Ghost Town

• Camera shots -> effect on audience

  Low angles of urban scapes -> sets the scene for the audience

  Tracking shots through streets -> immediately reveals the location is London with various working class style buildings

  Exterior shot of the car looking in -> able to see the 7 passengers, diversity of the band representing an integrated/multicultural group, fairly unusual for 1980s

  Crammed in car -> suggests close friendship and community between the group

  Fast paced editing, canted angles, hand held shots and crazed expressions -> connotes wild and rebellious behaviour
• Codes and conventions(BARTHES)

  Enigma code -> empty streets, creating mystery behind why its empty, conveying the town as desolate and sad
• Serious facial expressions -> suggests the song is going to tackle serious issues, depressing tone
• HISTORICAL/CULTURAL CONTEXT

  -1980s Margaret Thatcher as prime minister

  -Majority of Britain suffering from unemployment and poverty, mainly young black Caribbean men as a result of government policy

  -Huge increase in crime, riots and protests throughout the 70s/80s young men extremely angry and frustrated -> the music video allowed them to identify with this

  -Periods of protests in 1981 regarding the governments decision to privatise/close industries

  -Also new introduction of stop and search laws highlighting police discrimination
• Who was Ghost Town by?

  The Specials
• Significance of the music video?

  reflected many feelings of young men at the time after facing huge unemployment and poverty (1980s)
• Racism in 1980 Britain

  -Mainstream media (e.g. newspapers and TV) blamed immigrants and young black men for the rise in crime, poverty and unemployment

  -Caused a lot of friction in Britain such as Xenophobia and anti-immigration propaganda

  -The National Front organisation encouraged the racism and resulted in a larger racial divide -> protests against police discrimination and the National Front turned violent

  -MV represents the anger surrounding this but shows racial harmony and diversity amongst the group
• The Specials Context


  -Mixture of white and black singers & musicians in the band was quite unusual at the time and their overall brand was about racial harmony and equality

  -Their music mixed together cultures and genres e.g British Punk + Jamaican Ska
• -Referring to the BoomTown era when London was bustling with life and filled with jobs

  -Colour grading changes during this, cold to warm -> binary opposites between the moments when they're singing about the past and what London is like for them now

  -Warmer tones connote the nostalgia when reflecting on how Britain used to be

  -Dancing in the car creates a dark comical vibe
• Mise-en-scene

  Low key lighting, cold blue tones -> presents the town as ghostly and dangerous to be around, connotes fear and deprivation -> reinforces stereotype that male aggression is dangerous/aggressive

  Long dark shadows -> representing the buildings of London as oppressive and ominous

  Brutalist grey concrete and glass set against the flat grey sky help connote the uninviting society which built this harsh landscape.
• Camera shots 2

  Tracking shots past vandalised cars -> reflects the crime and riots happening at the time

  German Expressionism- uses visual distortion and hyper-expressive performance over replicating reality. The video incorporates elements of this genre and style in the over the shoulder shots which give an eerie like feel- like we’re passive onlookers.

  The direct address- surrounded by darkness whilst their faces are lit up by bright blue light

  Shadows could act as a semantic code to suggest Britain is a shadow of its former self
• Rapid swerving of the car and no seatbelts -> suggests danger, risky behaviour but their excited look signifies they aren't afraid as they are so tired of the dismal state of the country.

  Moving reflections of the car -> connotes their lives are passing them by and they feel powerless, also disorientates the audience as its out of their control also

  Throwing stones at River Thames -> immature thing to do, the men feel bored as a result of being unemployed

  Chaotic movement -> may reflect or signify the emotional and economic turmoil of Britain in the early 1980s
• Sound effects/Noise

  Whistling wind -> creates a feeling of emptiness, abandonment the ghosts of what London used to be, may also remind audiences of police sirens and add to the anti-establishment theme (crime + law)

  Incorporated discordant horns, haunted chords and demonic vocal harmonies for something decidedly not easy listening.
• Were the men actually presented as violent?

  No, they were represented as angry/frustrated but did not have particularly violent behaviour

  Possibly to challenge perceptions of men or even specific ethnicities that are stereotypical in the media (PAUL GILROY)
• Summer of 1981 HANDSWORTH

  Handsworth in Birmingham: July 1981, property damage, 40 officers injured, 121 arrests. Few females involved, 78% 16-24 men arrested.
• Summer of 1981 BRIXTON

  Brixton in London: April 10th first rioting, over 100 arrested 10 days after, 15 police injured. Confrontations in Finsbury Park, Forest Gate, Ealing. 10th July, second riot.
• Summer of 1981 TOXTETH

  Toxteth in Liverpool: Riots spread from London to Liverpool, arose in long-standing tesnions between local police and black communities. Merseyside police arrested 244 people due to offenses and civil disturbances.
• Unemployment rates during 1981 Britain?


  Britain experienced a rise from 1.5mil to 2.5mil in 12 months. Unemployment among ethnic minorities has risen 82% in the same period.
• The Specials Background


  They released their self-financed first single, Gangsters, in early 1979. A year later, they were one of Britain’s most successful brands.

  
  

  Their success had spawned its own genre and attendant youth cult, called Two Tone: the name of the Specials’ record label and a nod to their multi-racial line-up.

  
  

  Released on 20th June 1981 against a backdrop of rising unemployment, its blend of melancholy, unease and menace took on an entirely new meaning when Britain’s streets erupted into rioting almost 3 weeks later- The day before Ghost Town reached no.1 in charts.t
• Release date?

