I was Seventeen and a New Romantic when this song was released. I bought it on 12" Vinyl and David Sylvian's voice is so mesmerizing on this track. I sometimes wish that I could travel back in time to 1981 when I was still living at home with my Mum, Dad and brother and life was so much easier. I miss those times. Thanks for uploading this 😊
Brave choice for a single, yet one of the most mesmerising TOTP performances. Sylvian and Mark Hollis (Talk Talk )were true visionaries when it comes to creating unforgettable music. Tin Drum is a stone cold 80's classic.
He probably had taken the old white powder - results from the come down off it i'd say,how else could he have come up with such negative lyrics.I did like all Japan's songs back in the day but not this one,reminds me too much of some vile people - more like excuses for human beings,real low life,looking back they were just horrendously jealous of me,sad f-ing losers! "ghosts" indeed.
Pure Genius. Despite Sylvian quotes to the contrary, Japan were a phenomenal group, and every now and then reached up to a point the rest could only dream of. Ghost's is track that goes beyond mere pop. It's a classic in every sense of the word.
David Sylvian is the rarest of species: a pop singer who's deep and constantly seeks to evolve instead of repeating himself over and over. He had the looks and talent to have been a massive success act if he had sold himself, but instead he aimed higher and took more risks.
Really?? He went out of fashion. He didn't evolve. Look at David Bowie. Now he was a man who evolved. You talk crap. Is the surgeon in your picture the one who lobotomized you???
I’m sat here in tears, memories of better, happier times, I’m in my sixties have lost friends and my younger brother who grew up in this era listening to bands such as this…oh well😭😭😭
Me too, so many happy memories of this song band. I think that’s the key listen to songs that take you back to happy times, no matter what horrible things have happened. Music is healing if you use it as therapy to help you get over the trials and tribulations in life. 👍
[Verse 1] When the room is quiet The daylight almost gone It seems there's something I should know Well, I ought to leave But the rain it never stops And I've no particular place to go [Chorus] Just when I think I'm winning When I've broken every door The ghosts of my life Blow wilder than before Just when I thought I could not be stopped When my chance came to be king The ghosts of my life Blew wilder than the wind [Verse 2] Well, I'm feeling nervous Now I find myself alone The simple life's no longer there Once I was so sure Now the doubt inside my mind Comes and goes, but leads nowhere [Chorus] Just when I think I'm winning When I've broken every door The ghosts of my life Blow wilder than before Just when I thought I could not be stopped When my chance came to be king The ghosts of my life Blew wilder than the wind [Instrumental] [Chorus] Just when I think I'm winning When I've broken every door The ghosts of my life Blow wilder than before Just when I thought I could not be stopped When my chance came to be king The ghosts of my life Blew wilder than the wind
He was the most beautiful looking man I ever had the privilege of knowing, but he was far deeper than your average pop star and kept evolving and still does to this day. A true genius
He never wanted to be a pop star . He wanted to be an artist . He achieved this during the Japan period and much more since . I've kind of kept up with his work
Some says David Sylvian looked like Lady Di back in those days.That's twice false:- First, it was Lady Di who looked like David Sylvian- Second, honnestly, he was much more good looking!
It seems incredible now that a band and a song like these could be in the charts... especially considering what sort of "music" is around nowadays.. Japan were unique, absolutely brilliant. I consider myself privileged to have been 17 when this came out, being a teenager and growing up with this music.. and I bought all their records... : ) Thanks for posting this
Hi kidcalabria, You are absolutely spot on with your comments. I bought all their records and when I was a hospital radio presenter for St Mary`s, Paddington, I played this track...The station Manager thought I was taking the piss... I didn`t think so myself...
really? no,really?! What, better than David Bowie,who this man this man so obviously wishes he were? Poseurs of the first rank,more like. There's a decent song in there somewhere amongst all the Heroes and eastern noodling.
listened to this in an old house during a winter in Italy .. mountain town.. snow falling for a week.on an old stereo... people who have never heard David Sylvian kept asking me.. who is this and who is thsi band.. mesmorizing to anyone who heard them...
