired by a suggestion from Phil Everly to write a werewolf song.

  • I Put a Spell on You

    Screamin' Jay Hawkins

    The original is grunts, shrieks and growls, so commitment counts for far more than a clean voice.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    A big sing
    Before you sing itLow side · A big sing

    Sits on the low side

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1People Are StrangeThe Doors
    2. Song 2Monster MashBobby "Boris" Pickett
    3. Song 3Werewolves of LondonWarren Zevon

    Did you know

    1. Originally planned as a gentle ballad, Hawkins turned it into a wild performance after the studio crew brought drinks.

  • Sympathy for the Devil

    The Rolling Stones

    Over six minutes, but Jagger mostly talks his way through it and the room brings the backing whoops.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Psycho KillerTalking Heads
    2. Song 2GhostbustersRay Parker Jr.
    3. Song 3This Is HalloweenThe Nightmare Before Christmas

    Did you know

    1. The song was inspired in part by Mikhail Bulgakov's classic novel The Master and Margarita.

  • Psycho Killer

    Talking Heads

    Twitchy and half-spoken, with a French bit in the middle worth reading through once before your turn.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1GhostbustersRay Parker Jr.
    2. Song 2This Is HalloweenThe Nightmare Before Christmas
    3. Song 3Somebody's Watching MeRockwell

  • Highway to Hell

    AC/DC

    It sits high and scratchy, so shout it rather than sing it — and it's over in under three and a half minutes.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh · A big sing

    Sits high

    A big sing

    Did you know

    1. It was the title track of the final studio album recorded with original lead vocalist Bon Scott.

Group costumes

Songs for a group in costume

Match the song to the outfits and the room gets the joke before you sing a word.

  • Time Warp

    The Rocky Horror Picture Show

    The chorus is the dance instructions, so half the bar is doing the steps by the second time round.

    a group: one takes the narrator's lines, one takes the fast solo verse, everyone takes the chorus

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1WannabeSpice Girls
    2. Song 2Y.M.C.A.Village People
    3. Song 3Everybody (Backstreet's Back)Backstreet Boys

    Did you know

    1. The song acts as an instructional line dance with lyrics outlining all the steps.

  • Ghostbusters

    Ray Parker Jr.

    Four of you in jumpsuits are doing this one whether you planned to or not, and the room shouts every reply.

    a group: one voice on the verses, everyone on the shouted answer

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going
    Before you sing itMiddle · Easy going

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1This Is HalloweenThe Nightmare Before Christmas
    2. Song 2Somebody's Watching MeRockwell
    3. Song 3Bad Moon RisingCreedence Clearwater Revival

    Did you know

    1. The song was written in just a few days after the movie's producers struggled to find a fitting theme song.
    2. Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. over musical similarities to 'I Want a New Drug,' settling out of court.

  • Wannabe

    Spice Girls

    Pick your Spice by the part you can manage — the lines pass around, and the fast talky bit goes to whoever practiced.

    up to five voices trading lines, all together on the chorus

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Y.M.C.A.Village People
    2. Song 2Everybody (Backstreet's Back)Backstreet Boys
    3. Song 3ThrillerMichael Jackson

    Did you know

    1. This debut single kicked off global 'Girl Power' mania and topped charts in over thirty countries.
    2. The iconic music video was filmed in a single continuous tracking shot at an abandoned London hotel.

  • Y.M.C.A.

    Village People

    The costumes are half the act and the arm letters are the other half; the singing barely matters.

    one voice on the verses, everyone on the chorus and the arms

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Everybody (Backstreet's Back)Backstreet Boys
    2. Song 2ThrillerMichael Jackson
    3. Song 3Time WarpThe Rocky Horror Picture Show

    Did you know

    1. The iconic letter-forming arm dance was actually invented by the audience during a TV performance.
    2. It has become an enduring staple at sports stadiums and wedding receptions around the world.

  • Everybody (Backstreet's Back)

    Backstreet Boys

    Counts as Halloween on a technicality — the video is a haunted house — and the bar knows the chorus cold.

    a group: split the verses, everyone on the chorus

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1ThrillerMichael Jackson
    2. Song 2Time WarpThe Rocky Horror Picture Show
    3. Song 3WannabeSpice Girls

    Did you know

    1. The iconic music video parodied classic movie monsters, featuring the members dressed as Dracula, a mummy, and a werewolf.
    2. It was famously featured in the climactic ending scene of the apocalyptic comedy film This Is the End.

  • This Is Halloween

    The Nightmare Before Christmas

    Written as a parade of characters, so a table in costume can split it line by line and nobody carries it alone.

    a group: pass the lines around, everyone on the title line

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Somebody's Watching MeRockwell
    2. Song 2Bad Moon RisingCreedence Clearwater Revival
    3. Song 3Don't Fear the ReaperBlue Öyster Cult

    Did you know

    1. The song was written by composer Danny Elfman, who also voiced several characters in the movie.
    2. It serves as the opening musical number introducing the spooky citizens of Halloween Town.

