Bobby "Boris" Pickett has died

[rostasi]

Didja know that Leon Russell played piano on that tune?

'Monster Mash' Hit Creator Dies At 69

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The Associated Press

Published: Apr 27, 2007

NEW YORK - Bobby "Boris" Pickett, 69, whose dead-on Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween anthem "Monster Mash" to the top of the charts in 1962, making him one of pop music's most enduring one-hit wonders, died of leukemia Wednesday in Los Angeles.

"Monster Mash" hit the Billboard chart three times: when it debuted in 1962, reaching No. 1 the week before Halloween; again in August 1970, and for a third time in May 1973. The resurrections were appropriate for a song where Pickett gravely intoned the forever-stuck-in-your-head chorus: "He did the Monster Mash. ... It was a graveyard smash."

The hit single ensured Pickett's place in the pantheon of pop music obscurities, said syndicated radio host Dr. Demento, whose long-running program celebrates offbeat tunes.

"It's certainly the biggest Halloween song of all time," Demento said. The DJ, who interviewed Pickett last year, said he maintained a sense of humor about his singular success: "As he loved to say at oldies shows, 'And now I'm going to do a medley of my hit.'"

The instant smash became a sort-of Halloween carol. In a 1996 interview with People magazine, Pickett said he never grew tired of it: "When I hear it, I hear a cash register ringing."

Sing along everybody:

I was working in the lab late one night

When my eyes beheld an eerie sight

For my monster from his slab began to rise

And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash

He did the monster mash

The monster mash

It was a graveyard smash

He did the mash

It caught on in a flash

He did the mash

He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east

To the master bedroom where the vampires feast

The ghouls all came from their humble abodes

To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash

They did the monster mash

The monster mash

It was a graveyard smash

They did the mash

It caught on in a flash

They did the mash

They did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun

The party had just begun

The guests included Wolf Man

Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds

Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds

The coffin-bangers were about to arrive

With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

They played the mash

They played the monster mash

The monster mash

It was a graveyard smash

They played the mash

It caught on in a flash

They played the mash

They played the monster mash

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring

Seems he was troubled by just one thing

He opened the lid and shook his fist

And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?"

It's now the mash

It's now the monster mash

The monster mash

And it's a graveyard smash

It's now the mash

It's caught on in a flash

It's now the mash

It's now the monster mash

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band

And my monster mash is the hit of the land

For you, the living, this mash was meant too

When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash

Then you can monster mash

The monster mash

And do my graveyard smash

Then you can mash

You'll catch on in a flash

Then you can mash

Then you can monster mash

Edited April 27, 2007 by rostasi

[GA Russell]

RIP. I remember seeing him on the Lloyd Thaxton Show!

I have a Christmas tape put out by EMI on which is Pickett's Monster Mash knock off which featured Lon Chaney, Jr. I'm pretty sure that it is called Monsters' Holiday.

P.S. Now that I think about it, I don't think that Pickett had anything to do with the Lon Chaney, Jr., song. It was just a knock-off.

Edited April 28, 2007 by GA Russell

[andybleaden]

that is really creepy as wednesday I was reminiscing with a friend and that song came up and so sought a d/l out to hear it again ( I do looooove the internet for that) and was groovin with my kid at home to it Wednesday night...and then I read this...sppoookky

Read the wiki entry and heard it really displeased Elvis which made the recrod twelves time more important for me!

I remember having a tape of it as a kid as part of a radio special on Radio 1 with annie nightingale on radio 1 from the mid 80's for a halloween special.

[zen archer]

When Elvis Presley heard the song for the first time, he said that it was "the dumbest song he had ever heard"

if this is the dumbest song than Do the Clam is a close second

[rostasi]

Quote:

"He remained in demand for Halloween performances,

including a memorable 1973 show where his bus broke down

outside Frankenstein, Missouri."