Ghost Town

About Ghost Town

"Ghost Town" is a song by the British two-tone band the Specials, released on 12 June 1981. The song spent three weeks at number one and 10 weeks in total 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. Internal tensions within the band were also coming to a head when the single was being recorded, resulting in the song being the last single recorded by the original seven members of the group before splitting up. However, the song was hailed by the contemporary UK music press as a major piece of popular social commentary, and all three of the major UK music magazines of the time awarded "Ghost Town" the accolade of "Single of the Year" for 1981. more »

Year:

2007

84 Views

This town, is coming like a ghost town 
All the clubs have been closed down 
This place, becoming like a ghost town 
Bands won't play no more 
too much fighting on the dance floor 

Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? 
We danced and sang, and the music played in a de boomtown 

This town's becoming like a ghost town 
Why must the youth fight against themselves? 
Government leaving the youth on the shelf 
This place, is coming like a ghost town 
No job to be found in this country 
Can't go on no more 
The people getting angry 

This town's becoming like a ghost town 
This town's becoming like a ghost town 
This town's becoming like a ghost town 
This town's becoming like a ghost town

The Specials

The Specials (sometimes called The Special AKA ) 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 band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits, and loafers)." In 1980, the song "Too Much Too Young", the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! EP, reached number one in the UK. In 1981, the unemployment-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart. After seven consecutive UK Top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, the band broke up. Their 1983 song "Free Nelson Mandela" was a No. 9 U… more »

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