Two Ghosts

"Two Ghosts"
Single by Harry Styles
from the album Harry Styles
Released 7 August 2017 (2017-08-07)
Format
Genre
Length 3:49
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Harry Styles singles chronology
"Sign of the Times"
(2017)		 "Two Ghosts"
(2017)

"Sign of the Times"
(2017)		 "Two Ghosts"
(2017)

"Two Ghosts" is a song recorded by English singer and songwriter Harry Styles for his self-titled debut studio album. The song was written by Styles, John Ryan, Mitch Rowland and Tyler Johnson and its production was handled by Jeff Bhasker, Alex Salibian and Johnson. It was released as the second single from the album to US hot adult contemporary radio via Columbia Records on 7 August 2017, and to contemporary hit radio the next day.

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Two Ghosts" is a country-influenced soft rock and folk rock ballad.[1][2][3] Performed on slide guitar, the track leans toward country folk.[4] An editor from Entertainment Weekly interpreted the song as a "mournful acoustic autopsy of love lost,"[2] for a Los Angeles Times' writer is about "a relationship that couldn’t last,"[5] while an ABC News reviewer added the singer is "trying to reclaim his sense of humanity" following a broken relationship.[6]

Critical reception

Leonie Cooper from NME opined the "subtle" song offers up a "country-indebted Laurel Canyon sound."[7] In Pitchfork, Jamieson Cox considered Styles "makes a convincing alt-country troubadour" on the song.[8] Anjali Raguraman from The Straits Times thought the "sombre, country-tinged" track lyrically borrows from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here".[1] In Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood commented that the song has "the slow-rolling swagger of The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice."[5] In Consequence of Sound, David Sackllah noted the slide guitar "could fit on Ryan Adams' Gold."[9] Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot wrote "forlon references drop to the Allman Brothers' "Melissa" on the song."[10] Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club wrote it "acutely captures the discomfiting, empty feeling of realizing that the spark is gone."[11] Kitty Empire of The Guardian said it "packs some good writing."[12] Allan Raible in ABC News found the song influenced by George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass."[6] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone thought the "lovelorn" song "could pass for vintage Bread.[13] Eve Barlow of Variety believed "it’s very easy to imagine an extended hyper emotional scene from The Notebook in the background" while listening to the "tragic, mystifying tale."[4] In a similar way, David Dunn of The National thought its "plaintive" hooks and "easy-going" strum helps the song fits in a "teary" scene of Grey's Anatomy.[14] BBC Music reporter Mark Savage noted references to Taylor Swift's "Style" in the storied lyrics;[15] Pitchfork's Cox stated the song "only succeeds because it leans" on these references.[8] In an interview on BBC Radio 1, Styles responded on whether the song is about the female singer: "I think it's pretty self-explanatory."[16]

Live performances

On 17 May 2017, Styles performed "Two Ghosts" on The Late Late Show with James Corden, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. In Rolling Stone, Elias Leight opined the singer demonstrated "impressive" vocal range, contorting his voice into a "bruising" rasp and a "light, angsty" falsetto moments later.[17] On 9 June, Styles performed the song from the rooftop of London venue Central Hall Westminster on The Late Late Show.[3]

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 91
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 66
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[20] 58
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[21] 18

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 7 August 2017 Hot adult contemporary Columbia [22]
8 August 2017 Contemporary hit radio [23]

References

  1. 1 2 Raguraman, Anjali (17 May 2017). "Soft rock with an edge". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 Greenblatt, Leah (12 May 2017). "Harry Styles pays tribute to his musical heroes on solo debut: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 Reed, Ryan (9 June 2017). "Watch Harry Styles Perform 'Two Ghosts' From London Rooftop on 'Corden'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 Barlow, Eve (12 May 2017). "Harry Styles’ Solo Album: A Track-by-Track Breakdown". Variety. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 Wood, Mikael. "Review: Harry Styles is a young classic rocker on his dad-baiting solo debut". LA Times. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  6. 1 2 Raible, Allan (18 May 2017). "Harry Styles, Paramore, Zac Brown Band and more music reviews". ABC News. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Cooper, Leonie. "Harry Styles-'Harry Styles' review". NME. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  8. 1 2 Cox, Jamieson (16 May 2017). "Harry Styles: Harry Styles Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Sackllah, David (17 May 2017). "Harry Styles – Harry Styles". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  10. ↑ Kot, Greg (14 May 2017). "Harry's solo style derivative, lacking One Direction hook power". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Zaleski, Annie (15 May 2017). "Harry Styles takes a bold step forward by leaning on the past in his solo debut". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Empire, Kitty (14 May 2017). "Harry Styles: Harry Styles review – a diverting new direction". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  13. ↑ Sheffield, Rob. "Review: Harry Styles Is a True Rock Star on Superb Solo Debut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  14. ↑ Dunn, David (15 May 2017). "Album review: Harry Styles finds his voice on his self-titled album". The National. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  15. ↑ Savage, Mark (12 May 2017). "Is Harry Styles' album worth the wait?". BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  16. ↑ Weatherby, Taylor (12 May 2017). "Harry Styles on Whether 'Two Ghosts' Is About Taylor Swift: 'It's Pretty Self-Explanatory". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  17. ↑ Leight, Elias (18 May 2017). "See Harry Styles Perform Aching New Song 'Two Ghosts' on 'Corden'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  18. ↑ "Harry Styles – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Harry Styles. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  19. ↑ "IRMA - Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  20. ↑ "Harry Styles: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  21. ↑ "Harry Styles – Chart history" Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 for Harry Styles. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  22. ↑ "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". AllAccess Music Group. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  23. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases - Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". AllAccess Music Group. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
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