Ghost (Ella Henderson song)
"Ghost" | ||||
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Single by Ella Henderson | ||||
from the album Chapter One | ||||
Released | 8 June 2014 | |||
Recorded | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:36 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Ella Henderson singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Ghost" on YouTube |
"Ghost" is the debut single by British singer and songwriter Ella Henderson. It was released on 8 June 2014 as the lead single from her debut studio album, Chapter One (2014). Henderson co-wrote the song with Kenan Williams[2] and its producers, Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella.
The music video was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana in March 2014. The song entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart, as well as in the Republic of Ireland. It has also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland, New Zealand and South Africa.
Since its release, the song has sold over 1.8 million copies in the UK and in excess of one million in the US. It was also the sixth best-selling single of 2014 in the UK.[3] It served as the main song in the romantic comedy My Dead Tinder Match. On 23 November 2020, Ghost has reached 100 million views on YouTube, being her first video to achieve that milestone.
Background and recording
[edit]On 18 November 2012, Henderson finished in sixth place on the ninth series of The X Factor, despite being the favourite to win.[4] On 15 December, whilst being interviewed on The Saturday Night Show in Ireland, she revealed that she had signed a record deal with Sony Music.[5] On 22 January 2013, Henderson confirmed she had signed to Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music.[6] Regarding her decision to sign with Syco, Henderson said, "The most important thing I was looking for was to be involved creatively, and which label presents me with the best team to bring the best out of me. The fact that Cowell is letting me be involved creatively is overwhelming."[7]
"Ghost" was co-written by Henderson, Kenan Williams,[2] OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and record producer Noel Zancanella and produced by Tedder and Zancanella. The song was recorded at Tedder's recording studio in Denver by Smith Carlson on 12 January 2014, Henderson's 18th birthday.[8] In March 2014, Henderson announced that it would be her debut single,[9] and released on 8 June 2014.[10] The song received its debut radio airplay on Capital FM on 10 May 2014.[11] The song is played in the key of A major.[12]
Critical reception
[edit]Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review, stating:
"The end result, Ella's first single 'Ghost', would make a worthy winner's launch, let alone someone who fell victim to the mid-series shock elimination. "I keep going to the river to pray/ 'Cos I need something that can wash out the pain," Henderson professes over stomping Americana-folk beats and taut guitar twangs, falling somewhere between the rootsy heart of Adele and the pop sensibility of Leona Lewis. It's dark, it's brooding and it's full of pain, but most importantly for Ella's concerns, it's an unforgettable debut." [13]
Chart performance
[edit]"Ghost" was commercially successful, entering at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 15 June, selling 132,000 copies in its first week on sale.[14] The song remained number one in the UK for a second week, outselling 5 Seconds of Summer's "Don't Stop" by 3,000 copies.[15] The single has been certified triple Platinum by the BPI for sales and streams of over 1,800,000 units in the UK. It was the sixth best-selling song of 2014 in the UK, selling 750,000 copies.[3]
In the Republic of Ireland, the song debuted at the top of the Irish Singles Chart. It has also charted in the top 10 of the singles charts in Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland and South Africa.
"Ghost" debuted at number 75 on Billboard Hot 100. On the week ending January 24, 2015, the song jumped from number 41 to number 28. On the following week, it jumped to number 22[16] and rose from number 14 to number 10 on Hot Digital Songs and became her first top 10. As of January 31, 2015, it has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the US alone. The song peaked at number 11 on US Mainstream Top 40.
Music videos
[edit]The official music video was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana on 10 March 2014.[10] The video was released to YouTube on 23 April 2014.[17] The video shows Henderson performing the track in a red-lit motel. All the while, an escaped convict accused of murder goes to confront the actual killer at the motel.[18] [citation needed]
Another video was released for the Switch remix of the song on 14 April 2014.[19] This video, directed by Jem Talbot, features a young woman (played by Samara Zwain) exploring an empty house and reminiscing on a relationship.[20]
Live performances
[edit]On 26 May 2014, Henderson performed "Ghost" for the first time on the first live semi-final of Britain's Got Talent.[21] She also performed an acoustic cover for 4Music.[22] Henderson also performed the song at the Capital Summertime Ball on 22 June. Henderson made her American television debut on 6 August as she performed "Ghost" on Good Morning America.[23] She later made her Australian television debut on 18 August when she sang the song on The X Factor Australia.[24] Henderson has also performed the song on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Henderson also performed the song on the 14 February 2015 at the NBA All-Stars weekend.
It has also been performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Voice in both the US and Germany. The song was covered three times by contestants on her origin show, The X Factor, in series 11—firstly by Only The Young at judges' houses, next by Paul Akister in the first live performance by a contestant in that series, and then by Andrea Faustini, who sang the song with Henderson in the celebrity duets round of the final.
