Still Crazy After All These Years: Classical Monster Mashes

Last weekend we were joined again by Dr. Arnold Blumberg who delivered another fantastic talk.  Still Crazy After All These Years: Classical Monster Mashes was inspired both by our current exhibit Paul Simon: Words and Music and tomorrow nights spooky celebrations.

Dr. Blumberg predicts that of the novelty songs with a strong connection to Halloween almost 75 to 80 percent were all produced in the same year, 1958. This surprising figure came about as  a result of a clever marketing strategy from the makers of many of the classic horror movies. As a result of a rerelease of these movies on TV there was a renewed interest in horror. This eventually led to the production of horror themed novelty songs, as it became clear that these songs had huge earning potential more and more were produced. One of the most successful was of course Monster Mash, but as Dr. Blumberg discusses there were many, many more.

Please enjoy this recording of Dr. Blumberg’s talk and perhaps share with us your favorite Halloween novelty song.