Music Review: Ella Henderson "Ghost"

Ella Henderson

Ghost

Album: Chapter One

Year: 2014

       Memories of Ella Henderson’s last relationship pop up in her mind constantly in the              “Ghost.”

              Triumphant synths open the single, setting a battle-worn tone. In the chorus, she folds her hands and asks God to help her. She has to forget her ex-boyfriend. He interrupts her dreams. She wakes up, rattled. A simple noise causes her to jump. He’s still everywhere for her. (“I keep going to the river to pray/Cause I need something that can wash out the pain/And at most/I'm sleeping all these demons away/But your ghost, the ghost of you/It keeps me awake.”)

               When she first introduced them to her friends, her best friend said that he’s two-faced. His stories contradict each other. He doesn’t seem human. His cold eyes in a photo she still has kept up, go through her. How could she not see it? She thought she’d give him a chance. Then, he yelled at her for taking one of his beers. She thought he was a having a bad day. Until he picked up a dish and threw it at her. She realized then she had to go or she was going to hurt. Yet, she still cares for him. She wants to call his mom to see how he’s doing. (“My friends had you figured out/Yeah they saw what's inside of you/You tried hiding another you/But your evil was coming through/These eyes sitting on the wall/They watch every move I make/Bright light living in the shade/Your cold heart makes my spirit shake/I had to go through hell to prove I'm not insane/Had to meet the devil just to know his name/And that's when my love was burning/Yeah it's still burning.”)

                The chorus is sung twice.

                She takes a deep breath. It was just the wind. She starts to think of his good points. He remembered her birthday. He liked her cooking (even if didn’t turn out so great.) Relationships aren’t supposed to hellish. Still, his friends blame her, claiming he doesn’t stress well. She should’ve listened and paid attention to the red flags springing up. (“Each time that I think you go/I turn around and you're creeping in/And I let you under my skin/Cause I love living innocent/Oh you never told me/True love was gonna hurt/True pain I don't deserve/Truth is that I never learned.”)

               The chorus is sung twice.

              In the bridge, she closes her eyes and tries to erase his image from her mind. She can’t deal with it anymore. (“Give up the ghost/Give up the ghost/Give up the ghost/Stop the haunting baby/Give up the ghost/Give up the ghost/Give up the ghost/No more haunting baby/I keep going to the river.”)

                     The  chorus is sung twice to end the single.

                   Henderson draws strength from the power she felt lost in the relationship. She’s taking back her life even though she’s finding it difficult to deal at times. It may be easy to compare her to 2006 British X Factor winner Leona Lewis. Whereas Lewis drowns in her emotions, Henderson attacks them.

                  The  sublime “Ghost” ups the British X Factor’s influence on the current Top 40 market. Who was the last winner of American Idol again?