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ghost" | 3:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ghost" | 3:36 |
2. | "Ghost" (Switch Remix Radio Edit) | 3:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ghost" (Switch Remix Radio Edit) | 3:40 |
2. | "Ghost" (Kastle Remix Radio Edit) | 3:36 |
3. | "Ghost" (Oliver Nelson Remix) | 5:04 |
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[78] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[79] | Platinum | 400,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[80] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Sweden (GLF)[81] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[82] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[84] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[85] | Platinum | 2,600,000† |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
[edit]Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Austria[86] | 6 June 2014 | Digital download | Syco |
Germany[86] | |||
Ireland[25][26] | |||
Switzerland[86] | |||
United Kingdom[25][26] | 8 June 2014 | ||
France[87] | 9 June 2014 | ||
Spain[88] | |||
Italy[89] | 10 June 2014 | Digital download | |
Italy[90] | 25 July 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | Sony Italy |
United States[91] | 29 July 2014 | Digital download | Columbia |
Austria[92] | 29 August 2014 | CD single | Syco |
Germany[92] | |||
Switzerland[92] | |||
Northern Ireland | 13 September 2021 | CD Single | Syco |
See also
[edit]- If You Love Someone (2014), with the same chord scheme and similar instruments and nearly the same melody.
References
[edit]- ^ Kitchener, Shaun (2 September 2014). "Ella Henderson's Debut Album 'Chapter One': Track-By-Track Review". Entertainment Wise. Giant Media. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Ella Henderson's "Ghost" Arrives at US Pop Radio". Headline Planet. 2014-08-26.
- ^ a b c Copsey, Rob (31 December 2014). "The Official Top 100 Biggest Songs of 2014 revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ Rigby, Sam (18 November 2012). "Ella Henderson leaves 'The X Factor'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ Wilde, Joe (16 December 2012). "Ella Henderson Signs Recording Deal With Sony Music, Promises: "This Is Just The Beginning"". contactmusic.com. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ Hind, Katie (9 January 2013). "I've got the new 'Adella': Simon Cowell wins fight to sign X Factor's Ella Henderson". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ Foster, Alistair (23 January 2013). "Ella Henderson: I signed with Simon Cowell after he put me in control". London Evening Standard. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ Harvey, Gill (6 June 2014). "Ella Henderson marked 18th birthday by writing Ghost with Ryan Tedder". STV. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ "X Factor's Ella Henderson announces début single". RTÉ.ie. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ a b Moss, Liv (15 April 2014). "Ella Henderson unveils artwork for new single, Ghost". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ "Ella Henderson's debut single Ghost is played on Capital Radio". Grimsby Telegraph. 10 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ Noel, Zancanella; Ella, Henderson; Ryan, Tedder; Ella, Henderson (2015-02-19). "Ghost". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (6 June 2014). "Ella Henderson: 'Ghost' single review - 'An unforgettable debut' - Music Review". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ Lane, Daniel (15 June 2014). "Ella Henderson's Ghost debuts at Number 1 with spooktacular sales". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ Alexander, Susannah (22 June 2014). "Ella Henderson holds on to No.1 single, pushes 5SOS into second". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ^ "The Hot 100 – Week of January 10, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "Ella Henderson - Ghost (Official Video)". YouTube. 22 April 2014.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (23 April 2014). "Ella Henderson unveils debut single 'Ghost' - watch the music video". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Ella Henderson - Ghost (Switch Remix)". YouTube. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Brown, Jimmy (14 April 2014). "Ella Henderson 'Ghost (Switch Remix) by Jem Talbot". Promonews.tv. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Wilson, Jess (26 May 2014). "Ella Henderson makes comeback on BGT semi-final". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20". 15 June 2014. 4Music.
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(help) - ^ Smith, Carl (7 August 2014). "Ella Henderson heads Stateside to perform 'Ghost' on Good Morning America - Watch". sugarscape.com. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ^ Best, R (13 August 2014). "Ella Henderson to visit Australia for a promotional tour!". Spotlight Report. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ a b c "iTunes - Music - Ghost - Single by Ella Henderson". iTunes. 6 June 2014.
- ^ a b c "iTunes - Music - Ghost (Remixes) - Single by Ella Henderson". iTunes. 6 June 2014.
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- ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
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- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20151 into search.
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- ^ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
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- 2014 songs
- 2014 debut singles
- Song recordings produced by Noel Zancanella
- Song recordings produced by Ryan Tedder
- Songs written by Noel Zancanella
- Songs written by Ryan Tedder
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Scotland
- UK singles chart number-one singles
- Syco Music singles
- Columbia Records singles
- Ella Henderson songs
- Songs written by Ella Henderson
- Songs about ghosts