Tame Impala and Jenny's "Dracula" rose from No. 25 to No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week (dates June 6). That's nearly tied its highest peak to date: No. 10. That makes it a spring hit, though it's also clear it'll forever be a Halloween playlist staple. That ties it with other spring hits like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (No. 4 in March 1984) and Justin Bieber's "Ghost" (No. 5 in April 2022).
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"Dracula" first entered the Hot 100 chart a few weeks before Halloween last year—on the chart dated October 11, 2025—and wasn't an immediate (merely graveyard) hit.
Some mesmerizing hits actually peaked on the Hot 100 during the Halloween season. Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers' "Monster Mash" topped the Hot 100 on October 20, 1962, just 11 days before Halloween. Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" topped the Hot 100 even closer to its target date: October 27, 1990.
Other songs that some may consider appropriate for Halloween that peaked on the Hot 100 in the weeks leading up to and following Halloween include "Witchy Woman" by the Eagles (No. 9, November 18, 1972), "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult (No. 12, November 6, 1976), "A Nightmare on My Street" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (No. 15, September 28, 1988), and "She Wolf" by Shakira (No. 11, September 26, 2009).
Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" and Rihanna's "Disturbia" both reached number one on the charts in August (in 1984 and 2008, respectively), which is close enough to the Halloween season that radio stations could play them on October 31st without fear of them sounding like musty oldies.
But many songs we now consider Halloween classics peaked in popularity months before that night. Here are 15 examples, listed chronologically.
Classic IV, "Eerie"«
Hot 100 chart peak: No. 3
Peak date: February 10, 1968.
Notes: This graceful, saxophone-driven hit became the pop group's first Top 10 hit. The most Halloween-appropriate line: "You're like a ghost haunting my dreams / So I propose on Halloween." The song first entered the Hot 100 chart in January 1967 as an instrumental version performed by alto saxophonist Mike Sharp. His recording peaked at No. 57 in March of that year. Buddy Buie produced the Classics IV recording, which featured Dennis Jost on lead vocals.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Bad Moon Rising”
Hot 100 chart peak: No. 2
Peak date : June 28, 1969.
Notes: This song combines deeply pessimistic lyrics with a jaunty melody. Some confused listeners thought the band was singing "The toilet's on the right." (The actual lyrics are "There's an evil moon rising.") It was CCR's second single to reach No. 2 on the charts, following "Proud Mary." They had three more No. 2 hits, but never reached No. 1. Yes, that's the record for most No. 2 hits without reaching No. 1.
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Santana, "Woman of Black Magic"«
Hot 100 chart peak : No. 4
Peak date: January 9, 1971.
Notes: British musician Peter Green wrote the song "Black Magic Woman" and recorded it with his band Fleetwood Mac in 1968. In 1970, the song was released as the first single from the album Santana. «Abraxas» . The Gregg Rolie-penned song was Santana's most successful hit for over 28 years until "Smooth" (featuring Rob Thomas) took the top spot in 1999.
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Stevie Wonder, "Superstition"«
Hot 100 Peak Chart Position: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: January 27, 1973
Notes: The hit became Wonder's first number-one hit on the Hot 100 in nearly a decade. It won Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. If you think it sounds funky today, just imagine how it sounded on pop radio back then, sandwiched between hits by Helen Reddy and Bread.
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Edgar Winter's Band, "Frankenstein"«
Hot 100 Peak Chart Position: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: May 26, 1973
Notes: This hard rock recording became the first instrumental hit of the 1970s to reach number one on the charts. (Isaac Hayes' 1971 hit "Theme From Shaft" contained too many vocals to be considered an instrumental.) Winter wrote the song, which was included on the album. They Only Come Out at Night . Rick Derringer produced both the album and the single. "Frankenstein" was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
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Cher, "Dark Lady"«
Hot 100 Peak Chart Position: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date March 23, 1974
Note: This fun yet energetic song became Cher's third Hot 100 number one in less than three years, following "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" and "Half-Breed." All three hits were produced by Snuff Garrett.
