“Tick Tock” was originally recorded by The Fleur de Lys, an English band that went through numerous lineup changes in the 1960s without ever scoring a hit with any of their psychedelically inclined singles. Several years later, Crystal Jacqueline And The Honey Pot included it on a double seven-inch single of cover songs they recorded for the UK all-vinyl Fruits de Mer label. (See BHT Archives, February 14, 2014.) Crystal Jacqueline, a vocalist who specializes in folk, prog rock, and psychedelia, often sounds like she’s conjuring something mysterious, and along with members of The Honey Pot (guitarist Icarus Peel, bassist Tom Brown, and drummer Wayne Fraquet), she makes “Tick Tock” a perfect choice for a Halloween rock playlist.
Set to a driving, bluesy arrangement that’s a bit like Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times,” “Tick Tock” concerns a witch who’s about to fly off at the stroke of midnight to haunt the bedrooms of little boys and girls. “You better watch out, I’m on my way,” the witch taunts, “and I’ve made my witch’s brew.” She also has plans to turn people into mice. Toward the end, there’s an instrumental passage fueled by sinister organ playing. By targeting bedrooms, the song taps into the primal childhood fears of a monster under the bed, a ghost in the closet, or a creepy face peeking in the window. I mentioned in my original review that this song might be too scary for younger kids. Still, considering the song’s catchy beat, the witch of “Tick Tock” might be too busy dancing to cast any evil spells.
Want more Halloween fun? Check out October, 2009 in the BHT archives. I did 31 Halloween song posts that year. I’ve done a few more during the month of October in the years since then.
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