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Halloween is almost here, and you've maybe started hearing those familiar Halloween songs

that resurface every year. Your Ghostbusters theme, your thriller, your monster mash. But beyond those

Halloween staples, what's next? I'm Stephen Thompson, and I recently joined my pals on NPR's All Songs Considered

to come up with a new canon of songs for spooky season.

Here's host Robin Hilton.

It's All Songs Considered.

I'm Robin Hilton.

I'm here with NPR Music Editor Hazel Sills,

and our correspondent for all things a mile wide and an inch deep, Stephen Thompson.

NPR dilettante correspondent.

Host of New Music Friday, also with Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Stephen, the idea for this year's Halloween episode is yours, so maybe you should set this whole thing up for us.

Well, it's interesting.

You know, one of my beats at NPR is the Billboard charts.

And if you look at the Billboard charts in late October into early November, you'll see, like, all of a sudden, Ray Parker Jr.'s greatest hits, right, hits, hits, or the album chart.

Michael Jackson's greatest hits or the album Thriller, you know, really, you know, pop up.

There's sort of a number of kind of Halloween staples that have started to form a Halloween music canon beyond the song Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Pickett.

And what I pitched to Robin and what I wanted to discuss with you all is let's agree on a more

expansive Halloween music canon.

...