"Beautiful Ghosts" is a song by American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift, released on November 15, 2019 as a promotional single, through Polydor Records. Swift recorded the song for the movie adaptation of the musical Cats.
Background[]
Webber had seen that Victoria, a character in the musical, needed a song. He played the music he had composed for Swift and she came up with the lyrics during the meeting.
| “ | I played this to you and I said it was a new song. You said ‘I’ll do the lyric[s]’, and you did it then and there, more or less. | ” |
—Andrew Lloyd Webber | ||
Swift said that she wanted to emulate the lyrics of T.S. Elliot, the original writer for the book that inspired Cats.
| “ | T.S. Elliot is such a specific type of writer, and uses such specific language and imagery. So reading through, like, his work and everything I just really wanted to reflect that within... and you know you can’t write a modern lyric for Cats... so if you can’t get T.S. Elliot, like, get T.S. | ” |
—Swift | ||
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Follow me home if you dare to
I wouldn't know where to lead you
Should I take chances when no one took chances on me?
So I watch for the dark, wait for my life to start
With no beauty in my memory
[Chorus]
All that I wanted was to be wanted
Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted
Born into nothing
At least you have something, something to cling to
Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into
And the memories were lost long ago
But at least you have beautiful ghosts
[Verse 2]
Perilous night, their voices calling
A flicker of light before the dawning
Out here, the wild ones are taming the fear within me
Scared to call them my friends and be broken again
Is this hope just a mystical dream?
[Chorus]
All that I wanted was to be wanted
Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted
Born into nothing
At least you have something, something to cling to
Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into
And the memories were lost long ago
But at least you have beautiful ghosts
[Bridge]
And so maybe my home isn't what I had known
What I thought it would be
But I feel so alive with these phantoms of night
And I know that this life isn't safe, but it's wild and it's free
[Chorus]
All that I wanted was to be wanted
I'll never wander London streets, alone and haunted
Born into nothing
With them, I have something, something to cling to
I never knew I'd love this world they've let me into
And the memories were lost long ago
So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts
And the memories were lost long ago
So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated |
| Huading Awards | Best Global Film Theme Song | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Grammy Awards | Best Song Written for Visual Media | Nominated |
Physical copies[]
Credits and personnel[]
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter
- Andrew Lloyd Webber – producer, songwriter
- Greg Wells – producer
- Tom Hooper – producer
- Gus Pirelli – engineer, studio personnel
- Ryan Smith – mastering engineer, studio personnel
- Serban Ghenea – mixer, studio personnel
- John Ashton Thomas – conductor
- Everton Nelson – orchestra leader
- Susie Gillis – orchestra contractor
- Eliza Marshall, Helen Keen – alto flute, flute
- Anthony Pike – bass clarinet
- Jodi Milliner – bass guitar
- Andy Wood – bass trombone
- Adrian Bradbury, Caroline Dearnley, Chris Worsey, Frank Schaefer, Ian Burdge, Paul Kegg – cello
- John Carnac – clarinet
- Jane Marshall – cor anglais
- Allen Walley, Mary Scully, Richard Pryce, Steve Mair – double bass
- Alexei Watkins, Martin Owen, Richard Watkins, Simon Rayner – French horn
- Skaila Kanga – harp
- David Thomas – oboe
- Chris Baron, Frank Ricotti – percussion
- John Ashton Thomas, Peter Murray – piano
- Bill Lockhart – timpani
- Ed Tarrant, Mark Nightingale – trombone
- Dan Newell, Kate Moore, Pat White – trumpet
- Owen Slade – tuba
- Andy Parker, Gillianne Haddow, Gustav Clarkson, Jake Walker, Martin Humbey, Peter Lale, Polly Wiltshire, Sue Dench – viola
- Dai Emanuel, Dave Williams, Debbie Preece, Debbie Widdup, Emil Chakalov, Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Jonathan Evans-Jones, Julian Leaper, Kate Robinson, Laura Melhuish, Lorraine McAslan, Mark Berrow, Martyn Jackson, Miranda Dale, Natalia Bonner, Odile Ollagnon, Patrick Kiernan, Paul Willey, Ralph de Souza, Richard George, Rick Koster – violin