Just A Ghost
by Claptone (featuring Seal)

Album: Closer (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Seal did an album of standards in 2017, but "Just A Ghost" is the first original song he recorded since 2015, when he issued his album 7.

    The song is a collaboration with Claptone, the DJ/producer who wears bird-like masks to conceal his identity. He says: "The deep sensuality in Seal's voice has always kept me under its spell, and of course the mystique around his persona. No doubt the stars aligned when Seal and I were working on 'Just A Ghost' - his first original material in six years. By introducing him to the deep, emotive, and powerful sound of Claptone my aim was to lead him back to his very own roots, to an electronic club-infused but soulful sound. And I needed to do that without sacrificing the strong musical identity he built for himself over the past decades."
  • Seal wrote the lyric, which tells a story of longing. His lover has left him for another, and now at night he sees her in the shadows, real to him, even if she's just a ghost.

    The story is on point for Seal, whose love songs often cross into the mystic.
  • "Just A Ghost" is part of Claptone's third album, Closer, which in addition to Seal, features guest vocalists Barry Manilow, Peter Bjorn and John, Mayer Hawthorne, and James Vincent McMorrow. Claptone says the album as a whole is about "The joy and sometimes the pain of being human," Adding, "It's an ode to togetherness as well as empowerment, to heartache as well as bliss. I celebrate emotions. I allow myself to get closer to human beings and be human on the quest for my soul."
  • The mind-bending video was directed by Alexander Brown and stars Eduardo Arcelus as the haunted artist. Carmen Lykoo plays the dancer. The video was "inspired by the mythical world that surrounds Claptone, dark in essence and feel."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.