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Your Halloween Soundtrack, From A Candy Frenzy To The Dance Of Death

By NPR Staff

Published October 27, 2014 at 10:03 AM PDT

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Composer Camille Saint-Saëns' piece Danse Macabre draws on the late-medieval allegory of "the Dance of Death" — pictured here in a painting of the same name by Frans Francken II.

'Tis the season for some holiday music. Don't worry, we're not cueing up Christmas carols quite yet — but Halloween is approaching and it got us to thinking about the soundtrack to this particular holiday. Sure, there's Michael Jackson's "Thriller," with that eerie Vincent Price voice-over, and if you want something kitschy, you've got the "Monster Mash." But after that, you're left in a musical abyss.

Music writer Colin Fleming joins NPR's Rachel Martin to introduce some Halloween music you might not have thought of, including a jazz clarinet piece that's truly scary and an R&B groove to get a mummy dancing. Hear their conversation at the audio link, and check out the music and Fleming's commentary below.