The Specials - Ghost Town:
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?
The writer links the song to cinematic soundtracks because the music sounds dramatic and haunting, almost like something from a horror or dystopian film soundtrack. The eerie keyboards and echo effects create a really unsettling atmosphere. It is also linked to the music hall tradition because it tells a story about British everyday life and social problems, similar to older British working-class entertainment. The song mixes humour, sadness and political commentary together.
2) What subcultures did 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s?
2 Tone emerged from both punk and Jamaican ska/reggae subcultures in the late 1970s. Punk influenced the rebellious and political side of the movement, while ska and reggae inspired the rhythms and sound of the music. The article also suggests that 2 Tone represented multicultural Britain because black and white musicians performed together during a time of racial tension
3) What social contexts are discussed regarding the UK in 1981?
The social contexts discussed about the UK in 1981 include unemployment, recession, riots and urban decline. It explains how many British towns were becoming “ghost towns” (empty) because businesses and clubs were shutting down and young people had little hope for the future. It also references the riots happening across Britain and the tensions during Thatcher’s Britain. This made the song feel very relevant at the time because it reflected the anger and frustration people felt.
4) Cultural critic Mark Fisher describes the video as ‘eerie’. What do you think is 'eerie' about the Ghost Town video?
I think the “Ghost Town” video is eerie because of the empty streets, dark lighting and abandoned feeling throughout the video. London looks deserted and lifeless, which matches the lyrics about towns “closing down”. The slow driving scenes and strange camera angles make it feel unsettling and almost dream-like. The haunting sound of the song also adds to the creepy atmosphere.
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?
In the final section, the writer suggests the video creates meanings around injustice, lost futures and closed opportunities for young people in Britain rather than just being a normal dance track. The empty city streets could symbolise 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 futures. I agree because the empty city and haunting sound makes it feel like a protest about social collapse rather than just a dance track.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now read this BBC website feature on the 30th anniversary of Ghost Town’s release.
1) How does the article describe the song?
The article describes Ghost Town as an eerie, haunting and odd song that feels outside normal pop conventions. It is called a “skewed ska oddity” and a stealth protest song because it doesn’t directly tell listeners what to think, but instead creates a mood of anxiety, tension and social unease. It is described as capturing urban decay, unemployment and violence through its sound and lyrics.
2) What does the article say about the social context of the time – what was happening in Britain in 1981?
In 1981, Britain was going through recession, rising unemployment and social unrest. The article describes deprived, forgotten, run down and angry places where young people, black and white, were fighting the police. Riots were breaking out across urban areas like London, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool. There was also racial tension, stop and search laws, and general anger at the government and economic system.
3) How did The Specials reflect an increasingly multicultural Britain?
The Specials reflected multicultural Britain because the band included both black and white members. Their music came from a mix of Jamaican ska and rock steady combined with punk influences. The article explains that 2 Tone music itself symbolised racial unity, with integrated bands and audiences at a time when Britain was often divided by racism and groups like the National Front were active.
4) How can we link Paul Gilroy’s theories to The Specials and Ghost Town?
Gilroy’s ideas about the Black Atlantic and cultural hybridity link to The Specials because their music mixes British, Jamaican and American influences. Ghost Town shows how black Caribbean culture (ska/reggae) and white British punk culture come together to create something new. This reflects Gilroy’s idea that identity is not fixed, but shaped through shared cultural exchange and migration, especially in post-war Britain.
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?
Barry was a famous British composer known for creating dramatic film scores, especially for the James Bond films. He worked on movies like Dr No, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love and You Only Live Twice. His style is known for being cinematic, atmospheric and dramatic, which is why Ghost Town is compared to his work — it has that same tense, film-like mood and orchestral feeling.
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1) Focus on the Media Language section. What does the factsheet suggest regarding the mise-en-scene in the video?
The factsheet suggests that the mise-en-scene of Ghost Town uses the style of ‘British social realist films’. The music video is described as low-budget, social and political, with empty streets and run down setting of London creating a feeling of loneliness. The band is shown driving around in the deserted area, which reflects the economic decline and unemployment happening in Britain at the time. The use of old industrial settings and urban spaces helps communicate the serious social message of the song. The media language is important here because the setting, props and costume all create meanings about decay and social unrest.
2) How does the lighting create intertextual references? What else is notable about the lighting?
The lighting creates intertextual references to Expressionist films like The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. The harsh yellow reflections and shadows make the video feel unsettling and eerie. The low-key lighting also creates a claustrophobic atmosphere which matches the lyrics and mood of the song. Another notable thing is that the video mainly uses natural and limited lighting inside the car, making it feel realistic and low-budget. This media language helps create a gloomy and anxious mood throughout the video.
3) What non-verbal codes help to communicate meanings in the video?
Non-verbal codes such as costume, facial expressions and body movements help communicate meanings in the video. The Specials wear black and white suits linked to two-tone culture and rude boy fashion, showing unity between black and white youth cultures. Their serious facial expressions and direct mode of address make the audience focus on the political message of the song. The way the band are positioned close together inside the car also creates tension and isolation. These media language choices help show their real frustration towards the urban decline.
4) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the editing and camerawork? Pick out three key points that are highlighted here.
The editing is used to control the pace of the video and the camerawork distorts our sense of day and night. One scene is cut like an action sequence of a car chase, and the short shot duration gives a frenetic feel. This is reinforced by handheld camerawork with pans and canted angles. The band are generally shot as a group, emphasising the relationship between them, and most shots are on-board travelling shots inside the car, which invites personal identification with the band. The establishing shots and low-angle shots make the scenery loom in an intimidating way. The video also ends with a long cross-dissolve of the tunnel lights, creating an unsettling effect; this helps create tension
5) What narrative theories can be applied to the video? Give details from the video for each one.
Different narrative theories can be applied to the video. Todorov’s narrative theory can be seen because the video starts with the band driving through the city, but this equilibrium is disrupted by the empty streets and signs of social decline. There is not really a clear resolution, which reflects the hopeless mood of the video. Barthes’ enigma codes are also used because the audience keeps questioning why the city is abandoned and why everything feels tense and the action code is the car moving from place to place especially the recklessly driving scene.
6) How can we apply genre theory to the video?
Genre theory can be applied because the video mixes different styles together. Ghost Town combines conventions of horror, social realism, expressionism and political music video. Neale’s genre theory can be applied because the video repeats some conventions of social realist films, like urban settings and working-class issues, but also challenges conventions with hybridity. The hybrid genre style makes the video more memorable and powerful. Media language like lighting, editing and mise-en-scene helps create these genre conventions.
7) Now look at the Representations section. What are the different people, places and groups that are represented in the Ghost Town video? Look for the list on page 4 of the factsheet.
The different people, places and groups represented in the video include: Thatcher’s Britain, the city, urban youth, race and masculinity. The video represents inner city Britain during a period of unemployment and economic decline. Urban areas are shown as empty and lifeless, reflecting the collapse of communities. Young people are represented as frustrated and disconnected from society. Race is important because The Specials were a multi-racial band connected to 2 tone, representing multicultural Britain. Masculinity is shown through the serious behaviour and fashion of the band members.
8) How can Gauntlett's work on collective identity be applied to the video?
Gauntlett’s ideas about collective identity can be applied because the video reflects the shared experiences of working-class and multicultural youth in Britain during the early 1980s. In Ghost Town, the song and video nurture a sense of male c identity and share the experience of trying to negotiate identity. It offers a place for men to see their problems being acted out and compare them with their own lives during a time of economic deprivation, when many traditionally masculine jobs were disappearing. This helps audiences relate to the themes of hopelessness and frustration shown in the video.
9) How can gender theorists such as Judith Butler be applied to Ghost Town?
Judith Butler can be applied to the video because she argued that gender is not natural but a performance based on behaviours and expectations created by society. The musicians in Ghost Town seem to be performing structures of patriarchy such as brotherhood, and male solidarity. Butler also argued that unless the media begins to transgress gender boundaries, society will continue to rely on stereotypes. The total absence of women in the video is important because feminist theorists could argue that women’s feelings of hopelessness and unemployment are ignored, making these issues seem exclusively male.
10) Postcolonial theorists like Paul Gilroy can help us to understand the meanings in the Ghost Town music video. What does the factsheet suggest regarding this?
Postcolonial theorists like Paul Gilroy can help explain the meanings in the video. The factsheet suggests that postcolonialism focuses on in groups and out groups, where some people have more power and influence while others are marginalised. The video challenges ideas of in groups and out groups by mixing ethnicities and focusing more on social class and the bonding power of music. Gilroy’s idea of double consciousness can also apply because black musicians in Britain were part of a mainly white controlled music industry and had limited control over self-representation. The Specials challenged this by creating a multi-ethnic band that represented multicultural Britain.
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Bonus content! Ghost Town - Media Magazine feature
There is an interesting article on the Ghost Town music video in Media Magazine MM79. It includes an interview with one of the founding members of the group plus an analysis of the video itself.
‘ANALYSING GHOST TOWN’ - summary: The video for Ghost Town can be analysed through media language and representations because the mise-en-scene and cinematography are important in creating the dark and uneasy mood. The shadows of the car against brick walls make the setting feel intimidating and eerie. The lighting inside the car underlights the band members’ faces and shirts, creating a claustrophobic feeling. In terms of narrative, the video has a simple structure focused on the journey through empty city streets from night into day, which links closely to the lyrics and themes of hopelessness, urban decline and social unrest.
SUMMARY: The article explains that Ghost Town by The Specials captured the mood of Britain in 1981 during a time of unemployment, riots and anger towards Thatcher’s government. The song reflected the frustration and hopelessness felt by many young people, and as it reached number one, riots broke out across Britain, making it seem very relevant to real events. It also says that The Specials were important to the Two Tone movement because they mixed ska, reggae and punk while promoting racial unity through their multi-racial band. Their music focused on social realism and showed issues like racism, violence and economic decline in Britain.
The song is described as eerie and unsettling, using reggae rhythms, jazz chords and haunting sounds to create a feeling of doom and social collapse.
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