  The ghost town EP was released on the 12th of June 1981, debuting at no. 21. By the 11th of July it had risen to no. 1.
• How is ska music relative to genre as a 'cultural category' (refers to the influence of race, gender, history and societal beliefs at the time)

  • 2-Tone genre, which combines elements of ska, punk, and reggae, emerged as a response to the social and racial tensions in Britain during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
  • Ska music historically represented unity and solidarity—rooted in Caribbean migration to the UK and the working-class youth culture that adopted it.
  • The genre became a way for young people to express their frustration with social issues
• Ghost town historical and political context

  • "Ghost Town" was released in 1981, a time when the UK was facing significant social and political upheaval.
  • The song itself addresses themes of urban decay, social unrest, and the feeling of abandonment in cities, particularly in areas hit hard by deindustrialization and high unemployment.
• How does Ghost Town reinforce Gilroy's theory of the black atlantic identity and cultural hybridity as a result of postcolonialism?

  • The Specials were a key part of the 2-Tone ska movement during 1980s
  • This movement fused ska, reggae, punk, and other genres, drawing on Caribbean influences but also reflecting the racial and social tensions in Britain at the time.
  • Reflects Gilroy’s theory of cultural hybridity
  • Blending of British and Caribbean cultural elements that represents the diverse racial and social makeup of postcolonial Britain. (as a result of migration and movement overseas)
• How is Ghost Town an example of a constructed hyperreality/simulation?

  • Ghost town creates a world of dystopia
  • Usage of cold colour palettes, desolate alleyways and towering buildings exaggerates the real social issues of the time
  • Creating a simulated reality that feels more heightened than real life
  • Imagery reinforces the idea of a “ghost town” not as a literal place but as a symbolic simulation of societal collapse
  • The media representation becomes the dominant reality for viewers, embodying a collective cultural anxiety
• How is Ghost Town an example of a simulacra?

  • Baudrillard argues that in postmodernism, representations lose touch with their original meaning
  • “ghost town” concept is not a literal description of any specific town but a metaphorical space
  • Visual metaphors: empty streets, hollow-eyed band members, and eerie lighting—functions as a simulacrum of despair, referencing previous dystopian imagery rather than directly representing reality
• How does Ghost Town use a fragmented narrative?

  • Slow pans, abrupt cuts, and unsettling close-ups
  • Creates a fragmented, dreamlike feeling
  • Reinforces the idea that postmodern texts reject linear, coherent narratives in favour of fragmented, subjective experiences
  • Overall emphasis on the breakdown of social order and creates a world where past, present, and future are indistinguishable
  • Reinforces Baudrillard’s idea of time collapsing into a hyperreal present.
• How does Ghost Town use intertextuality?

  • intertextual references to 1970s/80s media portrayals of urban decay, unemployment, and working-class struggles in Britain
  • Simulates the atmosphere of these past representations rather than directly depicting the actual social conditions
• How is Ghost Town an example of cultural hybridity? POSTMODERNISM

  • By blending Jamaican ska influences with British punk aesthetics, Ghost Town also reflects cultural hybridity—a characteristic of postmodernism where boundaries between genres and traditions are blurred
• What features of postmodernism can be applied to Ghost Town?

  • Cultural hybridity- ska music and british punk
  • Intertextuality- 1980s Britain and Thatcherism
  • Fragmented narrative
  • Simulacra- signs copying signs with no original reference
  • Simulation and hyperreality
• How does Ghost Town use self-referentiality?

  • The band’s stoic and detached performances convey an ironic distance
  • May embody the collapse of society without fully participating in it
  • Simultaneously inside and outside the narrative (e.g. through the use of a both performance and narrative music video)
  • The driving around in the car almost acts as the detacher from the music video, allowing the band members free reign over the abandoned streets
  • reinforces the hyperreal nature of the video, where everything is a performance of social decay
• How can Gauntlett's identity theory be applied to Ghost Town?

  • Ghost Town was released during a time of social unrest in the UK (1981)
  • The music video may embody and reinforce the strong frustration and anger many felt at the time
  • They may have fed into the idea of a collective identity, using visual metaphors to demonstrate the universal feelings of 1980s Britain
  • May have been a way to share this appropriately due to many minority groups being attacked and marginalized at the time (e.g. Brixton and Toxteth riots)
• How can Gauntlett's identity theory, negotiated identity be applied to Ghost Town?

  • Ghost Town tends to subvert the stereotypical representations of masculinity, especially within mass media
  • The band’s performances in the video are subdued, melancholic, and reflective—contrasting with traditional masculine portrayals of dominance and power
  • This vulnerability allows for the exploration of a more sensitive, introspective male identity, aligning with Gauntlett’s idea that media provides more diverse and fluid representations of gender and masculinity
• How can Butler's gender performativity theory be applied to Ghost Town? How may representations of masculinity reinforce this?

  • Band members display a somber, powerless demeanour
  • Subverts traditional performances of masculinity, which often emphasize dominance, aggression, and control
  • Stoic expressions and passive behaviour—riding aimlessly through a desolate city—challenges stereotypical portrayals of men as active agents of change (e.g. being business leaders, breadwinners etc.)
  • Reinforces Butler's notion that gender is not fixed, fluid and defined by performance
• How does Ghost Town subvert masculine ideals?

  • No displays of aggression, strength, or leadership—traits often emphasized in traditional masculinity
  • Band members remain silent and passive observers of a decaying world they cannot control or change
  • Subverts the idea that men must always be authoritative
  • Helplessness reinforces the fragility of masculinity during the social collapse of 1980s Britain