Ghost Town
Encyclopedia
"Ghost Town" is the title of a 1981
song by the British
ska
band, The Specials
. The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
. Addressing themes of urban decay
, deindustrialisation, unemployment
and violence
in inner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots
were occurring in British cities. As such, it is remembered as a major piece of popular social commentary
.
said: "It was unbelievable. It was clear that something was very, very wrong."
In an interview in 2011, Dammers explained how witnessing this event inspired his composition:
The song's sparse lyrics address urban decay
, unemployment
and violence
in inner cities. Jo-Ann Greene of Allmusic notes that the lyrics "only brush on the causes for this apocalyptic vision - the closed down clubs, the numerous fights on the dancefloor, the spiraling unemployment, the anger building to explosive levels. But so embedded were these in the British psyche, that Dammers needed only a minimum of words to paint his picture". The club referred to in the song was The Locarno, run by Mecca Leisure Group
and later renamed Tiffanys, which was also the club setting the scene for the b-side song, "Friday Night and Saturday Morning". It is now Coventry Central Library.
track "At the Club" by Babylon
actor Victor Romero Evans, to produce the band's next single. After bad experiences with high-tech studios provided by major labels, Dammers chose the small-scaled Woodbine Street Recording Studios in Leamington Spa
to record with Collins.
In a session lasting 10 days, "Ghost Town" was recorded by building up tracks on a 8-track, rather than recording the band live together. Collins and drummer John Bradbury were influenced by "What a Feeling" by Gregory Isaacs
when recording the drum track. The recording of backing vocals was unplanned and the lack of technology to sample voices meant the four singers in the band had to sing a full vocal track all the way through, causing the lyric "this town is coming like a ghost town" to become like an "hypnotic chant". After mixing the track for three weeks, Collins recreated an idea of fading in
over a sound effect which he had used previously on "Lift Off", the B-side of "At The Club". To achieve the effect he wanted, Collins utilised a Transcendent 2000 synthesiser to create a "ghost" sound, which he used to fade in and out at the beginning and end of the track.
The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
overall.
around empty streets in London
.
. Allmusic's review of the original single argued that the song was the band's "crowning achievement".
The summer of 1981 saw riots in over 35 locations around the UK. In response to the linking of song to these events, singer Terry Hall said: "When we recorded 'Ghost Town,' we were talking about [1980]'s riots in Bristol and Brixton. "The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence." The song created resentment in Coventry
where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the town as a town in decline.
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
song by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band, The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
. The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Addressing themes of urban decay
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
, deindustrialisation, unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
in inner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots
1981 England riots
In 1981, the United Kingdom suffered serious riots across many major cities in England. They were perceived as race riots between communities, in all cases the main motives for the riots were related to racial tension and inner-city deprivation. The riots were caused by a distrust of the police...
were occurring in British cities. As such, it is remembered as a major piece of popular social commentary
Social commentary
Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
.
Composition
In Autumn 1980, during the More Specials tour, the band arrived in Glasgow for a performance. The song was inspired by the sight of elderly women selling their possessions on the Glasgow streets. Keyboardist Jerry DammersJerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
said: "It was unbelievable. It was clear that something was very, very wrong."
In an interview in 2011, Dammers explained how witnessing this event inspired his composition:
The song's sparse lyrics address urban decay
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
, unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
in inner cities. Jo-Ann Greene of Allmusic notes that the lyrics "only brush on the causes for this apocalyptic vision - the closed down clubs, the numerous fights on the dancefloor, the spiraling unemployment, the anger building to explosive levels. But so embedded were these in the British psyche, that Dammers needed only a minimum of words to paint his picture". The club referred to in the song was The Locarno, run by Mecca Leisure Group
Mecca Leisure Group
Mecca Leisure Group was a British business that ran nightclubs, hotels, theme parks, bingo parlors, and Hard Rock Cafes. During the 1960s they were the centre of entertainment with numerous nightclubs throughout major UK towns and cities. Mecca ballrooms were used for the BBC TV show Come Dancing...
and later renamed Tiffanys, which was also the club setting the scene for the b-side song, "Friday Night and Saturday Morning". It is now Coventry Central Library.
Recording
In March 1981, Jerry Dammers asked John Collins, an unknown producer whom he admired for his work on the recently popular reggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
track "At the Club" by Babylon
Babylon (film)
Babylon is a 1980 film that depicts the struggles of a Black British working class musician. It stars Brinsley Forde of the reggae band, Aswad. It was co-written by Martin Stellman and Franco Rosso who also directed it. It also starred Karl Howman and Trevor Laird...
actor Victor Romero Evans, to produce the band's next single. After bad experiences with high-tech studios provided by major labels, Dammers chose the small-scaled Woodbine Street Recording Studios in Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
to record with Collins.
In a session lasting 10 days, "Ghost Town" was recorded by building up tracks on a 8-track, rather than recording the band live together. Collins and drummer John Bradbury were influenced by "What a Feeling" by Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....
when recording the drum track. The recording of backing vocals was unplanned and the lack of technology to sample voices meant the four singers in the band had to sing a full vocal track all the way through, causing the lyric "this town is coming like a ghost town" to become like an "hypnotic chant". After mixing the track for three weeks, Collins recreated an idea of fading in
Fade In
Fade In is a national consumer movie magazine that has covered the film industry since 1994. The magazine is released six times per year.- History :...
over a sound effect which he had used previously on "Lift Off", the B-side of "At The Club". To achieve the effect he wanted, Collins utilised a Transcendent 2000 synthesiser to create a "ghost" sound, which he used to fade in and out at the beginning and end of the track.
The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
overall.
Video
Once the song reached number 1, Chrysalis Records produced a video to accompany the song. The video consisted of the band driving a Vauxhall CrestaVauxhall Cresta
The Vauxhall Cresta is a British car first introduced in 1954 by Vauxhall Motors as an upmarket version of the Vauxhall Velox . When the Wyvern was replaced in 1957 the new larger car took the Cresta name...
around empty streets in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Impact
Contemporary reviews identified the song's impact as a "instant musical editorial" on recent events1981 England riots
In 1981, the United Kingdom suffered serious riots across many major cities in England. They were perceived as race riots between communities, in all cases the main motives for the riots were related to racial tension and inner-city deprivation. The riots were caused by a distrust of the police...
. Allmusic's review of the original single argued that the song was the band's "crowning achievement".
The summer of 1981 saw riots in over 35 locations around the UK. In response to the linking of song to these events, singer Terry Hall said: "When we recorded 'Ghost Town,' we were talking about [1980]'s riots in Bristol and Brixton. "The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence." The song created resentment in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the town as a town in decline.
1981 release
- 2 Tone CHS TT17 7"
- "Ghost Town" (DammersJerry DammersJeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
) - 3:40 - "Why?" (GoldingLynval GoldingLynval Golding is a British musician. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist and vocalist with the British 2 Tone Records band, The Specials....
) - 2:59 - "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" (HallTerry Hall (singer)Terry Hall is the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and has also collaborated with many artists including David A...
) - 3:32
- 2 Tone CHS TT1217 12"
- "Ghost Town (Extended Version)" - 6:02
- "Why? (Extended Version)" - 3:55
- "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" - 3:32
1991 re-release
- 2 Tone CHS TT30 7" (Ghost Town Revisited)
- "Ghost Town" - 3:40
- "Ghost Dub '91" - 4:19
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 12 |