Number One Halloween Hit: ‘Monster Mash’ Or ‘Thriller?’

'Monster Mash' reached number one status for two weeks before Halloween in 1962. Though the song is looked at as a nostalgic Halloween anthem today, what a lot of people don't know is that it was written as a parody. The original purpose of 'Monster Mash' was to poke fun at the popular dance crazes at the time.  It ended up becoming a smash hit, getting radio play and dance club play for weeks and months after the Halloween of 1962. The Bobby "Boris" Pickett song was re-released in August of 1970 and May 1973, both times the song made an impact on the Billboard charts.

Let's skip ahead in time to January of 1984. Surprisingly, the release of Michael Jackson's classic, 'Thriller' was not  as critically acclaimed on impact as 'Monster Mash' was. Upon release, this chilling dance tune had reached top 10 status on Billboard's Hot 100, but it peaked at number 4. Some could even argue that 'Thriller' was never more popular than when Michael Jackson passed away in 2009. When fans, casual and all, were buying MJ tracks off of the internet in remembrance ,'Thriller' was the number one seller by far. A big reason why this song is constantly played around Halloween is because of the music video. The video is a short horror film. When you combine spooky lyrics, revolutionary (by some accounts) dance moves and a horror movie plot that is better than most scary movies of today, you get a Halloween hit.

Now, I ask you: What is the number one Halloween hit, 'Monster Mash' or 'Thriller?' Leave your opinions and comments below.