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{{cleanup-linkrot|date=August 2011}}
{{About|the song by The Specials|other uses|Ghost town (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the song by The Specials|other uses|Ghost town (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
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|Misc={{Extra musicsample|filename=Ghost Town.ogg|title="Ghost Town"|Type=single}}
|Misc={{Extra musicsample|filename=Ghost Town.ogg|title="Ghost Town"|Type=single}}
}}
}}
"'''Ghost Town'''" is the title of a [[1981 in music|1981]] song by the [[United Kingdom|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]] overall. The song addresses [[urban decay]], [[deindustrialisation]], [[unemployment]] and [[violence]] in [[inner cities]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. The song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as [[1981 England riots|1981 riots]] were occurring in British cities and as such is remembered as a major piece of popular [[social commentary]].
"'''Ghost Town'''" is the title of a [[1981 in music|1981]] song by the [[United Kingdom|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 [[1981 England riots|riots]] were occurring in British cities. As such, it is remembered as a major piece of popular [[social commentary]].<ref name="indy">{{Citation | last = Montgomery | first = Hugh | author-link = | last2 = Bignell | first2 = Paul | author2-link = | last3 = Higgins | first3 = Mike | author3-link = |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ghost-town-the-song-that-defined-an-era-turns-30-2306003.html |title=Ghost Town: The song that defined an era turns 30 |publisher=''The Independent'' |date=2011-07-03 |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{Citation |last=Petridis|first=Alexis|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2002/mar/08/artsfeatures.popandrock |title=Ska for the madding crowd |publisher=''The Guardian'' |date=2002-03-08 |accessdate=2011-06-17}}</ref>


==Composition==
==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. [[Jerry Dammers]] said: "In Glasgow, there were these little old ladies on the streets selling all their household goods, their cups and saucers. It was unbelievable. It was clear that something was very, very wrong."<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last=|first=|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2002/mar/08/artsfeatures.popandrock |title=Ska for the madding crowd |publisher=''The Guardian'' |date=2002-03-08 |accessdate=2011-06-17}}</ref> The recording of the three songs on the single lasted 10 days. Dammers explained the 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 Dammers]] said: "It was unbelievable. It was clear that something was very, very wrong."<ref name="guardian"></ref>


In an interview in 2011, Dammers explained how witnessing this event inspired his composition:
⚫
{{quote|"The overall sense I wanted to convey was impending doom. There were weird, diminished chords: certain members of the band resented the song and wanted the simple chords they were used to playing on the first album. It's hard to explain how powerful it sounded. We had almost been written off and then 'Ghost Town' came out of the blue."<ref name="indy">{{cite news |last=|first=|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ghost-town-the-song-that-defined-an-era-turns-30-2306003.html |title=Ghost Town: The song that defined an era turns 30 |publisher=''The Independent'' |date=2011-07-03 |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref> }}


⚫
{{quote|"The overall sense I wanted to convey was impending doom. There were weird, diminished chords: certain members of the band resented the song and wanted the simple chords they were used to playing on the first album. It's hard to explain how powerful it sounded. We had almost been written off and then 'Ghost Town' came out of the blue."<ref name="indy"></ref> }}

⚫
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".<ref>http://www.allmusic.com/song/t1947128</ref> 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.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/may/05/bartons-britain-coventry |title=Barton's Britain: Coventry |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2009-05-19 |first=Laura |last=Barton |accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref>
==Recording==
In March 1981, Jerry Dammers asked John Collins, an unknown producer whom he admired for his work on the recently popular [[reggae]] track "At the Club" by ''[[Babylon (film)|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 March 1981, Jerry Dammers asked John Collins, an unknown producer whom he admired for his work on the recently popular [[reggae]] track "At the Club" by ''[[Babylon (film)|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 the studio, "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 [[fade in|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.<ref>http://www.localrecords.com/ghost_town.htm</ref>
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 [[fade in|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.<ref>{{Cite web | last = Collins | first = John | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Ghost Town: The Producer’s Story | work = | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.localrecords.com/ghost_town.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2011-08-14 }}</ref>


⚫
The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the [[top 40]] of the [[UK Singles Chart]] overall. The track was recorded at the [[Woodbine Street Recording Studios]] in [[Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]].
==Lyrics==
⚫
The song addresses [[urban decay]], [[unemployment]] and [[violence]] in [[inner cities]]. The club referred to in the lines "All the clubs are being closed down" and "Too much fighting on the dance floor" 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 Saturday Morning". It is now Coventry Central Library.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/may/05/bartons-britain-coventry |title=Barton's Britain: Coventry |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2009-05-19 |first=Laura |last=Barton |accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref>


==Video==
⚫
The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the [[top 40]] of the [[UK Singles Chart]] overall. The track was recorded at the [[Woodbine Street Recording Studios]] in [[Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]]. The video of consisted of the band driving a [[Vauxhall Cresta]] around some empty London streets.
Once the song reached number, Chrysalis Records produced a video to accompany the song. The video consisted of the band driving a [[Vauxhall Cresta]] around empty streets in [[London]].


