The 50 Best Songs About Monsters

Ray has been an online music writer for over four years. Having sung in multiple competitions as a youth, he has a passion for the art.

Songs about monsters are scary and creepy, but they're also enthralling and enjoyable. There are countless songs about monsters and other horrifying creatures. They appear in films, television shows, and even some of our favorite songs. This list of monster songs includes pieces by many artists, from pop star Lady Gaga's "Monster" to Imagine Dragons' "Demons."

1. "Godzilla"

Artist: Blue Öyster Cult

Album: Spectres

Year Released: 1978

Genre: Heavy Metal and Hard Rock

Facts About "Godzilla"

• "Godzilla" is a single from Blue Öyster Cult's fifth studio album, Spectres.
• The song was based on Ishirō Honda's groundbreaking 1954 film, itself inspired by the success of King Kong and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,
• In addition to being one of the earliest heavy metal bands, Blue Öyster Cult also played a role in the genre's satirization.
• Godzilla-like, this song has a guitar-heavy lead, with a closing line that sums up the story's lesson.

2. "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)"

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Constrictor

Year Released: 1986

Genre: New Wave

Facts About "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)"

• Known for his work in shock rock, Cooper recorded this track specifically for the 1986 film, Friday the 13th: Jason Lives.
• As a Friday the 13th fan, you'll recognize the sound effect's popular misheard version, "ch-ch-ch, ha-ha-ha," featured in the song.
• In the video for this song, Jason, played by C.J. Graham, terrorizes moviegoers at a midnight film screening.
• It is one of the most memorable monster songs for frightening and monstrous depictions.

3. "Bark At The Moon"

Artist: Ozzy Osbourne

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Album: Bark At The Moon

Year Released: 1983

Genre: Heavy Metal and Glam Metal

Facts About "Bark At The Moon"

• The title track to Ozzy's third solo album was also its lead single.
• Ozzy Osbourne "greatest hits" compilations consistently include this song.
• "Bark At The Moon" tells the story of a werewolf who returns from the dead to avenge his death.
• In the video, Ozzy plays an insane mad scientist who concocts the potion that makes him a werewolf.

4. "Monster Mash"

Artist: Bobby "Boris" Picket

Album: The Original Monster Mash

Year Released: 1962

Genre: Novelty and Pop-Rock

Facts About "Monster Mash"

• "Monster Mash" was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late October 1962.
• One of the most hauntingly catchy Halloween tunes, hearing "Monster Mash" every October is an annual tradition.
• "Monster Mash" is one of the most popular songs about creating a monster. During the song, a mad scientist's nightmare rises from his lab at night to perform a dance style that resembles the Mashed Potato, a dance introduced in the early 1960s.
• The song later peaked at #27 on the Digital Song Sales chart in 2005. It was also played on Sirius XM Satellite Radio yearly from 2007 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2017.

5. "Werewolves Of London"

Artist: Warren Zevon

Album: Excitable Boy

Year Released: 1977

Genre: Rock

Facts About "Werewolves of London"

• "Werewolves Of London" was released as a single, but also appeared on Excitable Boy, Zevon's third solo album..
• After playing around with the idea, Zevon, co-songwriter LeRoy Marinell, and session guitarist Waddy Wachtel all contributed lyrics, transcribed by Zevon's then-wife, Crystal.
• In May of that year, the single was released by Asylum Records and became Zevon's only US Top 40 hit, peaking at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

6. "The Purple People Eater"

Artist: Sheb Wooley

Album: The Purple People Eater

Year Released: 1958

Genre: Novelty and Pop-Rock

Facts About "The Purple People Eater"

• Sheb Wooley wrote and sang "The Purple People Eater," a novelty song that topped the Billboard pop charts from June 9 to July 14, 1958.
• While the creature's full description is "a one-eyed, flying, purple people eater," the lyrics make it clear that this is a purple-eating monster.
• Purple People Eater, a 1988 Disney Channel film based on the song, tells the story of a young boy who plays the music and accidentally summons the "Purple People Eater," who then becomes his best friend.