So dark and virulent , almost sinister in its craft and I'm a 20 year old dnb/hip hop fan. Heard it on Ashes To Ashes the tv series and instantly thought I HAVE to find this god forsaken tune, now i'm happy knowing it'll be on repeat constantly. It explains my path of life so accurately, hands off to sylvian.
How someone young driven up the success ladder comes up with lyrics you might expect from a 40yr old plus starting looking back on life - it's beyond me - yet it hit me just as much back then as a 20 something - so inciteful
One of my all time favourite songs...the audience hanging onto every note & word of this hauntingly sounding masterpiece...enough said. Gonna listen to another classic favourite of mine, Siouxsie and the Banshees / Spellbound. :)
I knew Japan weren’t going to last too much longer after this. I moved onto Depeche Mode (Alan Wilder era) shortly after this always lamenting that such a monumentally influential group was breaking up. This song is pure Perfection.
I have all of Japan's music on vinyl, updating many from my youth with re-mastered versions on heavy vinyl. There were absolutely magnificent. Pioneers and brilliant artists and musicians.
I walked into my local record store and found a radio station copy of this album. I decided to take a chance on what looked like the most New Wave thing I'd ever seen in my life. That was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Let me give you an example of how influential this group was. When you think about a band like Tears for Fears - to name one off the top of my head - and you hear what they produced in 1982 (Mad World, Pale Shelter etc. from "The Hurting," 1983) and you compare it to this and anything that came before from Japan and I think you get my point. Then focus on any other early 80s complex British electro-pop and you can't avoid the debt owed to Japan who kind of went on the journey from post-punk/glam through new wave and beyond so no one else would have to!
Precisely! As it happens, Tears for Fears WERE my much-worshipped act of choice (once I became musically mature enough roundabout 1985 - I'm the generation AFTER New Wave/New Romanticism caught fire, regrettably.) And, having properly discovered Japan mortifyingly late in life (I've just turned 44), I now hear every early TFF track in the shadow of the immortal and zeitgeist-changing Sylvian Gang. It should be noted that Roland Orzabal consumed every Japan release like manna from heaven.
I remember this when it was shown, it was at number 43 in the charts at the time, and the difference of this to all the other stuff on there was extraordinary! R.I.P. Mick Karn :(
Brilliant I still have all my punk new wave and new romantic records and still play them today including Japan. Can you remember a compulsion LP at the time advertised on tv called modern dance with bands like Japan OMD human league the cure etc on it 🤔 I still have that record and play it today.
Duran? Japan formed in '74, signed in '77, debut LP in 78. Duran formed in '78, Le bon / EMI signing 1980, first LP '81. I give you David Sylvian's famous quote "There's a period going past at the moment that may make us look as though we're in fashion."
Immortal quote because nothing ever said before or since has been so true! The self-possession of that sublime youth. (Tragically, Japan were no more once his ego entirely ran away with itself.)
We simply don't get music like this anymore. I'm just so glad I was 14 - 20 between the whole 1980 - 1986 period, when creative music was at a peak in this country
I actually almost forgot this song existed until i heard it last night on Synth Britannia on BBC 4. What a masterpiece this is,it,s an absolute gem. The mood of the song,Davids awesome voice,the odd,brilliant sounding synths,as well as the rest of the instruments used give it such an extraordinary,special sound.
There's loooooooads of stuff in our era analogous to this. Don't miss out now or it'll suck even more when ur older! Check out artists like Anohni and Nils Bech
Classic track. God, that vocal sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Such a great band. They were terrific live as well. Managed to see them in Sheffield in 1982 before they split up.
Musically immaculate and beautifully composed. For its time. The instruments would have more depth and production now, but back then this was groundbreaking, and the harmony is still beautiful now.
Where do you hear roxy? I’ve heard this comparison a billion times and it’s prevalence has always baffled me. There’s some superficial parallels I can see but in a substantive way they have very distinct identities.
