Halloween is my favorite holiday. As an actor, writer, director, I love all the make-believe and drama, and as a vintage fashionista, it feeds my passion to dress-up! I sat down and listened to all my fave vintage or retro songs and found this list to be the most danceable for Lindy Hop, Balboa Swing, East Coast Swing, and Collegiate Shag. I left off the instrumentals since, even though they may have a spooky title, they sound like any other song, therefore I chose songs with lyrics that reflect ghosts, death, devil, fear, or demise. I’ve arranged them by era (release date for the artist and the song) and genre. I assure you, they all will get you and your Hallow’s Eve revelers in the spirit.
If you click the link, many of them you can listen to for FREE or buy for 99 cents! And for those of you who don’t want to spend time checking out songs individually, there’s this compilation. Although, I did not find all the songs danceable, it’s a pretty good one: 30s & 40s Era Halloween Vol. 1.
Fun and Spooky Swing Dance Music 1930s
Satan Takes a Holiday – Tommy Dorsey
The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin’ The Town – Lionel Hampton
Heebie Jeebies – Boswell Sisters
Put That Sun Back in the Sky – The Boswell Sisters
The Ghost of Dinah – Ben Webster
Mysterious Mose -Benny Goodman
The Devil With The Devil – Larry Clinton Orchestra
The Nightmare – Cab Calloway
The Haunted House – Ray Noble Orchestra
The Ghost Of The St. Louis Blues – Emmet Miller
Bogey Wail – Jack Hylton
Mr. Ghost Goes To Town – Louis Prima
Tain’t No Sin (To Take of your Skin and Dance Around in Your Bones) – Lee Morse and Her Blue Grass Boys
Fun and Spooky Swing Dance Music 1940s
Celery Stalks At Midnight – Will Bradley
Quoth the Raven – Kirby Grant & Ella Mae Morse & the Mel-Tones
The Walls Keep Talking – Anita O’Day
The Ghost of Smokey Joe – Cab Calloway (technically recorded in 1950s, but 1940s swing sound)
Jeepers Creepers – Artie Shaw (technically recorded in 1950s, but 1940s swing sound)
Headless Horseman – Kay Starr
Celery Stalks At Midnight – Doris Day with Les Brown
Boogie Woogie Man – Glen Gray
Swinging At The Seance – Glenn Miller
When That Man Is Dead and Gone – Glenn Miller
The Little Man Who Wasn’t There – Glenn Miller
The Devil Sat Down and Cried – Helen Forrest and the Harry James Orchestra
You’ve Got Me Voodoo’d – Charlie Barnet Orchestra v. Mary Ann McCall
Jack, You’re Dead – Louis Jordan
Oh I´m Evil – Una Mae Carlisle
Trick or Treat – Paul Smith & his Orchestra
Yodeling Ghost – Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters
Fun and Spooky Swing Dance Music 1950s
Spooks – Louis Armstrong
Dry Bones – The Ames Brothers
I Want to be Evil – Eartha Kitt
I’d Rather Be Burned As A Witch -Eartha Kitt
The Wobblin’ Goblin – Rosemary Clooney
The Living Dead – Jim Burgett (technically 1960s, and I could not find it digitally)
She’s My Witch – Kip Tyler
Voodoo Voodoo – LaVern Baker
The Monsters Hop – Bert Convy
I Was a Teenage Monster – The Keytones
Witch Doctor – David Seville
Mad Witch – Dave Gardner
For more 50s 60s Fun and Spooky Swing Dance Music: check out this list
Fun and Spooky Swing Dance Music Neo-swing & Retro
Ghost of Stephen Foster – Squirrel Nut Zippers
Save My Soul – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Black Swamp Village – the Speakeasies’ Swing Band!
Whistling Past The Graveyard – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
The Reaper – White Ghost Shivers
Fun and Spooky Swing Dance Music Western Swing
So Cold, So Dead, So Soon – Roy Hogsed
Haunted House Boogie – Jack Rivers
The Devil Ain’t Lazy – Bob Wills
Drivin’ Nails in my Coffin – Ernest Tubb
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Do you have favorite fun and spooky swing dance music that I missed. Do you have a source to buy or stream some of these songs I couldn’t find but on you tube? What do you do to keep your Halloween swinging and vintage? Do you like to read spooky, Halloween stuff check out Ghostoria, or The Flapper Affair for a ghostly good time!
Tam Francis is a writer, blogger, swing dance teacher, avid vintage collector, and seamstress. She shares her love of this genre through her novels, blog, and short stories. She enjoys hearing from you, sharing ideas, forging friendships, and exchanging guest blogs. For all the Girl in the Jitterbug Dress news, give-aways, events, and excitement, make sure to join her list and like her FB page! Join my list ~ Facebook page Can’t wait to read Tam’s spooktacular ghost story tomes. Check out these pages: Ghostoria or The Flapper Affair