When I was younger I listened to this single a lot, it was the first song I really fell in love with.
Growing up I always thought that it was about towns haunted by ghosts. Only as I grew up from a small child to a teenager did I realise that thy lyrics reflected what was happening to the UK during the 1980’s. The song was written about the policies of the newly elected Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher which the band believed would increase the large-scale unemployment already present in the UK, particularly in the industrialised north and Midlands regions. This was highly relevant to The Specials as they formed and lived in Coventry and saw the effects of the policies first-hand, as their city experienced some of the UK’s worst unemployment at levels of 20%. It was also the summer of large-scale riots in the UK. Indeed the single was unusual in that it hit the top of the UK Top 40 at the exact time that riots occurred on the streets of Great Britain. It was one of those rare occasions when music reflected the social circumstances of the country succinctly.
I read today that, here in 2009, England’s High Streets are in danger of becoming “ghost towns” unless action is taken to fill empty shops hit by the recession. This is true. Walk down any High Street or shopping centre in the UK and you will see shops that are empty, some are abandoned or boarded up. Just the other day I was walking towards London Bridge to meet a friend and noticed that not only several pubs were boarded up but also all the shops and restaurants along the way.
In 1981 it was the policy of the newly elected Conservative Party to reverse this change, they went on to be in control of the country for a further 16 years. I listened today to the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown waffle his way through another pre-written speech about how he was going to “Reverse the fortunes of the UK” and “Lead Britian to a time of economic power”. However unlike the Conservative government of the 1980’s the current Labour government are out of ideas, clueless and just on borrowed time.
For now I will reside in the Ghost Town wherever that maybe. But I hope that when voted in, the Cameron led government can put the life back into the community.
