"Is There a Ghost" | ||||
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Single by Band of Horses | ||||
from the album Cease to Begin | ||||
Released | August 28, 2007 | |||
Recorded | Avast Studios | |||
Genre | Indie rock | |||
Length | 2:59 | |||
Label | Sub Pop Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ben Bridwell, Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Ek | |||
Band of Horses singles chronology | ||||
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"Is There a Ghost" is the first single taken from Band of Horses' second album Cease to Begin , which was released on August 28, 2007. It reached #34 on the US Alternative Songs chart and #30 in Denmark, making it the band's most successful song until "Casual Party" reached #27 on the Alternative Songs chart in 2016.
The lyrics consist of two lines which are repeated throughout the song: "I could sleep, I could sleep. When I lived alone, Is there a ghost in my house?" According to the student newspaper The Reflector , "A simple finger-picked melody morphs into a strum-and-drum tour de force; there are layers of guitars, but not too much distortion. [1]
In general Cease to Begin has a more Southern rock, less indie sound than Band of Horses' debut album Everything All the Time . However, "Is There a Ghost" has a strong indie feel, in contrast to the rest of Cease to Begin. [2] [3]
Critical response to the single was generally very favourable. An article in The Scotsman singled out "Is There a Ghost" as one of the main reasons that Band of Horses have received significant international attention, [4] however one reviewer disliked the "polished" sound of Cease to Begin, saying that, "In the switch from low to high fidelity, Band of Horses sacrifices a good deal of angst and quality." [5] Others were more enthusiastic, with one reviewer claiming that, "'Is There A Ghost' is the catchiest song with only 14 words to its credit since Pearl Jam's 'Smile'." [6]
Rolling Stone ranked "Is There a Ghost" at #93 in its 100 best songs of 2007. [7]
The music video for "Is There a Ghost," directed by Brian Savelson, won the 2008 MVPA Award in the Alternative category for Best Direction. [8]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
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Denmark (Tracklisten) [9] | 30 |
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