Most ghost songs are just about haunting people, with rattling chains and lurking down dark hallways. You know, the typical ghost stuff. But what if you’re a ghost, and your biggest problem isn’t on- or off-world debt, but simply lack of a social life?
That’s the charmingly ridiculous premise behind “There Was a Ghost Who Had No Friends,” an original single from Monster’s Halloween Party. Apparently, even ghosts have to deal with the awkward business of making new friends.
Released via Inner Splendor Media, the song is an unconventional selection for a Halloween tune. Vidura Barrios and Kento Tachibana wrote and arranged the song to incorporate elements of jazz, big band swing, orchestral pop and cinematic music: a cuter, miniature Broadway production starring a solitary ghost.
And it works.
The bold, brassy arrangement is lively, theatrical and deliciously “old school” with its swinging groove and sweeping orchestral textures, and a proliferation of musical twists and turns. It ranges from a spooky sense of intrigue to playful teasing to true affection without piling on every single Halloween sound.
Credit also goes to Tachibana for the song’s arrangement. With live singing and acoustic instruments, the track feels very natural and original, just as ensemble singing of Barrios, Ollie Parr, Nathan Mulcahy Morgan and Tachibana contribute to the musical-theater atmosphere. Flute, cello, drums and oboe make the song sound fuller. An ambitious combination, yet nobody appears to have had a brawl with the orchestra.
That’s where the story of the song lies. A sad ghostly figure looks on as children frolic from a distance. He desperately wants to play with them. He encounters a boy named Danny who understands the feeling of isolation. In an attempt to garner Danny’s interest, the ghost returns some of the boy’s toys. However, he ends up frightening the boy away in the process. If you remember that semi-viral art-meme song of a “ghost choir”, well, imagine that but it’s an actual storyline told like it’s a Rupert Holmes song or something from Edison Lighthouse.
“There Was a Ghost Who Had No Friends” is charming, musically ambitious and earnest without becoming overly sentimental. And it reminds us of a crucial truth: the most frightening monster isn’t a creature under your bed; it’s social anxiety.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
