Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Ghostly music

I'm a big fan of songs that tell stories, so obviously I've been trying to find songs which tell ghost stories.

Here are two.

First up, (Ghost) Riders In the Sky. I always loved this is a kid - I think it was the Vaughan Munroe version. This one is by Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson.



Next up is Warren Zevon's immortal ballad, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. I've always loved Zevon's dark humour.



Neither of these songs is particularly chilling. I wanted to use something by Alice Cooper, but I couldn't actually think of any ghost stories he's told.

Can anyone recommend a really good ghost song?

A ghostly guitar
Posted by Pearce at 1:51 PM
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7 comments:

  1. scott kMay 26, 2010 at 4:22 PM

    Dixie Drug Store, by Grant Lee Buffalo - but since the guy ends up having a great nights sex with the ghost, it could hardly be described a chilling.

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  2. SteveMay 26, 2010 at 4:48 PM

    Oh yeah! Dixie Drug Store is a great story, as well as a good ghost song.

    The first two minutes of Chris Rea's 'Road to Hell' might fit the bill. The *first* two minutes.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abZlWqVeLzg

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  3. michaelMay 26, 2010 at 8:47 PM

    Not in the least bit chilling, but I always wondered if The Gambler from Kenny Rogers' song was a ghost... but I think he's a guy who die's mid-song!?

    Either way, no one I've talked to seems to give a shit or find it particularly poignant. :)

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  4. PearceMay 27, 2010 at 12:09 PM

    I'll have to check out Dixie Drug Store.

    Michael: he's not a ghost in the song, but the Muppets version is a different story.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNnrTNFWcsg

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  5. BarnabyMay 28, 2010 at 5:15 AM

    Ghost Rider from Suicide's first LP may be about the comic book superhero but all the songs on the album are pretty damn scary.

    ReplyDelete
  6. buzzandhumMay 28, 2010 at 12:16 PM

    Need I mention "Deep Red Bells" by Neko Case as an amazing song about, perhaps, a ghost?

    But, more directly, I strongly recommend tracking down "The Ghost Of The Girl In The Well" by Willard Grant Conspiracy, for one of the most heartbreaking ghost-songs I've heard; Robert Fosters' sad sombre country-crone accompanied by Kristen Hersh's etherial voice, singing:

    "I'm the ghost of the girl in the well
    I was trying to hide when my fingers slipped
    In the darkness I cried and I cried
    All my tears taken by this water"

    ReplyDelete
  7. C GJune 18, 2010 at 11:09 PM

    "Good Morning Captain", by Slint, is a brilliant (but garbled) ghost story.

    ReplyDelete

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