{"id":10982,"date":"2021-10-01T13:22:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T17:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/millheiser.com\/hokeyblog\/?p=10982"},"modified":"2022-10-28T06:05:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T10:05:49","slug":"buttkickin-halloween-songs-grim-grinning-ghosts-disneys-happy-haunts-1969","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/millheiser.com\/hokeyblog\/2021\/10\/01\/buttkickin-halloween-songs-grim-grinning-ghosts-disneys-happy-haunts-1969\/","title":{"rendered":"Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs: “Grim Grinning Ghosts” — Disney’s Happy Haunts (1969)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When hinges creak in doorless chambers<\/em>
\nAnd strange and frightening sounds<\/em>
\nEcho through the halls<\/em>
\nWhenever candlelights flicker<\/em>
\nWhere the air is deathly still<\/em>
\nThat is the time when ghosts are present<\/em>
\nPracticing their ghoulish delight…<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, hey there.<\/p>\n

Welcome BACK, Foolish Mortals. I don’t know what in high holy haberdashery happened but somehow it turned into October. This of course means fall, Halloween, spooks, chills, thrills, and the return of Buttkickin Halloween Songs<\/strong> — our annual salute and ongoing playlist of badass Halloween tunerrificness to escalate your musical orange-and-blackery.<\/p>\n

We’ve been providing our picks every year since 2013, so goshdurned if we don’t love our traditions!<\/p>\n

And here’s where I dun goofed, sorta: we usually start with big barnstormer rock songs to get things going, and we’ve always<\/em> avoided<\/em> those tired, clich\u00e9 songs like Grim Grinning Ghosts<\/strong>, the seminal jaunty number from Disney’s classic “Haunted Mansion” attraction.<\/p>\n

It’s like sharing Monster Mash<\/em>, Thriller<\/em>, the Ghostbusters <\/em>theme song, or Werewolves of London<\/em>. It simply isn’t done. Hackwork. Trite. Uninspired.<\/p>\n

But we’re doing it today, and with good reason. Today is October 1st, 2021, which is not only significant because it begins our Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs season here at Hokeyblog… but it is also the 50th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World<\/a> resort. That’s right, the Orlando Mousetrap opened fifty years ago today<\/em> and that’s saying something.<\/p>\n

And we’re sort of huge Disney nerds here at HokeyCorps Industries Ltd, and the Haunted Mansion is our all-time favorite attraction.<\/p>\n

So we’re just gonna let this one slip as we welcome the holiday season.<\/p>\n

Hey! You know what else is 50 this year? Not just Walt Disney World, but Starbucks, Led Zeppelin IV<\/em>, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On<\/em>, Jethro Tull’s Aqualung<\/em>, and me<\/strong>. Your intrepid narrator who admittedly shares a pretty buttkickin’ year with some general badassery. So there’s that.<\/p>\n

Anyway, Happy Birthday to Walt Disney World, welcome back to our month-long Halloween playlist celebration, and is this blog actually stretching? Hah… as always, I will lower the bar for you. Yeah I know, stop snickering…<\/p>\n

Now don’t close your eyes<\/em>
\nAnd don’t try to hide<\/em>
\nOr a silly spook may sit by your side<\/em>
\nShrouded in a daft disguise<\/em>
\nThey pretend to terrorize<\/em>
\nGrim grinning ghosts come out to socialize…<\/em><\/p>\n