Día de los Muertos

With its humorous lyrics and laid-back rhythm, "Calaveras y Diablitos" was one of the key tracks off of Fabulosos Cadillacs' Fabulosos Calavera — a superb album that featured death as a mischievous character, surfing under the moonlight. Julieta Venegas' "El Presente" urges us to enjoy life to the fullest. Charlie Palmieri's "El Susto" describes a somewhat premature burial in hilarious detail.

A salsa singer who died tragically at an early age, Piper 'Pimienta' Díaz sang prophetically about his own demise on the Fruko y Sus Tesos classic "A La Memoria del Muerto." Café Tacuba's "La Muerte Chiquita" explores the connection between death and erotic bliss. Caifanes' "La Llorona" finds rock 'n' roll poetry in Mexican folklore.

On "Homenaje a Héctor Lavoe," salsa legend Willie Colón pays a mournful tribute to his best friend and musical collaborator. An angry meditation on the brutality of death, "Ciudad de Pobres Corazones" is the darkest song in the discography of Argentine troubadour Fito Páez. Before she died, salsa queen Celia Cruz left us a testament of hope in her rollicking version of "I Will Survive."

A celebration that distills the very essence of Latin culture, El Día de los Muertos addresses the tragic aspects of the human condition with a devilish sense of humor. Fittingly, many Latin artists have stared death in the face through their songs - from Mexican goth-rockers Caifanes and Argentina's Fabulosos Cadillacs to a slew of corrido practitioners. This (slightly) morbid list will help you celebrate the Day of the Dead in style.