We previously featured Eliza Howells when she took us on a subversive yet assertive trip with her debut single, Night Life, so when we heard that the star was back with Ghost Song, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Ghost Song opens with a minimalist piano soundscape and delicate vocals as Eliza sings the poignant opening prose, “You’re the ghost I talk to when I’m too deep in my head, you’re the ghost I talk to when I’m coming home to bed, waiting in the corner of the room, for me to say I should have been with you, when you were the one who left me there instead…”
In essence, Ghost Song is about lingering attachment after a breakup. Eliza sings to an ex as if they are a ghost, someone who is absent, but emotionally present. There is no doubt that their memory remains vivid and constant. Distance has intensified the feeling, but not erased it.
The lyrics also explore notions of shared intimacy that others never saw. Inside jokes, a sense of having the same mind, and an unspoken understanding which now exist in memory alone. Eliza wonders if the feeling is mutual and she questions whether she haunts her ex in the same way.
We deeply connect with the intimacy of the song, and there is no doubt that the track holds a cinematic allure, perfect for a range of sync placements – notably a film with similar themes like Materialists or People We Meet on Vacation.
Eliza confesses, “I was toying with the idea of ghosts for a long time in my writing, then I went away to a songwriting retreat, locked myself in a practice room for a few hours, and Ghost Song came out. It’s all about those nagging thoughts and old habits that linger after someone is gone, and the piano accompaniment is meant to reflect that as well.” Speaking on the production process, she adds, “I locked myself in a practice room for three hours and emerged with this song.”
We learn that the track was recorded and mixed by David Shane, with mastering by Dereck Blackburn. We have added Ghost Song to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Eliza Howells including Circles, and Fear the Worst.