Thursday, October 13, 2022

Halloween Song: “Boris The Spider”


Here’s my third new Halloween song profile for 2022. The others I’ve been posting this month have appeared in earlier years, although I’ve edited and rewritten a few of them. Note: I originally forgot to include a YouTube link for the “Planet Claire” rerun, but there’s one there now and it’s an interesting promo clip from the early days of The B-52’s.  And now, let’s move on to today’s profile.

The Who performed in Chicago last night, and from the comments I’ve seen on the band’s official Facebook page by audience members, it was two and a half hours of rock and roll firepower. I doubt The Who performed “Boris The Spider” yesterday since it was written by and always associated with their late and legendary bassist John Entwistle. It’s hard to imagine anyone else capturing his comically deadpan vocals.


“Boris The Spider” sets childlike observations about a spider to a playful, bottom heavy arrangement, with Pete Townshend adding backup vocals. The title arachnid arrives from a safe distance but soon takes a more threatening position. “Look, he's crawling up my wall/Black and hairy, very small/Now he's up above my head/Hanging by a little thread.”


Even after Boris moves on, the observer still doesn’t feel safe having this ‘creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly” creature around. “There he is wrapped in a ball/Doesn't seem to move at all/Perhaps he's dead, I'll just make sure/Pick this book up off the floor.” Though “Boris The Spider” comes to a sticky end, it’s likely this catchy musical tale would go over well at a kids Halloween party as well as one for adults.

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