By Ali Ikhwan 
As the final echoes of Halloween fade, the music industry is left to analyze the spectral rise of unexpected anthems and the enduring power of established spooky-season staples. This year’s post-Halloween analysis, compiled by Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, dives deep into the data, spotlighting Lady Gaga’s ascendance as a modern "Scream Queen" of music, the perennial dominance of Michael Jackson’s "Thriller," and the surprising emergence of several tracks that, while not traditionally terrifying, found their chilling niche on Oct. 31 playlists.
Lady Gaga’s Unsettling Reign: A Multifaceted Halloween Haul
Lady Gaga, an artist long celebrated for her embrace of the theatrical and the macabre, has solidified her status as a formidable presence in Halloween-themed music consumption. On Halloween itself, October 31, her extensive catalog garnered an impressive 10.57 million official on-demand U.S. streams, marking a significant 65% surge compared to the 6.39 million streams recorded the preceding week, October 24. This surge indicates a deliberate and widespread engagement with her discography by listeners seeking a soundtrack for the season.
The primary driver of this exceptional performance was "The Dead Dance," Gaga’s synth-pop single created for the second season of the Emmy-nominated series Wednesday. This track, released as part of the reissue of her Grammy-winning 2025 album Mayhem, experienced a staggering 414% increase in streams, jumping from 222,000 on October 24 to a remarkable 1.14 million on Halloween. The track’s thematic resonance with the gothic and supernatural elements of Wednesday undoubtedly contributed to its viral appeal and playlist inclusion.
Another significant contributor to Gaga’s Halloween success was "Abracadabra," also featured on the Mayhem reissue. This dance-pop track saw a substantial 232% rise in streams, surpassing 1.04 million on Halloween, a notable increase from the 313,000 streams it garnered on October 24. The track’s upbeat yet slightly mysterious vibe seems to have resonated with the festive, yet eerie, atmosphere of Halloween.
Furthermore, Gaga’s earlier connection with the Wednesday phenomenon continued to pay dividends. Her 2011 Born This Way deep cut, "Bloody Mary," experienced a resurgence in popularity during the show’s first season, largely fueled by fan-made edits and fancams on platforms like TikTok that featured a sped-up version of the song. This sustained cultural impact translated into significant streaming numbers on Halloween, with "Bloody Mary" amassing 1.37 million official on-demand U.S. streams, a 91% jump from the 717,000 streams it logged the week prior. This demonstrates the long-term algorithmic and fan-driven power that can propel older tracks into contemporary cultural relevance, particularly during themed events.
Gaga’s consistent engagement with visually striking and thematically rich projects, coupled with her inherent artistic inclination towards the dramatic and the dark, positions her as a natural fit for the "Scream Queen" moniker in the music realm. Industry observers anticipate her continued contributions, particularly with the upcoming third season of Wednesday, potentially yielding further Halloween hits.
"Thriller" Holds Its Ground: An Enduring Classic in the Streaming Era
Michael Jackson’s seminal 1982 hit, "Thriller," once again proved its enduring appeal as the undisputed champion of Halloween-themed music consumption. Even before the official Halloween date, the track had already secured a position within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated October 31. This early charting suggested a strong performance for the holiday.
This year, "Thriller" accumulated approximately 10.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams on Halloween day itself, according to data from Luminate. When combined with the streams from Friday, October 30 (4 million) and Sunday, October 31 (2.3 million), the song achieved a full Halloween weekend total of roughly 16.4 million streams. This represents a notable increase of approximately 36% compared to the 12.1 million streams it garnered during the previous Halloween weekend, when October 31 fell on a Friday. When the entire tracking week is considered, "Thriller" is projected to surpass its previous best full streaming week, which was 17 million streams recorded between October 24-31, 2024.