There's absolutely nothing Roxy here as there wasn't in Tin Drum. They had left their influences behind and were certainly far ahead of the curve than RM. By this time it was Japan and Sylvian who were started to being copied by others, both music and looks wise.
Yes, without a doubt, it is the best of all those that reached #5. My other 5 favorites who reached that position are almost all concentrated in that same era, what a era it was! 5. Gary Numan - We Are Glass (1980) 4. Spandau Ballet - To Cut a Long Story Short (1980) 3. Hazel O'Connor - Eight Day (1980) 2. OMD - Joan Of Arc (1981) 1. Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger - This Wheel's On Fire (1968) Honorable Mentions to The Flying Lizards - Money (1979), Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter (1982/3), David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969, original release reached #5, in 1975 it was re-released and was #1), Cockney Rebel - Judy Teen (1974), Sträwberry Switchbläde - Since Yesterday (1985), Morrisey - Suedehead (1988), The Prodigy - Out Of Space (1992) and Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (1957). Surely I am forgetting some, and perhaps I am unaware of others, but from what I know, it is my opinion.
Thanks for the vid, such a cool band, still listening to them & the tracks are still fresh, & original, one of the best bands of their time!, shame we no longer have Mick, i miss the guy, such an original bass player.
Listening to this takes me right back to being at Uni. Walking back to student accommodation late at night with this on my Walkman. How the hell can this be 40 years ago???
Whilst being practically born a mod, I am by no means narrow minded. I had a couple of former mod mates who were into Japan at the time and I must say whilst most of the 80s passed me by as quite shite, there were a few songs that were outstanding. I loved Quiet Life, but Ghosts is something really special. Absolutely timeless, not bearing any of those awful hallmarks a lot of records from that period have. David Sylvian did perform a live version on TV (Oxford Roadshow or maybe OGWT?) on an acoustic guitar, Nowhere near as good, but I recall enjoying it...GJ
Never seen before or after. An uncomfortable David Sylvian performing the single best single of all time. A historical moment in popular culture history.
How beautiful was David Sylvian, and that voice is perfection. Charisma overload - could give Bowie a run for his money here! Great clip thanks for sharing.
Good song, but doesn't sound like a typical single. Surprised it did so well. It's always a nice surprise when the general public picks up on a quality song or album that's outside the mainstream box.
We loved japan so much the night we went to watch them was out of this world the next morning we woke to the news they were going their separate ways we cried or hearts out 💔
This song was clearly beamed down from outer space to set things straight, in terms of don't get your hopes up because whenever life tricks you into thinking that everything in the garden is rosy, there is more often than not (if you're a prole) a massive massive fist coming in from your blind side to knock you right back down to the ground.
Watching Top of the Pops was an anxious time for me with my old man muttering about "bloody jungle music" in the background and threatening to switch over to BBC 2.
why do you always have to compare them to Japan? Why could you never admit Japan did influence them? They have said it themselves, big deal. I like Japan more but to each his own.
I know he'd totally hate this from watching and reading interviews, but he's sooooooooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooottttttttttttttttttttt, the voicemakes him hotter. *teenage girls out*
I was Seventeen and a New Romantic when this song was released. I bought it on 12" Vinyl and David Sylvian's voice is so mesmerizing on this track. I sometimes wish that I could travel back in time to 1981 when I was still living at home with my Mum, Dad and brother and life was so much easier. I miss those times. Thanks for uploading this 😊
the number of times i have come across people wishing on You Tube that it was 1981 again is quite remarkable.I'm one of them!
Absolutely agree with you Jacqueline, I was 16 at the time I remember buying it on 7inch.Music was so different then I miss those times too.👏👏
I wish it was 1981 also! No band, singer or whatever else now could come close to making a record like this. It is a masterpiece.
Just left the same comments on other songs, a 1 of, not many bands could cover Japan songs
I agree with that sentiment, life in 1981 seemed so much easier and much better than today.
Brave choice for a single, yet one of the most mesmerising TOTP performances. Sylvian and Mark Hollis (Talk Talk )were true visionaries when it comes to creating unforgettable music. Tin Drum is a stone cold 80's classic.
did u not c motorhead playin a/ov spades ?