7. "The Thing That Should Not Be"

Artist: Metallica

Album: Master Of Puppets

Year Released: 1986

Genre: Metal

Facts About "The Thing That Should Not Be"

• The Cthulhu Mythos is referenced in this song, which Metallica has done many times.
• H.P. Lovecraft's 1936 novella The Shadow over Innsmouth is the story to which this song alludes in great detail.
• Band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett contributed to the writing of this piece.

8. "Frankenstein"

Artist: Edgar Winter

Album: They Only Come Out At Night

Year Released: 1973

Genre: Instrumental Rock, Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Art Rock

Facts About "Frankenstein"

• "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter is one of the most popular instrumental rock songs.
• "Frankenstein" is one of the few songs about monsters depicting the famous Frankenstein monster. In Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Victor Frankenstein is the mad scientist who puts the creature together.
• Although this song isn't all that spooky, its name is enough to make it a popular choice for Halloween playlists.

9. "Thriller"

Artist: Michael Jackson

Album: Thriller

Year Released: 1983

Genre: Post-Disco, Funk

Facts About "Thriller"

• Quincy Jones produced "Thriller," a post-disco/funk mashup, and Rod Temperton penned the song to suit Jackson's penchant for theatrics.
• The zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket have had a lasting impact on popular culture. It was the first music video to be inducted into the National Film Registry.
• The music video for "Thriller" features a dance routine with a horde of undead and references numerous horror films.

10. "Psychotron"

Artist: Megadeth

Album: Countdown To Extinction

Year Released: 1992

Genre: Metal

Facts About “Psychotron”

• According to Dave Mustaine, this song is about the cyborg Deathlok from Marvel Comics.
• This song introduces the concept of Psychotron, a hybrid of bionic and organic elements.

11. "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"

Artist: David Bowie

Album: Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

Year Released: 1981

Genre: Post-punk, art rock, new wave

Facts About "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"

• The third track on the Scary Monsters album was "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)." It came out on September 12, 1980, in the U.K. and September 14 in the U.S.
• As Bowie sang in his Cockney accent, the lyrics traced the decline of a woman into madness.
• "Scary Monsters (and Super Creepers)" was mentioned in the famous JoJo's Bizarre Adventure multimedia franchise.

12. "Ghostbusters"

Artist: Ray Parker Jr.

Album: Ghostbusters: Original Soundtrack Album

Year Released: 1984

Genre: Dance-Pop

Facts About "Ghostbusters"

• "Ghostbusters" is a song written by Ray Parker Jr. and is the film's theme song.
• The "Ghostbusters" video featured Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver.
• Stranger Things used "Ghostbusters" in the Season 2 episode, "Trick or Treat, Freak."
• Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, alleging he copied Lewis' 1983 song, "I Want A New Drug." The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

13. "Puff The Magic Dragon"

Artist: Peter, Paul & Mary

Album: Moving

Year Released: 1963

Genre: Folk/Pop

Facts About "Puff The Magic Dragon"

• "Puff The Magic Dragon" (or simply "Puff") is a Peter, Paul & Mary folk/pop song written by Peter Yarrow and based on a 1959 poem by Leonard Lipton.
• The story revolves around a dragon named Puff and a young boy named Jackie Paper. As a child, Jackie Paper and Puff were best friends, but as a young man, Paper lost interest in the fantasy adventures of his childhood and left Puff to be with himself.

14. "Demons"

Artist: Imagine Dragons

Album: Night Visions

Year Released: 2013

Genre: Pop

Facts About "Demons"

• Appears on the EP, Continued Silence, as well as their debut studio album, Night Visions.
• "Demons" was the band's second #1 single, following "Radioactive."
• As the band performs at a hometown show in Las Vegas, the video shows images of them performing the song and scenes of people in the audience contemplating their inner demons.

15. "Monster"

Artist: Lady Gaga

Album: Night Visions

Year Released: 2013

Genre: Pop

Facts About "Monster"

• "Monster" appears on The Fame Monster, a 2009 EP and a sequel of sorts to 2008's The Fame album.
• The tracks was inspired by her "Fear of Attachment Monster."
• "Monster" is a song about Gaga's fear of sex and relationships and the allure of the bad boy.

35 More Songs About Monsters

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2022 Ray