The Specials - Ghost Town: Blog tasks

 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 link the song to cinematic soundtrack and music hall tradition due to gaining that idea that it relfects and engenders anxiety by producing a "mood music".

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

The subcultures that the 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s are the Mod and Punk subcultures and its musical roots and the people in it, audiences and bands, were both black and white. Ska and the related Jamaican Rocksteady were its musical foundations, sharpened further by punk attitude and anger. 

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

The social contexts that are discussed regarding the UK in 1981 are the fact that England was hit by a recession and away from rural Skinhead nights, riots were breaking out across its urban areas. People were deprived, forgotten, run down and angry, these were places where young people, black and white, erupted. In these neglected parts of London, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool the young, the unemployed, and the disaffected fought pitch battles with the police. The song was used to refelct the mournful sound of the riots. 

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

I think what is 'eerie' about the video is the use of the instruments such as the "Hammond organ’s six ascending notes". The background music creates a sense of enigma and what audiences would normally hear in a hammer horror or horror film. Also, the fact that throughout the whole video they used a low-key and under-key lighting which allows shadows on the features of the characters. Also, linking to the title "Ghost Town", the setting is empty, there's no people around and the idea that at the start of the video, there were buildings in London that seemed to be faceless, highlighting the idea of enigma codes and the fact that it also seemed depressing.

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?

The writer suggests that the meanings created in the video could be that 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 songs and their dancing, their futures. I agree as the lyrics reinforce these ideas such as “government leaving the youth on the shelf” and “people getting angry”, which is a reference to riots.

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 the song as starting with a siren and woozy, lurching organ chords. Then with a haunted spectral woodwind, punctuated by blaring brass. Over a sparse reggae bass line, a West Indian vocal mutters warnings of urban decay, unemployment and violence.

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

The article talks about the social context of the time as a backdrop of rising unemployment in the UK, when Britain's streets erupted into rioting almost three weeks later - the day before Ghost Town reached number one in the charts. There were also an industrial decline which left the city suffering. 

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

The Specials reflect an increasingly multicultural Britain by mixing race in the bands, black and white members. The band’s 2 Tone record label reinforced this through the idea of their costumes, where they also wore black and white suits. This reinforces the idea of multiculturalism and anti-racism ideology.

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

We can link Paul Gilroy’s theories to The Specials and Ghost Town by the idea of liquidity of culture and the idea of black diasporic identity, where in their band there’s a mix of black and white race. Also, through the idea of “rude boys concept (subculture) which is accepted more by the working-class. These are reinforced through the use of suits, pork pie hats costume. 

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?

John Barry was a famous composer due to his use of Middle Eastern music, a solid reggae undertone and stuff that sounds like nothing else. He also produced songs that are dramatised and close to the context of social realism which is link to honesty and authenticity.


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? 

It is suggesting that the mise-en-scene of Ghost Town video uses the style of British social realist films. This genre is characterised by sympathetic representations of working-class men, the highlighting of bleak (often urban) environments and a sense of hopelessness. 

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

The lighting creates intertextual references through the use of a handheld torch that was placed at a low angle which is effective for a low budget filmmaking technique. The lighting design makes a virtue of available ‘natural’ sources, such as the harsh yellowy reflections of the lights in the tunnel on the windscreen as they pass over the band members, the grey skies and dark streets. The Expressionist style featuring shadows, chiaroscuro lighting contributes to this, making the whole video much more cinematic. 

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

The non-verbal codes that help to communicate meanings in the video are the idea of the 2 Tone culture where they described the band as not just multi-ethnic mix of the band members but a mix of musical influences on them. The dress code reflects what working-class men both black and white might have worn on a night out clubbing. Also, The singing of the song with expressionless faces and direct mode-of-address with zombie-like, stiff body movements are suddenly relaxed in the manic middle section.

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

Regarding the editing and camerawork they controlled the camerawork to a pace to distort our sense of day and night. The distortion scene is reinforced through the use of handheld cameras, disorienting the camerawork with whip pans and canted angles. The band are generally shot as a group, emphasising the relationship between them. This invites audience identification with the band. The sequence near the start consists of a series of establishing shots and low angle shots which make the setting, London, look faceless and depressed and are shown in an intimidating way. The video ends with superimposition of a long cross-dissolve of the tunnel lights to the stone-throwing shot, to unsettling effect.

