Ten Favorite Ghost Stories in Song
(For this, the 200th of these lists, here are ten songs I like that tell ghost stories: not simply songs with the word “ghost” in them, or songs that use ghostliness as a metaphor for something else—my favorite of those is “Ghosts” by Japan, followed by ”Ghosts” by Laura Marling—but actual ghost stories in the form of songs, or at least something close to it. I’ve arranged them alphabetically by artist.)
Happy Phantom by Tori Amos
Watching You Without Me by Kate Bush
She Moves Through the Fair by Fairport Convention
Walking the Ghost by James
Jackie by Sinead O’Connor
Ghosts by Ellis Paul (a hidden track; it begins at 2:58)
Camouflage by Stan Ridgway
Ghost Train by Justin Sullivan
Big Joe and Phantom 309 by Tom Waits
Pale Spectre by The Wake
— January 24, 2021