Whether you are dressing up, handing out candy, or preparing for a swinging wake, this Trick or Treat playlist is the perfect soundtrack for a fun and mischievous evening!
Halloween night is all about trick-or-treating and celebrating with all the ghouls, ghosts, monsters, and more in your neighborhood. This 13-song playlist embodies the energy, excitement, and fun of that special night. Many of the song also have that little twist of jazz and swing that I personally love. Mix this list with my Vintage Halloween playlist for an interesting mix of old and new.
“Trick or Treat – Let’s hear you scream!” We are going to start this playlist with a high-energy tune that will get you pumped to complete those finishing touches to your display and turn on that porch light. We are going to keep this party going all night long!
LVCRFT is the king of modern Halloween music. They have put out plenty of music to fill your Halloween playlists with collaborations with a variety of talented artists. I particularly love how this song blends 1920’s/30’s swing and jazz with modern dance music. It is featured on their album, “The Return (Deadly Deluxe)”.
LÒNIS is a collaboration between the dynamic duo of singer-songwriter and producer Jennifer Hanson and Grammy-winning mixer, engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Nick Brophy. This song features the rockin’ vocal talent of Jon Mero (from The Voice Season 13).
I just dare you to try not to shake your bones to this jazzy dance beat.
Let’s change it up with a little psychobilly sound from the Danish band Nekromantix. With lyrics that describe many of the sights and feelings of Halloween night, this is a fun piece to rock to while you hand out your candy. The twangy electric guitar is classic!
“Trick, trick, trick or treat
Open up your door and give me what I need
Thrill kill Halloween
I’ll show you something that you’ve never seen”
As this song’s Youtube description reads, “get ready for a swingin’ night full of pumpkins, ghosts, and irresistible Halloween grooves” with Halloween Won’t Stop. This fantastic electro swing hit has become a little anthem of mine this season. Just like Halloween, my busy schedule never seems to stop!
Inspired by Ub Iwerks & Walt Disney’s “Skeleton Dance”, this song reimagines the short’s iconic skeleton song into modern dark electro swing. The lyrics call out 1920’s jazz and the Charleston (a popular dance craze of the time), as well as all the usual Halloween icons – zombies, ghouls, phantoms, and ghosts.
“Ghouls in the moonlight
Graves come alive
Swingin’ to the midnight
Where spirits thrive
Phantoms of the night”
To spice things up, here is an actual classic Halloween song. “Trick or Treat” was recorded by the legendary “Father of Rock and Roll” Chuck Berry in 1961 (later released on the 1963 album, Chuck Berry On Stage). It’s lyrics are a little repetitive, but it is a good backing for the choruses of “trick-or-treat” you will hear while handing out treats (or maybe a few tricks) on your porch.
Originally recorded by Bing Crosby for Disney’s 1949 short The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, “Headless Horseman” tells the tale of the murderous phantom haunting the little village of Sleepy Hollow in New England. This cover remixes the classic tune into an electro swing mix while still keeping the scary story vibes throughout.
“Trick or treat, baby, I could never miss
A sweet kiss from you on a night like this”
The Boulet Brothers, drag artists Swanthula and Dracmorda Boulet, are most known for their reality TV competition series The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, which began in 2016. They are known for their horror aesthetic and have gone on to appear in various horror-themed tv shows, music, live nightlife productions, books, movies, and comic books.
This song was part of their 2024 EP Halloween House Party. I love its flirty lyrics, perfect for a few tricks and treats of your own with your special someone on Halloween night.
“Naughty or nice whatever you want to be
You wanna try on someone else
You might like seeing how it felt”
Halloween is all about creativity and the freedom to be whatever you want to be. I enjoy this fun electro swing song from 2014 that describes that freedom.
Swingrowers are an accomplished six-piece vintage-influenced pop band that have toured around the world. This song was written by Ashley Slater, with music by Roberto Costa and Alessio Costagliola and lead vocals by Arianna Rimi.
I enjoy that the funny and clever lyrics call out classic horror monsters (“When the zombies strike I never panic like a baby. I just run away. Hey! Those dudes can’t run”).
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is one of the most iconic songs in existence, but sometimes I get a little bored of hearing it again and again. This cover by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Wayne Brady resurrects the song into a new jazzy tune for a swinging wake. It is close enough to the original that everyone will instantly recognize it, but it adds variety to your Halloween playlist (and totally fits with the electro swing tunes on this one).
I couldn’t resist ending this playlist with another song from The Swing Bot. His 2024 trilogy of Halloween hits are really all worth a listen. This song keeps the energy going all the way to the end of the night.
“Door to door, the children scream
Living out their haunted dream
Trick or treat, they call for more
Halloween knocks on each door
Howls and cackles in the air
Every corner, full of scare
Skeletons that dance and sway
This is Halloween’s dark play”
Want more music to add to your own Halloween playlist? Check out more music and playlists here.
Happy Halloween! I hope your evening is filled with Halloween tricks and the sweetest of treats.
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