From one self-professed Halloween kid to another, thank you, Colton Dixon, for creating what might just be the “fall festival” anthem of the year.
I rarely write an entire article about ONE song. If we covered every new single from every Christian artist, CCM Magazine would become an endless stream of one-off announcements. But every so often, a song comes along with a sound, a message, and a level of creativity that makes me stop what I’m doing.
Apparently, Colton Dixon transforming into a skeleton in a graveyard is where I draw that line.
Christian music has certainly had its spooky moments over the decades, but Colton’s new single, “Bones,” released October 9, might be one of the most wonderfully unexpected embraces of the fall season we’ve seen from a major Christian artist. The music video features a cemetery, skeletal imagery, and even a gravestone reading “Here Lies Colton Dixon.”
Not exactly your standard Christian radio fare from a pop darling. And I love it.
Just days before the release, I caught up with Colton on the red carpet at the 2026 Dove Awards in Nashville. We were discussing the return of a heavier sound to his music, something longtime fans have been asking for.
“I have a lot of fans who still to this day, they’ll comment on social media. They’re like, bring back the rock, you know?” Colton told CCM Magazine.
He pointed to “The Love I Have For You,” which he premiered first for CCM during our February Cover Story, as the beginning of that shift.
“I feel like ‘The Love I Have For You’ was kind of a step in that direction. And ‘Bones’… is another step in that direction. Not saying we’re full sending.”
He promised me more rock.
What he DIDN’T tell me was that our kindred childhood love of the holiday was about to be on full display.Fortunately, he shared a little more with over at ChurchLeaders and DeWayne Hamby of ‘Reel Faith’” .
Speaking with ChurchLeaders on that same Dove Awards red carpet, Colton described “Bones” as a “Christian’s response to Halloween.”
And honestly, that’s a pretty perfect description.
Colton explained that the inspiration came from Ezekiel 37, the biblical account of the valley of dry bones, where God commands Ezekiel to prophesy life into what appears completely dead.
He also admitted that he grew up as the kind of kid who went ALL IN on Halloween, complete with elaborate costumes and fake blood. As he got older, his perspective on the holiday evolved, but his appreciation for the season clearly didn’t disappear.
Reading the passage in Ezekiel sparked a somewhat hilarious realization.
“I remember reading that passage. I’m like, dude, I’m pretty sure this means that zombies were in the Bible. I’m just saying,” Colton joked in his ChurchLeaders interview.
Of course, the actual message goes considerably deeper than biblical zombies. In his conversation with DeWayne Hamby of ‘Reel Faith’ he got into it even deeper. “If you’re looking at this dead thing in your life, this thing that, whether it’s, you can’t get pregnant, you’ve got this sickness thing that’s that’s hanging on you. Whatever it is, speak to it, prophesy over it. And I believe that you’ll see dead things come to life.”
Colton explained that the song is about encouraging believers to speak life into circumstances that seem hopeless. Whether someone is experiencing a difficult season, struggling with sickness, or facing something that feels beyond repair, the song points toward the power of God to restore what seems lost.
It’s a message of spiritual authority, faith, and resurrection wrapped in the imagery of a season normally associated with death.
And that’s what makes “Bones” work.
There’s also a bigger conversation here, one that Christians seem to revisit every October.
Halloween.
I know. I know.
Some Christians celebrate it. Some avoid it altogether. I believe you should follow your own convictions. I understand the concerns. The darker side of Halloween, particularly the glorification of evil and extreme violence, has gotten increasingly uncomfortable.
But years ago, a pastor told me something that has stuck with me ever since.
Halloween is the one night of the year when your neighbors actually knock on your door.
Think about that. We spend so much time as Christians talking about outreach, evangelism, community, and reaching people outside the church walls. And then, once a year, the neighborhood literally shows up at our front door.
So maybe consider this year leaving the porch light on. Giving out a piece of candy. Be kind. Show people God’s love. Be a light in the darkness.
To me, that’s what “Bones” represents. It doesn’t run away from the imagery of the season. It takes that imagery and turns it toward a message of life, restoration, and hope. And it manages to do all of that while sounding like something that could absolutely shake the decorations off my front porch. You can guarantee this song will be blasting from my house on October 31.
For those who prefer Colton’s more radio-friendly pop sound, don’t worry. I asked him about that on the red carpet, too. He was quick to assure me that the pop hits aren’t going anywhere.
“That’s right. We got to pay the bills,” he said, laughing.
Fair enough, Colton.
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