Maybe the BBC stands for British Banning Corporation, not broadcasting. England’s government-run radio and television network has banned hundreds of songs. Our Song of the Day, “Monster Mash,” was one of them.
“Monster Mash” reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart for the first time on October 20, 1962. It stayed there for two weeks.
The song was nowhere to be heard in Great Britain because the BBC ruled it was “too morbid.”
The song stayed on the naughty list for 11 years, until the BBC had a change of heart in 1973. The song reached number three on England’s singles chart.
The song wasn’t finished in the States, either. It returned in the summer of 1970, reaching 91 and again in the spring of 1973, peaking at number 10. It remained on the chart for 20 weeks.
Bobby Pickett wrote and narrated it, with the Crypt-Kickers singing background. A mad scientist, played by Pickett, tells the story about how he brings back to life a monster who when he wakes starts doing a new dance. The mad scientist invites famous movie monsters of the 1940s to a dance, and they fall in love with it, thus the Monster Mash.
Famous backup singer Darlene Love was one of the Crypt-Kickers. She said the “Monster Mash” came out several months after the hit song “Mash Potato Time.” The idea was to take advantage of its popularity. Love said the hope was to make the dance like the Mash Potato, but even crazier. Nobody thought the song would be a hit and live forever.
A couple of footnotes: The song, like many hits, was written in about two hours. Leon Russell played piano on the song.
Song of the Day is created by Sheldon Zoldan, and produced by Pam James for WGCU. Audio production is by Simon Dunham, WGCU. To receive the Song of the Day in your inbox every day, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
