They would have reigned back-to-back, but another song held the top spot in between them: “All I Have to Do Is Dream” by-you guessed it-The Everly Brothers. The peak year for silly songs about the supernatural seems to have been 1958, when David Seville’s “ Witch Doctor” and Sheb Wooley’s “ The Purple People Eater” both reached #1 on the Billboard charts. Zevon once described “Werewolves of London”-featuring that irresistible " Ah-hoooo" chorus-as a “dumb song for smart people.” It’s certainly that, but it’s also part of a lineage of comedy-horror rock novelties stretching back to the ’50s. It was Zevon’s first and only Top 40 hit, and it followed him throughout his career, returning with a particular vengeance each Halloween.
Three years later, "Werewolves of London" was officially released as part of Zevon’s 1978 album Excitable Boy, and went on to reach #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Alongside buddies LeRoy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel, Zevon promptly wrote “Werewolves of London,” a darkly funny ode to a dapper beast who prowls England’s capital city, scarfing down Chinese food and mutilating old ladies. The rock legend best known as one half of The Everly Brothers had just watched the 1935 horror film Werewolf of London, and he thought the title and subject matter would make for a great pop song and accompanying dance craze.Įverly shared this brainstorm with his touring keyboard player, a then-unknown musician and songwriter named Warren Zevon.
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