The Specials - Ghost Town: Blog tasks

Background and historical contexts

Read this excellent analysis from The Conversation website of the impact Ghost Town had both musically and visually. Answer the following questions

1) Why does the writer link the song to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition?

Starting with a Hammond organ’s six ascending notes before a mournful flute solo, it paints a bleak aural and lyrical landscape. Written in E♭, more attuned to “mood music”, with nods to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition, it reflects and engenders anxiety.

2) What subcultures did 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s?

2 Tone had emerged stylistically from the Mod and Punk subcultures and its musical roots and the people in it, audiences and bands, were both black and white. 

3) What social contexts are discussed regarding the UK in 1981?

England was hit by recession and away from rural Skinhead nights, riots were breaking out across its urban areas. Deprived, forgotten, run down and angry, these were places where young people, black and white, erupted. In these neglected parts of London, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool the young, the unemployed, and the disaffected fought pitch battles with the police.

4) Cultural critic Mark Fisher describes the video as ‘eerie’. What do you think is 'eerie' about the Ghost Town video?

The "Ghost Town" video's eerie quality lies in its portrayal of a desolate urban landscape filled with abandoned, decaying buildings and empty streets, evoking a sense of haunting isolation and social discontent. Through surreal imagery and cinematic techniques, the video captures the bleak atmosphere of early 1980s Britain, addressing issues of unemployment and urban decay, creating an unsettling connection to contemporary concerns. Mark Fisher's description likely arises from recognizing the video's profound commentary on the decline of inner-city areas and the economic hardships faced by communities, making it a haunting and resonant representation of a society on the brink of collapse.

5) Look at the final section (‘Not a dance track’). What does the writer suggest might be the meanings created in the video? Do you agree?

When “Ghost Town” played, the Skinheads sang along with Terry Hall, smiled manically and screeched. They joined into to the “ghastly chorus” and became, for a few minutes, part of that army of spectres. Because protest sometimes has no words.

It’s just a cry out against injustice, against closed off opportunities by those who have pulled the ladder up and robbed the young, the poor, the white and black of their songs and their dancing, their futures. Drive round an empty city at dawn. Look at the empty flats.

Now read this BBC website feature on the 30th anniversary of Ghost Town’s release. 

1) How does the article describe the song?

It starts with a siren and those woozy, lurching organ chords. Then comes the haunted, spectral woodwind, punctuated by blaring brass.

Over a sparse reggae bass line, a West Indian vocal mutters warnings of urban decay, unemployment and violence.

"No job to be found in this country," one voice cries out. "The people getting angry," booms another, ominously.

Few songs evoke their era like the Specials' classic Ghost Town, a depiction of social breakdown that provided the soundtrack to an explosion of civil unrest.

2) What does the article say about the social context of the time – what was happening in Britain in 1981?

Released on 20 June 1981 against a backdrop of rising unemployment, its blend of melancholy, unease and menace took on an entirely new meaning when Britain's streets erupted into rioting almost three weeks later - the day before Ghost Town reached number one in the charts.

3) How did The Specials reflect an increasingly multicultural Britain?

If the band's ability to articulate the mood of the era can be traced anywhere, it is surely in Coventry, where they were based. The city's car industry had brought prosperity and attracted incomers from across the UK and the Commonwealth, meaning the future Specials grew up in the 1960s listening to a mixture of British and American pop and Jamaican ska.

4) How can we link Paul Gilroy’s theories to The Specials and Ghost Town?

Postcolonial Urban Decay: Gilroy's concept of postcolonial urban decay examines the social and economic decline of inner-city areas in postcolonial societies. The "Ghost Town" video's depiction of a desolate urban landscape with abandoned buildings and empty streets reflects this decay, portraying the effects of economic hardship and unemployment on marginalised communities. Additionally we can link it to the black Atlantic as the genre of ska has an element of Jamaican reggae which was brought over from when west Indians immigrated to the uk.

5) The article discusses how the song sounds like a John Barry composition. Why was John Barry a famous composer and what films did he work on?

John Barry was a renowned composer known for his iconic film scores, notably his work on the James Bond series. His distinctive style and versatility earned him recognition, collaborating with acclaimed directors and receiving multiple awards. Beyond James Bond, his compositions enhanced films like "Dances with Wolves," "Out of Africa," and "Midnight Cowboy," cementing his status as one of the most celebrated composers in the industry.