Let's Talk About...GHOSTS

[Dodfather]

I've been in a major Other Side Of The Mirror mood this week. I've been playing that album over and over, which is a bit odd for me because as much as I like it it's not one of my favourites. Oh well.

Anyway, I think that Ghosts would have to be the strangest song on the album. Not the worst by any means (that dubious honour goes to the final track...shudder..) but just the weirdest. On the one hand it has quite a good, emphatic chorus and a nice melody line that leads into it but at the same time it has some of Stevie's worst lyrics ever!

"She relies on her music like a husband"...eughhh! Such a clunky line. Just bad. A contender for worst line ever, up there with "the forgotten chimpanzee".

That said though, there's still something likeable about this track and I think it would have been pretty great live back in the day. Can someone remind me, did she perform this on the Other Side of the Mirror tour?

The annoying this with this track, and the same goes for most of those on this album, is that there is maddeningly little information out there about when she wrote the song, what it's about etc. Stevie used to say so much about her songs but for this album, nothing! Or have I just missed it? Does anyone know any of the history of this song? The lyrics, use of "she" etc make me think that the song is very obviously about Stevie herself and one of her favourite topics - how she sacrificed love for her career and music.

Also, am I being too harsh on that "husband" line? Hahaha!

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by Dodfather

I've been in a major Other Side Of The Mirror mood this week. I've been playing that album over and over, which is a bit odd for me because as much as I like it it's not one of my favourites. Oh well.

Anyway, I think that Ghosts would have to be the strangest song on the album. Not the worst by any means (that dubious honour goes to the final track...shudder..) but just the weirdest. On the one hand it has quite a good, emphatic chorus and a nice melody line that leads into it but at the same time it has some of Stevie's worst lyrics ever!

"She relies on her music like a husband"...eughhh! Such a clunky line. Just bad. A contender for worst line ever, up there with "the forgotten chimpanzee".

That said though, there's still something likeable about this track and I think it would have been pretty great live back in the day. Can someone remind me, did she perform this on the Other Side of the Mirror tour?

The annoying this with this track, and the same goes for most of those on this album, is that there is maddeningly little information out there about when she wrote the song, what it's about etc. Stevie used to say so much about her songs but for this album, nothing! Or have I just missed it? Does anyone know any of the history of this song? The lyrics, use of "she" etc make me think that the song is very obviously about Stevie herself and one of her favourite topics - how she sacrificed love for her career and music.

Also, am I being too harsh on that "husband" line? Hahaha!

Seems like you and I have the same feelings about OSOTM... most of the time I can't stomach it, but about twice a year the bug bites me and I have to pull the album out and listen to it. It's what I call a "mood album"... I've gotta be in the right mood to listen to it! But when I'm in that mood, I really do love it.

I actually like the "husband" line. I suspect the song is about her breakup with Joe Walsh. She was devastated, and realized Rock And Roll ate her baby... err... chances at marriage. I look at the song as her last stand as the witchy airy fairy Stevie of old... she realized no matter all the hope, fairy tales, and magic she could conjure up could change her course in life. Perhaps this was the moment when she really realized she was not ever going to be a wife or mother... but instead her life was to be devoted solely to her art. If you look at the material released before OSOTM and after OSOTM, they are markedly different in lyrics and tone. Everything she's released since 1990 has had a harder view on reality, and has been much more straightforward, and less idealistic and airy fairy.

I really do like the song Ghosts. It's a great little album track. Like I've said before, OSOTM is definitely a concept album... and is meant to be listened to and examined as a whole... not to be torn apart and looked at the individual pieces. The point is the greater scheme. I think Ghosts is a neat little track... the production is just perfect for what it is. I like Stevie's vocals. Is it a stand out in Stevie's career? Of course not, but that's not the purpose of the song to begin with.

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by Dodfather

Also, am I being too harsh on that "husband" line? Hahaha!

I don't think you are being too harsh! I always bring up this line when people start complaining about "chimpanzee", because I think the "husband" line is far more clunky!

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Seems like you and I have the same feelings about OSOTM... most of the time I can't stomach it, but about twice a year the bug bites me and I have to pull the album out and listen to it. It's what I call a "mood album"... I've gotta be in the right mood to listen to it! But when I'm in that mood, I really do love it.

I actually like the "husband" line. I suspect the song is about her breakup with Joe Walsh. She was devastated, and realized Rock And Roll ate her baby... err... chances at marriage. I look at the song as her last stand as the witchy airy fairy Stevie of old... she realized no matter all the hope, fairy tales, and magic she could conjure up could change her course in life. Perhaps this was the moment when she really realized she was not ever going to be a wife or mother... but instead her life was to be devoted solely to her art. If you look at the material released before OSOTM and after OSOTM, they are markedly different in lyrics and tone. Everything she's released since 1990 has had a harder view on reality, and has been much more straightforward, and less idealistic and airy fairy.

I really do like the song Ghosts. It's a great little album track. Like I've said before, OSOTM is definitely a concept album... and is meant to be listened to and examined as a whole... not to be torn apart and looked at the individual pieces. The point is the greater scheme. I think Ghosts is a neat little track... the production is just perfect for what it is. I like Stevie's vocals. Is it a stand out in Stevie's career? Of course not, but that's not the purpose of the song to begin with.

