Song of the Day 10/31: Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, “Monster Mash”

Yes, you’ve heard it a million times. Everybody’s heard it a million times, and lots of them know some of the lines, even if they’re too young to know that “mash” was short for the “mashed potato,” a national dance craze back in 1962.

Bobby Pickett, who died in 2007, was an aspiring actor who could do a good vocal impression of horror-movie star Boris Karloff. While looking for work he moonlighted as a singer with a band called the Cordials. He told American Songwriter, “The Cordials used to do ‘Little Darlin’ by The Diamonds. In the monologue in the middle of the song, he says ‘Darlin’ I need you, to hold in mine your little hand,’ so I said to [bandleader] Lenny Capizzi: ‘Let me do this rap as Boris Karloff!’ He said, ‘Great idea!’ So we sing the song, and I do Boris Karloff, and the audience would split up.”

The reaction convinced them to write something original incorporating the impression, and they dashed off “Monster Mash.” The single was turned down by several record companies before producer Gary Paxton, who had a novelty hit with “Alley Oop” in 1960, decided to put it out himself. Released in late August 1962, it hit No. 1 the week before Halloween and has reentered the charts in several Octobers since. Contrary to legend, Leon Russell does not play piano on the song – he showed up late for the session and only appears on the B-side, “Monster Mash Party.”

The tune quickly became a seasonal favorite – there really are no other Halloween songs – and turned up on lots of TV variety shows. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band covered it in 1968 for a British TV program on which they served as the house band. This was a rare treat for Brits – BBC Radio banned “Monster Mash” until 1973 on the grounds that it was “too morbid.” When the ban was lifted it was re-released and went to No. 3 in the UK. The Bonzos’ version features a bitchin’ spoons solo.

Dozens of performers – everyone from Brian Wilson to Phil Lesh to Richard Thompson – have included it in late-October concerts (Los Straitjackets do it in Spanish). Even Bruce Springsteen broke it out during a Halloween show in Rochester, N.Y., in 2012.