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Warren Zevon, Werewolves of London«
Hot 100 Peak Chart: No. 21
Peak date: May 13, 1978.
Notes: Zevon wrote this song, taken from his third album. Excitable Boy , co-written by Leroy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel. Jackson Browne co-produced the song with Wachtel. The track also featured Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac on drums and John McVie on bass. It was Zevon's only Top 40 hit on the Hot 100, although he also wrote Linda Ronstadt's Top 40 hit "Poor Poor Pitiful Me.".
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Gold Earring, "The Twilight Zone"«
Hot 100 chart peak: No. 10
Peak date: March 26, 1983
Note: It was the Dutch rock band's only top 10 hit. The song was written by the band's guitarist, George Kooijmans, who drew inspiration from the 1980 spy thriller «"The Bourne Identity"» , and not, as many assumed, from a 1960s detective television series «The Twilight Zone» .
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Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf"«
Hot 100 peak : No. 3
Peak date: March 26, 1983.
Notes: The song became the band's first Hot 100 hit. The accompanying music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy and filmed in Sri Lanka. In 1984, the video won its first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.
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Michael Jackson, "Thriller"«
Hot 100 chart peak: No. 4
Peak date: March 3, 1984.
Notes: It was the seventh hit of Thriller album , reaching the top 10; his fifth to reach the top five. Both achievements set records at the time. "Thriller" (which returned to the Hot 100 top 10 the week after Halloween 2025) uses a synth bassline and sound effects reminiscent of horror films. It includes a spoken word verse by horror film star Vincent Price. The music video for "Thriller," directed by John Landis, features Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies.
Rod Temperton, who wrote the song, also wrote Jackson's 1980 hits "Rock With You" and "Off the Wall." The full-length music video "« Making Michael Jackson's Thriller »" won the Grammy Award for Best Video Album at the 1985 ceremony, a year after Michael Jackson made history by winning an unprecedented eight awards in a single night.
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Rockwell, "Someone's Watching Me"«
Hot 100 chart peak: No. 2
Peak date: March 24, 1984
Notes: This classic song about mounting paranoia became the only major hit for Rockwell (real name: Kennedy Gordy), son of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. Michael Jackson provided uncredited (but easily recognizable) background vocals. Jermaine Jackson also provided additional background vocals. This song and "Thriller" spent three weeks in the Top 10 together in March 1984.
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Billie Eilish, "Bury a Friend"«
Hot 100 Peak Chart: No. 14
Peak date: February 16, 2019.
Notes: «"Bury a Friend" is the third single from Eilish's Grammy-winning debut studio album, «"When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"» . (A line in the song inspired the album's title.) Eilish sings from the perspective of a monster hiding under someone's bed. Michael Chavez directed the horror-themed music video for the song, which features Eilish singing under the bed of British rapper Mehka Rain (then known as Crooks), who sings uncredited on the song.
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Kodak Black, "Super Gremlin"«
Hot 100 chart peak: No. 3
Peak date: March 19, 2022
Notes: The song was released on October 30, 2021, but peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart only the following March. It was included on the Sniper Gang compilation. titled Sniper Gang Presents Syko Bob & Snapkatt: Nightmare Babies , a Halloween-themed single. It was Kodak Black's third Hot 100 top 10 hit as a lead artist, following "Tunnel Vision" and "ZEZE.".
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Justin Bieber, "Ghost"«
Hot 100 chart peak : No. 5
Peak date April 2, 2022
Notes: It was Bieber's sixth and final single from his album. Justice 2022. All six songs reached the top 20 of the Hot 100; three of them, including "Ghost," reached the top 5. Bieber co-wrote the song with Jon Bellion and the group Monsters & Strangerz (Jordan K. Johnson and Stefan Johnson) and Michael Pollak.
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Olivia Rodrigo, "Vampire"«
Peak position on the Hot 100 chart : No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date July 15, 2023
Notes: It was Rodrigo's third No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, following "Drivers License" and "Good 4 U." Combining elements of EDM, gothic rock, and symphonic rock, "Vampire" was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
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