I remember watching this when it was broadcast, and when the song popped into my head just now I'm delighted to find this on YT :)
Tin drum un bell'album ma Gentleman takes polaroid è di un altro livello
The lyrics, the synths, the arrangement on this. All of it. So perfect.
yes, they and Steve Nye really nailed every aspect of the sound of this record.
yes it is a PERFECT song
I love the visual effects that make David look like a pile of cocaine blowing away in the wind LOL
jrmetmoi this is righr about the funniest thing ive heard in a long while you just made my day
He did more then dabble in it. Both with album b4, & again hard with Gone To Earth. "Dark Time's" he call's them.
He probably had taken the old white powder - results from the come down off it i'd say,how else could he have come up with such negative lyrics.I did like all Japan's songs back in the day but not this one,reminds me too much of some vile people - more like excuses for human beings,real low life,looking back they were just horrendously jealous of me,sad f-ing losers! "ghosts" indeed.
@@jasonrushton5991 I guessed as much.
@@batteryacid1 😆
Pure Genius. Despite Sylvian quotes to the contrary, Japan were a phenomenal group, and every now and then reached up to a point the rest could only dream of. Ghost's is track that goes beyond mere pop. It's a classic in every sense of the word.
David Sylvian is the rarest of species: a pop singer who's deep and constantly seeks to evolve instead of repeating himself over and over. He had the looks and talent to have been a massive success act if he had sold himself, but instead he aimed higher and took more risks.
And then Duran Duran plagiarized their entire image and sound 😱
Scott walker from wish
You can hear the sincerity in the music, not written with money on his mind that's for sure.
@@paulbirch6490 Dude... thank you!! I call Duran Duran Duran Japan. I agree with you 100%.
Really?? He went out of fashion. He didn't evolve. Look at David Bowie. Now he was a man who evolved. You talk crap. Is the surgeon in your picture the one who lobotomized you???
I'm here because of Mark Fisher
I’m sat here in tears, memories of better, happier times, I’m in my sixties have lost friends and my younger brother who grew up in this era listening to bands such as this…oh well😭😭😭
This song touches the heart of many.. you're not alone ❤
Me too, so many happy memories of this song band. I think that’s the key listen to songs that take you back to happy times, no matter what horrible things have happened. Music is healing if you use it as therapy to help you get over the trials and tribulations in life. 👍
I'm with yer on that front times sadly missed
Me too. What a different world we lived in then. Deeply missed.
[Verse 1]
When the room is quiet
The daylight almost gone
It seems there's something I should know
Well, I ought to leave
But the rain it never stops
And I've no particular place to go
[Chorus]
Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
The ghosts of my life
Blow wilder than before
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
When my chance came to be king
The ghosts of my life
Blew wilder than the wind
[Verse 2]
Well, I'm feeling nervous
Now I find myself alone
The simple life's no longer there
Once I was so sure
Now the doubt inside my mind
Comes and goes, but leads nowhere
[Chorus]
Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
The ghosts of my life
Blow wilder than before
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
When my chance came to be king
The ghosts of my life
Blew wilder than the wind
[Instrumental]
[Chorus]
Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
The ghosts of my life
Blow wilder than before
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
When my chance came to be king
The ghosts of my life
Blew wilder than the wind
Thank you 🌷
He was the most beautiful looking man I ever had the privilege of knowing, but he was far deeper than your average pop star and kept evolving and still does to this day. A true genius
AGREED XXXX
He never wanted to be a pop star . He wanted to be an artist . He achieved this during the Japan period and much more since . I've kind of kept up with his work
Wow, haven't heard this in years, forgot how good it was! The audience look mesmerised.
u r right
Some says David Sylvian looked like Lady Di back in those days.That's twice false:- First, it was Lady Di who looked like David Sylvian- Second, honnestly, he was much more good looking!
Well he was born before Diana. So you're right.
