Anyone who’s been to a Halloween party probably knows “Monster Mash,” the 1962 novelty song sung by Bobby “Boris” Pickett. While today we mostly think of it as a ridiculous holiday song, it was also a bona fide hit that climbed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Unsurprisingly, Pickett wanted to capitalize on that success with some follow-ups.
“Monster’s Holiday” is a wonderfully derivative holiday tune in which the monsters plan to rob Santa’s sleigh when he comes down the chimney. However, when Old Saint Nick finally arrives, they’re delighted to find that he just hands out presents, so they don’t have to rob him after all. As the song says, “Now the monsters love Santa and say they’ll behave / and never again rob sleighs or graves.”
This song is amazingly cheeseball, with lyrics like “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way / Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-wolf open sleigh” and “It was the night before Christmas when all through the castle / My monsters were having a Yuletide hassle.” Plus, Pickett’s absurd pronunciation of the word “Santa” alone makes this worth a listen.
In addition, as someone who grew up watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, I’m also just excited to discover that “Halloween creatures mugging Santa” is not merely a one-movie idea, but an established trope. Plus, “Monster’s Holiday” is a throwback to the original, carnival spirit of Christmas: breaking windows, stealing stuff, and causing a ruckus.
If you enjoy the nonsense of “Monster’s Holiday,” get excited, because there’s more. Paleofuture‘s Matt Novak wrote that this isn’t even the only “Monster” song that Pickett released. His others include “Werewolf Watusi,” “The Monster Swim,” and an ’80s “Monster Rap.”
Bless you, pop music.
(Via Paleofuture; image via Touchstone Pictures)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
