Eight Delicious Goth Covers Of Mainstream Hit Songs

Usually, Gothtopia and the Wife With One F would be at Numbers on Halloween vaccinating ourselves for snakebites with vodka and cranberry and doing the Stomp the Bat Dance, but the unfortunate truth is that a lot of goths just don't take Halloween as seriously as we'd like. They tend to wear the same clothes they always wear rather than actual costumes, and usually use October as a chance to stock up on skull decorations and cheap spider shirts from Target.

So we'll be partying with the normals this year, and in preparation, Gothtopia has thoughtfully put together a party mix of spooky covers of mainstream songs in order to get the gathering in the properly pagan mood.

Not for when the guests start arriving, but, you know, when the party freakin' starts? That's when you need to bust out Ms. Autumn's half Baroque, half Gaga cover of Cyndi's Lauper's classic pop hit. It's got just the right mix of weird and regular weekend fare to set the mood for some Halloween shenanigans.

Granted, depending on the quality of your guests, there might some grumbling over a harpsichord. No one gets drunk or herpes when a harpsichord is playing, but if you have better-bred acquaintances they'll love this track.

Fresh from the polite company of Emilie Autumn, we move into the more abrasive conversation of Inkubus Sukkubus and their orchestral, metallic rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black." Since everyone who listens to the Stones is already going to hell, there is absolutely no reason not to goth up some of their songs as long as it's done with style and panache. We doubt anyone could doubt that Inkubus Sukkubus has both on loan from the devil himself.

If you're going to turn a Bee Gees tune into a goth cover, "Tragedy" is definitely where you should start. The original song already sounds like a collaboration between Ex-Voto and Europe with its bittersweet synths and enthusiastic sadness. Covering "Tragedy" is one of the most sensible moves in pop music.

When Steps did it in 1998, the single sold more than all three of their previous singles combined. Detroit industrial group Celldweller hasn't reached that level yet, but only good things come from summoning the awesome powers of the Bee Gees.