Wtf talking shit , the song is absolutely 80`s classic
Actually, it's amongst one of my band's favourites, along with Nightporter and The Other Side of Life.
equally so important
wasn't he voted the World's most beautiful man?
I remember freezing in front of the TV mesmerised, I still love it
Ah, the eighties.No mobile phones, no internet… everything seemed like a bolt out of the blue. I remember the same.
Me too ... then went on to buy everything with the mere mention of Japan. Oh to be young and obsessed again 😀
It seems incredible now that a band and a song like these could be in the charts... especially considering what sort of "music" is around nowadays.. Japan were unique, absolutely brilliant. I consider myself privileged to have been 17 when this came out, being a teenager and growing up with this music.. and I bought all their records... : )
Thanks for posting this
Hi kidcalabria, You are absolutely spot on with your comments. I bought all their records and when I was a hospital radio presenter for St Mary`s, Paddington, I played this track...The station Manager thought I was taking the piss... I didn`t think so myself...
They were the greatest.
really? no,really?! What, better than David Bowie,who this man this man so obviously wishes he were? Poseurs of the first rank,more like. There's a decent song in there somewhere amongst all the Heroes and eastern noodling.
More like Bryan Ferry in "In Every Dream Home A Heartache"
@johnnyhmash You're deaf.
listened to this in an old house during a winter in Italy .. mountain town.. snow falling for a week.on an old stereo... people who have never heard David Sylvian kept asking me.. who is this and who is thsi band.. mesmorizing to anyone who heard them...
food critic would the old stereo still of worked with a weeks worth of snow ❄️ on it?🤣
Ioftenreplytoidiots22 that was quite witty, sorry u had to wait 2 years for a 👍
So jealous 😁Italy in the winter. 👍
@@Eleventhearlofmars would just stop the needle from skipping, I cringe at the amount of coins I taped to the head shell of mine when I was 16
かなり怖いメロディーだ。理解してくれる人は少ないかもしれないが、私はこのデビッド・シルビアンという人の創り出す世界観が個人的にすきであり、私は彼を支持することをここに表明する。私は日本人であり、イギリスから生まれたJAPANというバンドが好きだった。今でも好きな音楽の一つである。
So dark and virulent , almost sinister in its craft and I'm a 20 year old dnb/hip hop fan. Heard it on Ashes To Ashes the tv series and instantly thought I HAVE to find this god forsaken tune, now i'm happy knowing it'll be on repeat constantly. It explains my path of life so accurately, hands off to sylvian.
Your age and usual music taste don't matter. :P And I agree, it's a very haunting tune. I really can relate to the lyrics.
+ldbairner1 hands off
jenny troth he may of meant hats 🎩 lol
I assume you've heard the Rufige Kru track that samples this?
Virulent....I would say that's used in the wrong context LOL
Haunting. Gives me goosebumps. Catchy. Beautiful. Feels like it belongs in the world of Blade Runner.
Tin Drum is one of the greatest albums of all time.
How someone young driven up the success ladder comes up with lyrics you might expect from a 40yr old plus starting looking back on life - it's beyond me - yet it hit me just as much back then as a 20 something - so inciteful
like silent whisper written at 17 years old
One of my all time favourite songs...the audience hanging onto every note & word of this hauntingly sounding masterpiece...enough said. Gonna listen to another classic favourite of mine, Siouxsie and the Banshees / Spellbound. :)
If we are talking SATB then my favourite is cities in dust
@@mikerhodes8778 I bought the best of SATB last week.. yes Cities in Dust great song :)
This was one of the very best songs of the 80s. It haunted me when it came out. I never forgot it.
I bet you liked that God awful Merry Xmas everyone by Shakin Stevens,too.I hate the '80s.
we were allowed to have a radio in the 6th form common room. When this came on, we used to switch off all the lights and pull down the blinds.
2023, still outstanding.
I knew Japan weren’t going to last too much longer after this. I moved onto Depeche Mode (Alan Wilder era) shortly after this always lamenting that such a monumentally influential group was breaking up. This song is pure Perfection.