Despite this impressive growth, the ambition of "Thriller" reaching the coveted No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this year appears unlikely. The track, predictably, experienced a dip in streaming momentum following the Halloween weekend. It faces stiff competition from contemporary hits like "Choosin’ Texas," which has been consistently pacing between two and three million daily streams. While "Thriller" holds a streaming advantage over "Choosin’ Texas," this lead may not be substantial enough to offset the significant radio play advantage enjoyed by the latter, which continues to dominate airwaves.
However, "Thriller" remains a strong contender to beat its prior peak position on the Hot 100, which was No. 4 in 1984. It faces competition from other Halloween-boosted tracks, including Tate McRae’s "Housewife" and the collaboration between Tame Impala and JENNIE, "Dracula." The sustained performance of "Thriller" year after year underscores its deep cultural embedding within the fabric of Halloween celebrations and its ability to consistently re-engage listeners across generations. The possibility of a posthumous chart-topping achievement for Michael Jackson on Halloween remains a compelling prospect for future years.
The Unlikely Haunts: Rick James, Camila Cabello, and Obscure Gems
Beyond the established titans, this Halloween saw a fascinating emergence of songs that, while not overtly spooky, found a place in the seasonal playlists of many. This phenomenon highlights the subjective nature of Halloween music and the evolving criteria for what constitutes a "spooky-season" anthem.
Rick James’ 1981 funk classic, "Super Freak," experienced a significant streaming surge on October 31, registering 1.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams. This marks the second consecutive year the song has achieved seven-figure streams on the holiday, with a notable 328% increase over the 273,000 streams it garnered the previous Saturday, October 24. While its lyrical content is decidedly more sensual than sinister, the presence of "Freak" in its title and the somewhat unsettling, new-wave-influenced synthesizers have seemingly contributed to its adoption as an unconventional Halloween staple. This trend reflects a broader cultural inclination to embrace songs with a certain edge or playful "naughtiness" during the holiday.
Camila Cabello’s 2020 hit featuring DaBaby, "My Oh My," also made an unexpected foray into the Halloween canon. On October 31, the song recorded 405,000 streams, a 192% increase from the prior Saturday. While the song’s narrative leans more towards a romantic entanglement than supernatural horror, a few lyrical cues, such as "He comes alive at midnight," and a subtly eerie melodic quality, have allowed it to blend into Halloween playlists. The song’s music video, which features violent themes, may have also lent it a slight "slasher soundtrack" credibility. This effect is mirrored by the Backstreet Boys’ 1997 hit "Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)," which also saw a significant Halloween bump, climbing 203% to 890,000 streams, partly attributed to its iconic music video that aligns with the spooky season’s aesthetic.
More obscure gems also found unexpected favor. October Country’s late-1960s psych-rock track, "My Girlfriend Is a Witch," experienced a dramatic 505% surge on October 31, accumulating 493,000 streams compared to just 82,000 the previous Saturday. This track, from a band with no significant chart history, demonstrates how long-gestating virality, potentially amplified by social media trends or curated playlists, can resurrect forgotten music for a new audience during themed periods. The "Haunted Algorithm," as it were, appears to be a powerful force in shaping seasonal music trends.
The emergence of these unexpected Halloween hits prompts speculation about which other tangentially connected or deeply obscure songs might become fright-night staples in the future. Possibilities like Queen’s "Death on Two Legs," Ariana Grande’s "Ghostin’," or Adina Howard’s "Freak Like Me" are now within the realm of consideration, as the boundaries of what constitutes a Halloween anthem continue to expand and evolve.
This year’s Halloween music landscape paints a vivid picture of both enduring tradition and surprising innovation. From Lady Gaga’s bold embrace of thematic artistry to the persistent power of Michael Jackson’s iconic "Thriller," and the delightful emergence of unconventional spooky-season soundtracks, the holiday continues to provide fertile ground for music discovery and renewed appreciation. The data clearly indicates that while certain tracks may be Halloween perennials, the interpretation of what makes a song fit for the season is more dynamic and inclusive than ever before.