  • Somebody's Watching Me

    Rockwell

    The verses are nervous half-talking and the chorus sits much higher, which is exactly why it works as a pair.

    two voices: one talks the verses, one takes the high chorus

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Bad Moon RisingCreedence Clearwater Revival
    2. Song 2Don't Fear the ReaperBlue Öyster Cult
    3. Song 3ZombieThe Cranberries

    Did you know

    1. Rockwell is the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy.
    2. Michael Jackson sang the uncredited hook on the chorus as a favor to his childhood friend.

Dark but easy

Dark songs that are easy to sing

Spooky enough to count, gentle enough for anyone who'd rather not shout.

  • Bad Moon Rising

    Creedence Clearwater Revival

    A cheerful tune about doom, done in under two and a half minutes — short enough to try on your first drink.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going
    Before you sing itMiddle · Easy going

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Don't Fear the ReaperBlue Öyster Cult
    2. Song 2ZombieThe Cranberries
    3. Song 3Every Breath You TakeThe Police

    Did you know

    1. John Fogerty wrote the song after watching the classic film The Devil and Daniel Webster.

  • People Are Strange

    The Doors

    About two minutes, low and lazy; the costume can do the rest.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow side · Easy going

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Monster MashBobby "Boris" Pickett
    2. Song 2Werewolves of LondonWarren Zevon
    3. Song 3I Put a Spell on YouScreamin' Jay Hawkins

    Did you know

    1. Jim Morrison was inspired to write the lyrics after walking around the Laurel Canyon hills while feeling alienated.

  • Don't Fear the Reaper

    Blue Öyster Cult

    Soft and steady rather than loud, and the long guitar break in the middle is a rest — though someone will ask for more cowbell.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1ZombieThe Cranberries
    2. Song 2Every Breath You TakeThe Police
    3. Song 3Black Magic WomanSantana

    Did you know

    1. The song inspired the famous Saturday Night Live sketch starring Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell.
    2. John Carpenter featured the track prominently in his classic horror movie Halloween.

  • Zombie

    The Cranberries

    The verses are easy; the chorus has those cracked, yelping breaks, and half-doing them sounds worse than going for it.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Before you sing itMiddle

    Sits in the middle

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Every Breath You TakeThe Police
    2. Song 2Black Magic WomanSantana
    3. Song 3Sympathy for the DevilThe Rolling Stones

    Did you know

    1. The song was written in response to the tragic Warrington bomb attacks in England during the early 1990s.
    2. Dolores O'Riordan's distinctive yodeling vocal transitions became the signature element of the song.

  • Every Breath You Take

    The Police

    Steady and never loud, and someone will point out that it's a stalker song, which tonight is the point.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Black Magic WomanSantana
    2. Song 2Sympathy for the DevilThe Rolling Stones
    3. Song 3Psycho KillerTalking Heads

    Did you know

    1. Sting wrote the song at Ian Fleming's Goldeneye estate in Jamaica while dealing with the collapse of his first marriage.
    2. Despite sounding romantic to many listeners, Sting has repeatedly insisted it is about an obsessive stalker.

  • Black Magic Woman

    Santana

    More guitar than singing: the verses are short and the band fills the long gaps between them.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Sympathy for the DevilThe Rolling Stones
    2. Song 2Psycho KillerTalking Heads
    3. Song 3GhostbustersRay Parker Jr.

    Did you know

    1. Gregg Rolie sang lead vocals on this hit, which later helped launch him into the band Journey.
    2. Though synonymous with Santana, the song was originally composed by Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green.

Remember what worked next October

Halloween comes once a year, just long enough to forget what worked. Log it in KaraokeList: stars, plus Too high, Just right or Too low. Next October, it's on your phone.

Most spooky songs are Fun, not Skill: the room loves them however you sound. One went badly? Stamp it Not again and the Magic Mic never suggests it back.

Want something new? Tap the Magic Mic for songs you don't have yet, each with its reason.

Questions

What are good Halloween karaoke songs?

Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters and Time Warp are the ones every bar expects, and all of them reward acting more than singing. For something easier on the voice, Bad Moon Rising and People Are Strange are short, steady and dark enough to count.

What should a group sing for Halloween karaoke?

Match the song to the costume: Ghostbusters for a team in jumpsuits, Wannabe for a Spice Girls group, Time Warp for Rocky Horror. This Is Halloween has so many characters that a whole table can split it line by line.

What is the easiest Halloween song to sing at karaoke?

Monster Mash, because it is half-talked in a horror-movie voice and nobody expects real singing. People Are Strange is the other easy one: low, lazy and over in about two minutes.

Can you sing karaoke in a costume mask?

Take it off, or at least lift it. A mask muffles your voice and usually blocks the lyrics screen, and the rest of the costume still does its job without it.

Also try

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