Music Video: The Specials - Ghost Town CSP

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 and music hall traditions because the music creates a really dramatic and film-like dystopian atmosphere with eerie instruments, slow tempo and sound effects make it feel like a soundtrack ,yet the writer says it connects to older British music hall traditions as it tells a story about ordinary people and social problems in society.

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

The two subcultures that 2 Tone emerged from in the late 1970's was mix of Jamaican ska and reggae culture alongside British punk ,influenced by multicultural youth culture and music promoting anti-racism and unity at a time of high racial tensions.

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

The social contexts that the article discussed were about how the UK in 1981 was facing high unemployment, recession, urban decline and social unrest ,especially in industrial cities like Coventry and riots emerged across Britain, including Brixton and Liverpool.

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

I believe the video is ‘eerie’ because of how emptiness of a known hub of activity, driving through a deserted  London creates an 'eerie'atmosphere, accentuated by dark lighting, slow camera shots and contrasting music also make the video feel uncomfortable and unsettling.

 
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 is not just a dance track but a commentary on contemporary society, the empty streets and lack of humanity represent unemployment, social isolation and the collapse of community, further suggesting the video reflects societal fear and uncertainty about the future.

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 a haunting and powerful song that captured the mood of Britain in 1981, the track sounded different from most pop music at the time because of its slow rhythm, eerie keyboard sounds and dark atmosphere, becoming almost like an anthem for the problems in British society.

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

The article explains that Britain in 1981 was dealing with high unemployment, riots and economic decline and recession under Margaret Thatcher’s government, youth unemployment, racial and police tension, riots and many people felt angry and hopeless about the future.

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

The Specials reflected an increasingly multicultural Britain because the band included 2-tone music showing the effect Jamaican culture had on British working-class areas youth culture ,promoting anti-racism and unity, which was important during a period when racial tensions and far-right groups were growing rapidly in Britain.

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

Paul Gilroy’s theories can be linked to The Specials because he talks about multiculturalism intertwined with British culture represented in The Specials through their 2-tone band and that Ghost Town represented Gilroy’s Black Atlantic diasporic identity theory, that black culture is forged through travel, hybridity and a “liquidity of culture”. 

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?

The article compares the song to a composition by John Barry because of its dramatic and cinematic sound and John Barry was famous for composing film soundtracks often sounding suspenseful and atmospheric, especially for the James Bond films, working on movies such as Goldfinger, From Russia with Love and Out of Africa. 

Ghost Town - Media Factsheet

Watch the video several times before reading Factsheet #211 - Ghost Town. You'll need your GHS Google login to access the factsheet. Once you have analysed the video several times and read the whole factsheet, answer the following questions: 

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 in the Ghost Town video is strongly influenced by British social realist films presenting working-class life in a very bleak and realistic way through the use of empty urban locations and a low-budget style to create a general sense of decline adding to the authenticity of the message rather than making it feel commercial or polished.  

2) How does the lighting create intertextual references? What else is notable about the lighting?

The lighting in the video creates intertextual references to  German Expressionist films like The Cabinet of Dr Caligari  through the use of low-key lighting creating an unsettling and distorted atmosphere, feeling natural but still bleak adding to the ghost town tone.

3) What non-verbal codes help to communicate meanings in the video?

The non-verbal codes help communicate mood and meaning throughout as the band often have expressionless faces, stiff and almost robotic movements adding to the eerie feeling, as well as their clothing also reflecting a working-class identity, sudden changes in energy during parts of the song help show disruption and instability in the narrative, therefore the state of society.

4) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the editing and camerawork? Pick out three key points that are highlighted here.

The factsheet suggests that the editing and camerawork create a disorientating and uneasy feel as some sequences are cut in a fast, action-like style increasing tension with handheld shots, whip pans and canted angles unsettling the viewer and the travelling shots inside the car help position the audience close to the band almost like we are part of the journey causing identification

5) What narrative theories can be applied to the video? Give details from the video for each one.

Todorov’s theory can be applied through equilibrium, disruption and a weak resolution as there is an attempt to repair through their ongoing journey, but the ending at the river feels unresolved and still bleak.

Propp’s character theory can be applied through a narrative as the band can be seen as the “heroes” moving through the desolate city they're attempting to fix, the villain is particularly society shown through the large ominous skyscrapers that act as the opposing force. 

Barthes’ enigma codes are the mystery of why the city is empty and what has happened, which is never explained and action codes are shown through the driving and movement through locations that push the narrative forward. 

Levi-Strauss’ binary oppositions include past vs present, movement vs stagnation, and light vs darkness, all highlighting social decline and change.

6) How can we apply genre theory to the video?

The factsheet says Ghost Town is a hybrid music video that is preformative due to the band are shown lip-syncing and performing in the car. 

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 representations in the Ghost Town video include several key groups and ideas such as  Thatcher’s Britain through motifs of unemployment, decline and social unrest, urban youth are represented as directionless and affected by joblessness and frustration and masculinity is shown through male bonding and the complete absence of women in the video.

8) How can Gauntlett's work on collective identity be applied to the video?

Gauntlett’s idea of collective identity can be applied to the video as it shows a shared experience of working-class male life ina difficult economic period allowing audiences, particularly young men to connect with the experience of the video forming a sense of unity within the band also reflects a wider collective identity formed through music and shared social conditions.

9) How can gender theorists such as Judith Butler be applied to Ghost Town?

Judith Butler’s theory can be used to understand how gender is represented in Ghost Town as the male band members are shown performing traditional masculinity through their behaviour, such as emotional restraint, group unity and solidarity, there are no women in the video highlighting how masculinity dominates the narrative space and Butler’s idea that gender is a performance is clear here as the band are essentially acting out socially expected roles, not really challenge these stereotypes therefore reinforcing them.

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?

The factsheet suggests that Gilroy's postcolonial theory can help explain meanings in the video showing how the band represents a mix of ethnic backgrounds, challenging ideas of separate in-groups and out-groups in society and Gilroy’s idea of double consciousness is also relevant as Black British musicians were part of a music industry largely controlled by white figures and did not always have full control over their representation, therefore the music video highlights both cultural unity and underlying inequalities.