Oh, Halloween. A holiday that conjures up many mental images: jack o’ lanterns, trick or treating for candy, creative costumes (I was ?uestlove last year), and…hot sex??
While bumping uglies might not be top of mind for everyone during the spookiest time of the year, it was certainly on the mind of one Yvonne Gage back in 1984, when her song ”Doin’ It in a Haunted House” was released. Someone else that was on Yvonne’s mind? Michael Jackson.
I’m not sure if ”Haunted House” qualifies as an answer record in the vein of, say, the 6 million ”Roxanne, Roxanne” answer records that were released in 1984 and 1985. However, there’s no question that Gage’s song was inspired by two songs that MJ had a hand in-his own ”Thriller” and probably also Rockwell’s ”Somebody’s Watching Me”, which Michael (and his brother Jermaine) contributed the chorus to. The songs sound similar enough that I can’t imagine lawsuits not being considered at one point. Or maybe Michael was so preoccupied counting money from the sales of Thriller that he didn’t know about the record. I would imagine he had to be aware, though, seeing as though it was released on Epic Records, the same label he recorded for. Given Michael’s notorious sense of humor, I’m sure he got a chuckle out of the whole situation, and for what it’s worth, his voice is even on the record, via a recorded bit from the legendary “Thriller” video.
”Doin’ It in a Haunted House” wasn’t a huge hit by any stretch of the imagination, but Yvonne didn’t let that deter her from making a name for herself in the music biz. In the quarter century since, she has performed or recorded with Celine Dion, Michael McDonald, R. Kelly, Richard Marx, Madonna and Stephanie Mills (to name a few). She has a presence online, and new music is available via your digital retailer of choice.
Seriously, though, wouldn’t you have reservations about doing the nasty in a place with creaky doors and shadows on the wall? Thought I suppose no one would’ve really thought twice about the song if it was called “Doin It in a Motel Room”…
*This song was brought to my attention by my brother in music nerdery, the great Gonzo, who, when he isn’t busy rocking out in karaoke bars and shopping for rare records, can also be found writing for my own little site. This was a great find, dude!
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