Halloween Streaming Numbers Are In: Lady Gaga Dominates, "Super Freak" Surges and a '60s Deep Cut Explodes

The Billboard Halloween streaming report is out, and the holiday’s biggest songs aren’t the ones you’d guess. Rick James’“Super Freak”drew 1.2 million U.S. streams on October 31, a 328% gain over the prior Saturday, marking the second straight year the 1981 funk classic crossed seven figures on Halloween. Camila Cabello’s“My Oh My”also got a boost, rising 192% to 405,000 streams, while October Country’s obscure late-’60s track“My Girlfriend Is a Witch”jumped 505% to 493,000 streams. Turns out a spooky title and a streaming algorithm can do a lot of heavy lifting.

Lady Gaga was the holiday’s clear standout. Her catalog earned 10.57 million U.S. streams on October 31, up 65% from the week prior.“The Dead Dance”from the Wednesday soundtrack surged 414% to 1.14 million streams,“Abracadabra”climbed 232% to over 1.04 million, and“Bloody Mary”kept its annual revival going. Michael Jackson’s“Thriller”still did massive numbers, roughly 10.1 million streams on the day and 16.4 million across the weekend, up 36% year over year. A Hot 100 No. 1 remains unlikely, though, with“Choosin’Texas”still dominating radio.

For radio programmers, the takeaway is simple: Halloween listening is wider than the usual monster-mash staples. Funky crowd-pleasers, pop bangers with a dark twist and forgotten catalog cuts all found fresh audiences this year. What’s the most unexpected song on your Halloween playlist? Drop it in the comments and we might spin it next October.