I have all of Japan's music on vinyl, updating many from my youth with re-mastered versions on heavy vinyl. There were absolutely magnificent. Pioneers and brilliant artists and musicians.
pretty boy
Fantastic, so much better than anyone gave them credit for at the time.
I walked into my local record store and found a radio station copy of this album. I decided to take a chance on what looked like the most New Wave thing I'd ever seen in my life. That was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Not a fan of them generally but the bravery to release this as a single deserves a lot of credit
Let me give you an example of how influential this group was. When you think about a band like Tears for Fears - to name one off the top of my head - and you hear what they produced in 1982 (Mad World, Pale Shelter etc. from "The Hurting," 1983) and you compare it to this and anything that came before from Japan and I think you get my point. Then focus on any other early 80s complex British electro-pop and you can't avoid the debt owed to Japan who kind of went on the journey from post-punk/glam through new wave and beyond so no one else would have to!
shaddup!
Precisely! As it happens, Tears for Fears WERE my much-worshipped act of choice (once I became musically mature enough roundabout 1985 - I'm the generation AFTER New Wave/New Romanticism caught fire, regrettably.) And, having properly discovered Japan mortifyingly late in life (I've just turned 44), I now hear every early TFF track in the shadow of the immortal and zeitgeist-changing Sylvian Gang. It should be noted that Roland Orzabal consumed every Japan release like manna from heaven.
Both groups heavily influenced by...DAVID BOWIE
@@agfagaevart So you mean they were influenced by Brian Eno then? As I'd agree.
Try A Secret Wish by Propaganda, you won't regret it!
I remember this when it was shown, it was at number 43 in the charts at the time, and the difference of this to all the other stuff on there was extraordinary! R.I.P. Mick Karn :(
Remarkable to see Mick on keyboards here: a brilliant jack-of-all-trades!
@@rebeccarosehirschfield7386 He had to be there and do something.
Still listening to this 41 years on. Singing along working in my garage at 51years old. A fantastic song.
Brilliant I still have all my punk new wave and new romantic records and still play them today including Japan. Can you remember a compulsion LP at the time advertised on tv called modern dance with bands like Japan OMD human league the cure etc on it 🤔 I still have that record and play it today.
@@ph43draaa I wouldn’t know what I was doing. I have Japan Ghosts on clear vinyl
@@ph43draaa what do you mean upload? Like a picture of the record or the actual tracks
Duran?
Japan formed in '74, signed in '77, debut LP in 78.
Duran formed in '78, Le bon / EMI signing 1980, first LP '81.
I give you David Sylvian's famous quote "There's a period going past at the moment that may make us look as though we're in fashion."
progressive rock? No. No. That horny shitty category is not a home for Japan
Immortal quote because nothing ever said before or since has been so true! The self-possession of that sublime youth. (Tragically, Japan were no more once his ego entirely ran away with itself.)
@ShadeyBladey They were part of the New Romantic movement.
@@Elle_Gowing New Romantic were clowns like Steve Strange and others. Japan were dead serious. There were NEVER anything to do with New Romantics.
BRILLIANT !!!!QUOTE !!!ONLY DAVID BOWIE OR BRYAN FERRY WERE on That SHIP TOO !!! TRUE AVANT GUARD STUFF !!!👍👏g
We simply don't get music like this anymore. I'm just so glad I was 14 - 20 between the whole 1980 - 1986 period, when creative music was at a peak in this country
"pop" music, new wave peaked around 1977-1986. It was, so far, the greatest era for that kind of music.
u dudes might like a guy named james blake
The Knife
We do. There's great music being made nowadays, it's just burried under a lot of bullshit.
There was plenty of shite music around in the 80s as well like today, but today the charts are totally saturated in shit. It’s never been so bad.
I actually almost forgot this song existed until i heard it last night on Synth Britannia on BBC 4.
What a masterpiece this is,it,s an absolute gem.
The mood of the song,Davids awesome voice,the odd,brilliant sounding synths,as well as the rest of the instruments used give it such an extraordinary,special sound.