I think this is what it strived to be, but didn't quite make it there. It falls short. I really don't see any connection at all that ties all the songs together. What exactly do you see that these songs have in common? I guess I'm assuming you mean lyrically?

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by seekerj

I think this is what it strived to be, but didn't quite make it there. It falls short. I really don't see any connection at all that ties all the songs together. What exactly do you see that these songs have in common? I guess I'm assuming you mean lyrically?

There is definitely a common thread in production style... that whole alice in wonderland fairy tale thing. Lyrically, all the songs are about waking up, realizing nothing is as it seemed, shifting gears, and moving on. All the songs are about the fairy tale being over, and I believe the fairy tale production style and theme of the album is a philosophical way of looking at it. If you look at what was going on at the time, Fleetwood Mac had just melted down, and had lost Lindsey (her musical soulmate). Stevie had lost the "love of her life" Joe Walsh recently as well. She was really crumbling personally in many ways. I agree that the album falls short of it's intention. Kenny G and Bruce Hornsby truly negate the validity of the whole project. But still, I think this album deserves more credit than it receives. Maybe I just root for the underdog... I think Street Angel is a solid little album, yet I loathe The Wild Heart. I'm nuts, and proud of it!

[Lala]

Probably my favourite track from OSOTM, mostly for the music. Yeah, the "husband" line is sort of awkward when you think about it, but the chorus has always made a lot of sense to me...

It's just the ghost of what you really want
And it's the ghost of the past that you live in
And it's the ghost of the future you are frightened of

Totally about looking at your life and examining WHY you aren't happy. It's the first step to making a change.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by Lala

Probably my favourite track from OSOTM, mostly for the music. Yeah, the "husband" line is sort of awkward when you think about it, but the chorus has always made a lot of sense to me...

It's just the ghost of what you really want
And it's the ghost of the past that you live in
And it's the ghost of the future you are frightened of

Totally about looking at your life and examining WHY you aren't happy. It's the first step to making a change.

I'm glad you've posted this. I haven't listened to TOSOTM in forever and you got me interested in "Ghosts" again because of what you just said about it. I'm making an "examine your life, Dani!" playlist as I type this response

[Dodfather]

[QUOTE=louielouie2000;854041]Seems like you and I have the same feelings about OSOTM... most of the time I can't stomach it, but about twice a year the bug bites me and I have to pull the album out and listen to it. It's what I call a "mood album"... I've gotta be in the right mood to listen to it! But when I'm in that mood, I really do love it.
QUOTE]

I agree, apart from Rooms On Fire. I'm always in the mood for that!

[David]

I do like this song, not a huge amount but enough. I like the sound of the fade-out: the volume fades but the hymnlike feeling increases. It both swells & de-swells at the same time, which makes it feel as if you were being lifted off the Earth.

Still, I wish it had been orchestrated by somebody different. The two main ostinati motives are too loud, both of them. The people responsible obviously learned nothing from studio tracks like Dreams or Gold Dust Woman.

[starshine]

I've always loved the song Ghosts off Mirror......Mirror was when I first starting collecting Stevie/Mac stuff.....so even though at the time I knew it was different from her 3 previous solo LP's I still liked it.....I like it much more than RAL which too me is kinda choppy with the many different producers etc. but we know that the RAL period wasn't Stevie at her best....with all the personal issue's she was dealing with. I guess were lucky she even released anything at that time......I do like the theme of the LP Mirror.....other than a couple of chessy songs (esp 2 Kinds of Love) I do love most of the LP....& its better than SA.....though the SA tour did rock......I missed seeing Stevie during Mirror by that much.......anyway......I do love Ghosts esp the chorus.....it'll always be one of my favorites....Long Way To Go really rocks....should've been done live.....amoung others during that tour.....totally...IMO anyway.....just saying......

[belladonnadream]

Never cared for this song too much.. I prefer Alice...ooh my Love and Juliet..DTBTIC is up there too with Long Way to Go...the rest of the album just has random, short, weird stuff! Lol! I like the romantic fairytale songs from this album...the sound of Ghosts just never sat well with me.

[StreetAngel86]

Originally Posted by belladonnadream

Never cared for this song too much.. I prefer Alice...ooh my Love and Juliet..DTBTIC is up there too with Long Way to Go...the rest of the album just has random, short, weird stuff! Lol! I like the romantic fairytale songs from this album...the sound of Ghosts just never sat well with me.

i LOVE TOSOTM as a whole...except for I still Miss SOmeone
but especially the tracks you've mentioned.
i love the castle imagery and fantasy land scenarios
2 Kinds of Love i have to be in the mood for, like Ghosts
sometimes it's really diggable and i GET the message and it's a good song
other times it's a lil bland

[FMlex]

I listened to this album again last night (I usually stick to Bella Donna, Wild Heart & Rock a Little, plus random compilations/demos), and I forgot how much I like it.

I think the first five songs are solid.
"Whole Lotta Trouble," "Fire Burning," and "Cry Wolf" are a little cheesy in my opinion, but I still listen to them.
Then you've got a pretty solid three songs after that, and then you TURN OFF the record.
"I Still Miss Someone" is not allowed to be in existence. Ever.

[michelej1]

I Still Miss Someone is one of my favorites on the album.

Michele

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I Still Miss Someone is one of my favorites on the album.

I like the whistles.