Siobhan Donaghy, "Ghosts"

So anyways, on Sunday night I was listening to last.fm, and I decided to switch to a more poppish feel and choose songs that were similar to Melanie C.

Why? Because I was hoping that "Never Be The Same Again" would come up in the random selection.

It didn't, but this song did. Here's the video:



Upon first reading - and, in fact, upon third reading - the lyrics to Siobhan Donaghy's "Ghosts" are a bit mystifying. Here's the chorus:

Sworn under an oath to war
Sworn under an oath to war

And that's the most comprehensible part of the song. But that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful. A contemporary (2007) album review singled out this song:

The gem of the album, however, has got to be the title track Ghosts. This is Donaghy at her most experimental and, in my view, her best. Random words and backwards production trickery combine to produce a peculiar yet harmonious sound that works well in the context of the music. The result is a song that is every bit as haunting as its title suggests.

But the review notes that it took Donaghy a while to reach this stage:

No matter how hard she tries Siobhan Donaghy will never be able to shake off the label of ex-Sugababe. She first hit the music scene at the tender age of 14 as one of the original trio but left the band in September 2001, disillusioned with the direction in which the pop world was taking her, to pursue her own style of music.

Donaghy herself loved the song:

I guess my ultimate favourite is the title track, as it was pain-staking to say the least with lots of to-ing and fro-ing with lyrics, backwards lyrics, made up lyrics, and the creation of a weird and wonderful soundtrack.

However, at present she has no plans for another album:

At this point in time I have no further plans to undertake another record of my own. Ultimately, the true nature of the business side of the music industry is enough to keep me away. Nonetheless, if I find myself in the future bursting with ideas and experiences I feel the need to share through music, I will be back.

By the way, here's a live performance: