The song was released on a 12" single in conjunction with another song from the album, "Stay," with the cover art touting it as the single's a-side, while the catalog number and some discographies consider it the single's b-side.[2] An edited version of "Dead Man's Party" was featured in a promotional music video and was issued in 1986 as the b-side of the 7" single "Just Another Day", also culled from the Dead Man's Party album.[3]
The lyric, "I hear the chauffeur coming to my door/Says there's room for maybe just one more," is a reference to "The Bus-Conductor," a short story by E. F. Benson about a hearse driver, first published in The Pall Mall Magazine in 1906. The story has been adapted several times and spawned an urban legend, with each version using the catchphrase, "Room for one more."
It is perhaps best known for its appearance in the 1986 film Back to School, where the band performed it at a party.
^Snyder, Michael (September 30, 2019). "Spooky, scary, and silly tunes". Marina Times. Retrieved May 28, 2023. And let's not forget the venerable rock [cut]..."Dead Man's Party" by new-wavers Oingo Boingo...