Always sends a shiver down my spine, David Sylvian has such a amazing unique voice :-)
The usually clumsy 80’s tv visual effects are actually so effective and moving here 2:40
i first heard this from deftones, and KNEW i had to listen to the original. fucking hell this gives me goosebumps
Fantastic voice. X
I'm a huge lover of synthesisers but it's the lyrics in this song I find the most incredible. I hope I can write like this some day.
If you like the lyrics how do you feel about Forbidden Colours?both are outstanding to me
so underrated its incredible
Gracias por todo Mark Fisher :)
Richard Barbieri went on to play keyboards for Porcupine Tree!
That's a young Richard Barbieri?? Big PT fan but didn't make the connection!
Most beautiful I ever seen. And a voice to love. He is just hot. Still in 2015
It’s an anthem for all us who made a terrible mistake early an life that we never properly recovered from.
very much..beautiful in it's most humble and devastating way.
I'm only 19 but I David and Japan are like my everything. Why couldn't I have been a teen/adult in the 70-80's :(
I'm the same age and on the same page, really sucks to not be in that era but only listen and observe it historically ugh
Im glad im not the only one that feels that way. Im just glad I discovered them in my lifetime
You would be in your 50s now. Be happy with what you have.
There's loooooooads of stuff in our era analogous to this. Don't miss out now or it'll suck even more when ur older! Check out artists like Anohni and Nils Bech
Because you would be an old bugger like me now! Take the opportunity to enjoy it now, in your youth, as we did! xxx
His voice reminds me of Brian Ferry at times
Japan were superb
Classic track. God, that vocal sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Such a great band. They were terrific live as well. Managed to see them in Sheffield in 1982 before they split up.
Musically immaculate and beautifully composed. For its time. The instruments would have more depth and production now, but back then this was groundbreaking, and the harmony is still beautiful now.
God what a song I love David's voice and the instrumentation
there was always something deeply and wonderfully haunting about this song. love it
I think this song would fit well in the show 'Stranger Things', and might come back in the charts like Kate Bush's 'Running up that hill'.
yeah i wouldn't really like that, japan is in this really nice "niche" with small community.
pa salieu 🔥
One of the biggest influences in my life. This … is … everything.
it's a masterpiece. so transcendental.
What a beautiful song. David's voice pairs perfectly with the music. I can hear such a strong Roxy Music influence here. One of my favorite songs.
Where do you hear roxy? I’ve heard this comparison a billion times and it’s prevalence has always baffled me. There’s some superficial parallels I can see but in a substantive way they have very distinct identities.
There's absolutely nothing Roxy here as there wasn't in Tin Drum. They had left their influences behind and were certainly far ahead of the curve than RM. By this time it was Japan and Sylvian who were started to being copied by others, both music and looks wise.
Perhaps the best song to ever reach the top 5 in the charts. I love David Sylvian.
Yes, without a doubt, it is the best of all those that reached #5. My other 5 favorites who reached that position are almost all concentrated in that same era, what a era it was!
5. Gary Numan - We Are Glass (1980)
4. Spandau Ballet - To Cut a Long Story Short (1980)
3. Hazel O'Connor - Eight Day (1980)
2. OMD - Joan Of Arc (1981)
1. Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger - This Wheel's On Fire (1968)
Honorable Mentions to The Flying Lizards - Money (1979), Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter (1982/3), David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969, original release reached #5, in 1975 it was re-released and was #1), Cockney Rebel - Judy Teen (1974), Sträwberry Switchbläde - Since Yesterday (1985), Morrisey - Suedehead (1988), The Prodigy - Out Of Space (1992) and Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (1957). Surely I am forgetting some, and perhaps I am unaware of others, but from what I know, it is my opinion.
a forgotten band of the 1980s. i live the decade and love them
+james mclean not forgotten here...far from it
I suppose back then there were still things that hadn't been done before.
Thanks for the vid, such a cool band, still listening to them & the tracks are still fresh, & original, one of the best bands of their time!, shame we no longer have Mick, i miss the guy, such an original bass player.
