'The Munsters' Inspired 1 of Rob Zombie's Most Famous Songs

Music

A bass player who worked on a Rob Zombie song with a reference to 'The Munsters' felt the song was going to be a hit before it was released.

Published on September 19, 2022

TL;DR:

• One of the most famous songs by Rob Zombie references the TV show The Munsters.
• The bass player who performed on the song said he knew the track would become a hit.
• The tune appeared on Zombie’s most popular solo album.

The Munsters had an impact on music. For example, one of Rob Zombie’s songs contains a prominent reference to the 1960s series. Despite this, Zombie said the track isn’t actually about The Munsters.

Rob ‘Blasko’ Nicholson played on a Rob Zombie song that tips its hat to ‘The Munsters’

Rob “Blasko” Nicholson is a bass player who worked with Zombie during his early solo career. During a 2020 interview with Kerrang!, he discussed working on one of Zombie’s most famous songs. “We literally hopped right in the car, went to the studio,” Blasko recalled. “We got in front of the producer, and he said, ‘We’ve been working on this track’ — and it was ‘Dragula.’ He said, ‘It’s in the key of F-sharp, here’s a bass — go.'” Notably, Dragula is the name of the car from The Munsters.

Blasko discussed his role in crafting “Dragula.” “It was very much him and [producer] Scott Humphrey,” Blasko remembered. “My contribution was minimal at best, based on the collaboration they built. Whether or not I had played on ‘Dragula,’ it still would’ve been a hit. It was a hit long before I played on it.” Blasko said Zombie embarking on a solo career was a risk that paid off.

Rob Zombie said ‘Dragula’ isn’t about the car from ‘The Munsters’

During a 1998 interview with Metal Edge, someone told Zombie that “Dragula” shared its title with the Munsters’ car. But though the car might have been the jumping off point for the song, that’s where the relation ends. “The song isn’t even really about that,” he said. “I get an idea and it goes off on some other tangent.” 

Subsequently, Zombie discussed the inspirations behind some of his other songs from the same era. “‘Living Dead Girl’ is from the title of a movie I watched during some point in the recording,” he revealed. “It vaguely figured into it. ‘Resurrection Joe’ was based around a character that Christopher Lee played in a movie called Corridors of Blood which I watched.”

How ‘Dragula’ and its parent album performed on the charts in the United States

“Dragula” became a minor hit in the United States. It reached No. 16 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100, equivalent to No. 116 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track stayed on the chart for eight weeks.

Zombie included “Dragula” on Hellbilly Deluxe (1998), the singer’s debut solo album. The album hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 66 weeks in total. It lasted on the chart longer than any of Zombie’s other solo albums.

The Munsters gave “Dragula” a title — even if the song isn’t truly about the show.

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