Hozier conceived a bizarre yet endearing piece of fan lore earlier this year when he inexplicably claimed to have written the classic Halloween song “The Monster Mash” during an interview with Sirius XM.
Hozier, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Co Wicklow, was chatting with the music streaming service ahead of the release of his latest album “Unreal Unearth." For the interview, he was asked by fans to select songs for different hypothetical situations.
One person asked: “What song of yours should we have for our first dance at our wedding?”
Hozier seemed touched by the question and turned pensive to answer: “Some time ago now, I wrote a song called ‘The Monster Mash,’ so you should play that. That’s one of my -
“I’m just kidding. Don’t play - I don’t think any of my songs are appropriate.
“I think if you had to, maybe ‘Work Song’ is nice. That’s maybe sweet.
“I get asked if I would sing at funerals and weddings and it’s really difficult to pick a song that doesn’t feel really inappropriate for the moment.
“But, yeah, ‘Work Song’ is kinda nice.”
Later in the same interview, Hozier was asked to choose a song for when “someone ghosts you and then come back unexpectedly and reach out again.”
Hozier takes a moment to think before replying: “I wrote a song called ‘Monster Mash’ once.”
He laughs at his own joke before suggesting, in earnest, Gretchen Parlato’s cover of “Weak” by SWV, before quickly backtracking to also suggest “Linger” by fellow Irish hitmakers The Cranberries.
Concluding the interview, the Irish singer-songwriter says: “Hey, I’m Hozier. I wrote ‘The Monster Mash’ and thank you for your submissions, I’m very happy to create this soundtrack.”
Obviously, Hozier, real name Andrew Hozier Byrne, did not write the Halloween season staple “The Monster Mash.” That honor goes to Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt Kickers, who penned it back in 1962, nearly 30 years before Hozier was even born.
Despite this, Hozier's "Monster Mash" bit has been enthusiastically embraced by his dedicated fanbase:
Now when people say “Hozier? the take me to church guy?” i’m gonna say HE WROTE THE MONSTER MASH
— m 🧡 (@sovelour) April 11, 2023
"i want hozier to play through me"
— rae (@actofrae) April 22, 2023
"he should do BE live"
"bring back but the wages"
well /i/ hope hozier plays his hit song monster mash
Still don’t have Hozier tickets but if his NUMBER ONE HIT “The Monster Mash” isn’t on the set list, I don’t want tickets anyway
— 🦷Jossie| UNREAL UNEARTH🫧 (@SilyLitleJossie) April 28, 2023
it’s officially the season of hozier’s greatest song “monster mash”
— willow 🌞 (@deathofthesun) October 1, 2023
now listening to monster mash by andrew hozier-byrne
— nicole (@bornsicknic) October 2, 2023
so glad it's halloween szn so i can listen to my favorite @Hozier song (the monster mash) on repeat
— rae (@actofrae) October 18, 2023
They’re playing the Monster Mash by Hozier at this thing
— mike (@PsychopompMike) October 21, 2023
The only valid explanation Hozier's "Monster Mash" claims? "He's just goofy," one fan account recently said on X, formerly Twitter.
this is the lore he’s just goofy
— g! (@wastelandbay) October 26, 2023
Besides the Halloween season, Hozier's "Monster Mash" bit was reignited this month by Internet personality Brittany Broski, who broached the topic in an interview with Hozier that she shared on October 26.
"The creative process behind when you wrote 'Monster Mash,' could you just sort of walk me through that?" Broski says to Hozier in the interview filmed at the Austin City Limits festival this month.
"Take your time," she says with a chuckle.
Hozier looks up in thought: "So I just remember that I was working in the lab late one night and my eyes befell an eerie sight, you know?"
The two can't fight off the laughter. Broski admits: "There's not much else to say, is there?"
hozier sharing the creative process of writing the monster mash pic.twitter.com/JSgXkBUl2T
— nika ✧˖*°࿐ (@throughmethefld) October 26, 2023
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