==Impact==
==Impact==
Contemporary reviews identified the song's impact as a "instant musical editorial" on [[1981 England riots|recent events]].<ref>"Pop Beat", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', August 15, 1981</ref><ref>http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/others/ghost-town-why-friday-night-saturday-morning-928967.story</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Palmer|first=Robert |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/12/arts/the-pop-life-234377.html|title=The Pop Life |publisher=''The New York Times'' |date=1981-08-12 |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>
Contemporary reviews identified the song's impact as a "instant musical editorial" on [[1981 England riots|recent events]].<ref>"Pop Beat", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', August 15, 1981</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/others/ghost-town-why-friday-night-saturday-morning-928967.story|title=Ghost Town/Why?/Friday Night Saturday Morning|publisher="Billboard"|accessdate=2011-08-14| date=8 August, 1981}}</ref> ''[[Allmusic]]'s'' review of the original single argued that the song was the band's "crowning achievement".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/ghost-town-ep-r215397|title= Ghost Town EP|publisher=Allmusic|author= Waynick, Michael|accessdate=2011-08-14| date=}}</ref>


The summer of 1981 saw riots in over 35 locations around the UK.<ref name="guardian" /> The song created resentment in [[Coventry]] where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the town as a town in decline.<ref name="indy" />
The summer of 1981 saw riots in over 35 locations around the UK.<ref name="guardian" /> 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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Palmer|first=Robert |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/12/arts/the-pop-life-234377.html|title=The Pop Life |publisher=''The New York Times'' |date=1981-08-12 |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref> The song created resentment in [[Coventry]] where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the town as a town in decline.<ref name="indy" />


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
Line 85: Line 88:


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/friday_review/story/0,,663359,00.html "Ska for the madding crowd", an article on the song in ''The Guardian'']
*[http://www.thespecials.com/music/view/36 Lyrics] to Ghost Town
*[http://www.thespecials.com/music/view/36 Lyrics] to Ghost Town
*[http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?show112& A page about the single on a 2 Tone Records fansite]
*[http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?show112& A page about the single on a 2 Tone Records fansite]

Revision as of 13:17, 14 August 2011

This article is about the song by The Specials. For other uses, see Ghost town (disambiguation).
"Ghost Town"
Song
B-side"Why?"; "Friday Night, Saturday Morning"

"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.[1][2]

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 Dammers said: "It was unbelievable. It was clear that something was very, very wrong."[2]

In an interview in 2011, Dammers explained how witnessing this event inspired his composition:

"The overall sense I wanted to convey was impending doom. There were weird, diminished chords: certain members of the band resented the song and wanted the simple chords they were used to playing on the first album. It's hard to explain how powerful it sounded. We had almost been written off and then 'Ghost Town' came out of the blue."[1]

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".[3] 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.[4]

Recording

In March 1981, Jerry Dammers asked John Collins, an unknown producer whom he admired for his work on the recently popular reggae 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.[5]

The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart overall. The track was recorded at the Woodbine Street Recording Studios in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Video

Once the song reached number, Chrysalis Records produced a video to accompany the song. The video consisted of the band driving a Vauxhall Cresta around empty streets in London.

Impact

Contemporary reviews identified the song's impact as a "instant musical editorial" on recent events.[6][7] Allmusic's review of the original single argued that the song was the band's "crowning achievement".[8]

The summer of 1981 saw riots in over 35 locations around the UK.[2] 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."[9] The song created resentment in Coventry where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the town as a town in decline.[1]

Track listing

1981 release

  • 2 Tone CHS TT17 7" [10]
  1. "Ghost Town" (Dammers) - 3:40
  2. "Why?" (Golding) - 2:59
  3. "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" (Hall) - 3:32
  • 2 Tone CHS TT1217 12" [11]
  1. "Ghost Town (Extended Version)" - 6:02
  2. "Why? (Extended Version)" - 3:55
  3. "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" - 3:32

1991 re-release

  • 2 Tone CHS TT30 7" (Ghost Town Revisited) [12]
  1. "Ghost Town" - 3:40
  2. "Ghost Dub '91" - 4:19

Chart positions

Chart Peak
position
UK Singles Chart [13] 1
Irish Singles Chart [14] 3
Norwegian Singles Chart 7
Netherlands Singles Chart 12[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Montgomery, Hugh; Bignell, Paul; Higgins, Mike (3 July 2011), Ghost Town: The song that defined an era turns 30, The Independent, retrieved 8 August 2011 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (8 March 2002), Ska for the madding crowd, The Guardian, retrieved 17 June 2011 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/song/t1947128
  4. ^ Barton, Laura (19 May 2009), "Barton's Britain: Coventry", The Guardian, retrieved 30 January 2011
  5. ^ Collins, John. "Ghost Town: The Producer's Story". Retrieved 14 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "Pop Beat", Los Angeles Times, August 15, 1981
  7. ^ "Ghost Town/Why?/Friday Night Saturday Morning". "Billboard". 8 August, 1981. Retrieved 2011-08-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Waynick, Michael. "Ghost Town EP". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. ^ Palmer, Robert (12 August 1981). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?show112& 2Tone Discography "Ghost Town" release details
  11. ^ http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?display219 2Tone Discography "Ghost Town" 12 Inch release details
  12. ^ http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?show125& 2Tone Discography "Ghost Town Revisited" release details
  13. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=9432 chartstats.com "Ghost Town" chart log
  14. ^ http://www.irishcharts.ie/ Irish singles chart placings
  15. ^ Norwegian & Dutch Chart Positions @ finnishcharts.com. Retrieved July 2009.
Preceded by UK number one single
11 July 1981 - 25 July 1981 		Succeeded by

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