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

Using Todorov's equilibrium theory, we could see at the start the equilibrium as we see the buildings and streets of London and how the characters are just in the car, travelling and singing. Then we are introduced to the disequilibrium as the music builds up as well as the pace. This is when we see how there's more jump cuts and montage, where we see the car swerving as well as the use of the handheld camera. And then we see the new equilibrium when the music kind of calms down and there's less cuts and we see them in a car during the night just staring at the camera which then shifts to the shadows (Fritz Lang).

Using Propp's character theory, we see how during the whole video we could see the whole group of the band, where we don't really see much of a solo shot of each of the character, linking to the idea of ensemble cast and how there's no 'hero' in the video. 

Barthes' enigma codes was heavily reinforced throughout the video as at the start we see the buildings and the streets but there's no one there, linking to the title 'Ghost Town'. Also, there's a sense of enigma codes in the car, where we see the character in the middle wearing a distorted and depressed facial expression. These are reinforced through the overall use of the low-key lighting (chiaroscuro) and how the light is placed at a lower angle. For action codes, we see how the pace of the video becomes much more fast paced, more cuts, and the camerawork being more distorted due to handheld cameras. 

Applying Levi-strauss's binary opposition, could see the contrast between the living city and the Ghost Town city, light and dark and order and chaos. 

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

We can apply genre theory using Neale's theory. Ghost Town used a slightly different approach when it comes to Goodwin's music video conventions. This is because in Goodwin's conventions, we usually see a male gaze, or objectification of women. But in this video we didn't see a female character where it just focused on the male characters. 

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 video represents a number of different ideas, locations and groups including ‘Thatcher’s Britain’, the city, urban youth, race and masculinity. Exploring media language, contexts and the application of theories can help to explore how things are being represented. 

8) How can Gauntlett's work on collective identity be applied to the video?
Gauntlett's work on collective identity can be applied to the video as it shows how they have moved to a more diverse community due to the idea of mixed-race members in the band. Also, the video shows how there's a collective identity in the band as well as the music they have been influenced in. In addition, the video highlights how they can 'pick and mix' their own identity as we see them mix different types of music, ska.

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

Butler's theory can be applied to Ghost Town as she referred to these as a ‘performance’. These musicians seem to be ‘performing’ the structures of patriarchy which include brotherhood, camaraderie and male solidarity. We see how the characters/singers have subverted the traditional stereotypes of being masculine and the idea that there's no 'hero' role.

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?

Post-colonialists might argue that there is double consciousness (Gilroy) here. Black musicians, as part of a music industry in the UK which was controlled by the white majority, had limited control in terms of self-representation and were often side-lined in bands which were multi-ethnic. But I think it is subverted in the video as we see Black musicians with the white members and how the positioning of the singers are in a group.

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.   

A/A* Extension reading: Music video and Ghost Town

There is so much excellent reading on The Specials and Ghost Town in particular. This Guardian feature by Alexis Petridis describes the social context and the band’s relationship superbly. 

They descibed the riots that were happening to Britain's cities and town and how this links to the lyrics such as "can't go on no more" and "the people getting angry". They also said that this is the first time that British pop music is commenting on the news, which links to the idea of social realism. Their success allowed them to build their own type of genre music which was about youth cult, linking to the idea of 2 Tone which is a nod to multi-racial line up. This is where we see black and white members in their band. 

Along similar lines, this is an excellent piece on music reflecting the mood of a country – written during the 2011 London Riots but linking back to Ghost Town in 1981.

Working on history of protest music which links to historical events had led to the idea of 'music crisis'. Ghost Town was described as 'the terrain before the riots' ("people getting angry"). Also, the song was a symbol of a spectral wail that could either be a cold wind or distant sirens, which kind of allows the audiences to identify with the song as well as the lyrics.

The career of the director of the Ghost Town video, Barney Bubbles, and his influence over graphic design in the 1970s is laid out in this website article that will appeal to any arts students.

Bubble's design of work links to the visual mix of science fiction comics imagery and historical references. When he returned to London in 1976, he was introduced to punk music, which was described as "smartest, most savvy version of renewed music". Bubble's association with Stiff Record had led him to produced the most iconic collection of work, which he used his own aesthetics to produce artists who have unpredictable styles and artistic direction.