Listening to this takes me right back to being at Uni. Walking back to student accommodation late at night with this on my Walkman.
How the hell can this be 40 years ago???
Whilst being practically born a mod, I am by no means narrow minded. I had a couple of former mod mates who were into Japan at the time and I must say whilst most of the 80s passed me by as quite shite, there were a few songs that were outstanding. I loved Quiet Life, but Ghosts is something really special. Absolutely timeless, not bearing any of those awful hallmarks a lot of records from that period have. David Sylvian did perform a live version on TV (Oxford Roadshow or maybe OGWT?) on an acoustic guitar, Nowhere near as good, but I recall enjoying it...GJ
I disagree: that acoustic version is the stuff of legend. Searingly marvelous.
I was obsessed with this song as a 12 year old. It’s still amazing in 2024. Timeless
To think this was 40 years ago. Still sounds amazing, innovative, daring.
Never seen before or after.
An uncomfortable David Sylvian performing the single best single of all time.
A historical moment in popular culture history.
Pensar que nadie le ha seguido los pasos a esta increíble banda...en fin, fueron únicos. Mick Karn siempre presente!
Bons tempos
How beautiful was David Sylvian, and that voice is perfection. Charisma overload - could give Bowie a run for his money here! Great clip thanks for sharing.
Good song, but doesn't sound like a typical single. Surprised it did so well. It's always a nice surprise when the general public picks up on a quality song or album that's outside the mainstream box.
We loved japan so much the night we went to watch them was out of this world the next morning we woke to the news they were going their separate ways we cried or hearts out 💔
So sad they split
I remember being heartbroken
His Voice is So Dreaming as if your falling into a DREAM , Awesome we should have more of this
Classic song by a stylish band.
His voice gives me thrills! I'm completely in love with it and this song! THIS is why I sometimes wish I'd lived in the 80's - so much great synthpop!
Sounds like Brian Ferry
The simple life’s no longer there…. What a hauntingly poignant lyric.
This song was clearly beamed down from outer space to set things straight, in terms of don't get your hopes up because whenever life tricks you into thinking that everything in the garden is rosy, there is more often than not (if you're a prole) a massive massive fist coming in from your blind side to knock you right back down to the ground.
You, dear reader, have excellent taste in music!
A beautiful song
I was convinced as s teenager that I was destined to marry this beautiful man ❣️💋💋💋
「ブリキの太鼓」の中に、こういうソリッドな曲を1曲と
a very dark tune
How sweet it would be to be able to go back in time, so you could hear this for the first time. Oh and have a foursome with Bananarama 😄
great tune and production well ahead of its time
Watching Top of the Pops was an anxious time for me with my old man muttering about "bloody jungle music" in the background and threatening to switch over to BBC 2.
what a time to be young - when you could see such music on Top of the Pops.
Once you get used to the slightly odd inflection in the lyrics this is a great song.
Beautiful song , lyric , and indeed David Sylvian too .
If Morrissey joined Duran Duran you would get Japan
Listen to Pa Salieu - Bang Out, his sample goes crazy
Brave brave brilliant song to release to the masses. The synth sounds and chords are both clever and give me good chills.
GOD why is david so beautiful???
shuyee s I could stare at him forever. Such a hypnotic mesmerizing beautiful man 🗿
Because life is a cruel beast.
Love this track and the whole Tin Drum record. Japan were musical rebels and pioneers.
This is definitely my most favorite song by the Japan. Brings memories. Masterpiece.
I like red guitar by him when he went solo
David Shrimpton ruined me. No one else measured up. They never have.
Viva "la Prophet 5"
why do you always have to compare them to Japan? Why could you never admit Japan did influence them? They have said it themselves, big deal. I like Japan more but to each his own.
I know he'd totally hate this from watching and reading interviews, but he's sooooooooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooottttttttttttttttttttt, the voicemakes him hotter. *teenage girls out*
So original - and commercially successful too this song. You'd never get such innovation on mainstream media today.
A "brave new record", I like that, so true.
What a voice