"Ghosts Again" is a song by English

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

band

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

. It was released on 9 February 2023 as the lead single from their fifteenth studio album, ''

Memento Mori (Latin for "remember (that you have) to die")

''. It reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Sales charts, something that the band hadn't accomplished since their 2006 single "

Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

", later peaking at number 14 in November 2023.

Background

The song marks the first single release since the death of co-founder and keyboardist

Andy Fletcher Andrew Fletcher may refer to: Government * Andrew Fletcher, Lord Innerpeffer (died 1650), Scottish judge * Andrew Fletcher (patriot) (1655–1716), Scottish writer, politician and patriot * Andrew Fletcher, British Member of Parliament for Haddin ...

in May 2022. To

Dave Gahan David Gahan ( ; né Callcott; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer best known as the lead singer of electronic music band Depeche Mode since their formation in 1980. Noted for his commanding stage presence and unique baritone voice, Gahan was ...

, the song "captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy", while

Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...

added that the song has "such an upbeat feel to it" and how rare it is for the band to record a song that "I just don't get sick of listening to".

Composition

In light of the death of Fletcher, the "reflective, mid-tempo"

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

song sees the two members commenting on motifs of death: the fragility of life and the possibility of an afterlife. Throughout the song, the duo keeps reminding the listener that every life will eventually turn into "ghosts again". However, it also gives the idea of being reunited with one another in some form, possibly as "ghosts". Richard Butler of

the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...

is co-credited with lyrics and composition alongside Martin Gore.

Reception

"Ghosts Again" reached number 20 in the UK Singles Sales Chart upon release, later becoming a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

and peaking at number 14 on the same chart in November 2023. It has gained both commercial and critical acclaim. ''Atwood Magazine'' praised the song, saying, "The aching stark beauty of the song and video is one to be unfurled within your own existence in pondering the spheres of life and death while seizing the fleeting time that life offers us. In this new single, we witness Depeche Mode writing and creating music that continues to set them into their own stratosphere of music that is like no other—an unparalleled band that always enables us to consider our own existence with greater forms of clarity and insight on the joy and melancholy of the human condition. 'Ghosts Again' is a sublime reveal by Depeche Mode, with Gore and Gahan aspiring to new heights of their creative powers in creating a song of perfection for the ages." Music magazine '' Clash'' was positive on the composition stating, "Taken from the LP, new song 'Ghosts Again' pivots between light and shade, the imposing crunch of the electronics lit up by some distant form of hope. Expertly done, it finds Depeche Mode drawing on their decades of experiences, while also embracing new ideas... Challenging and emotive, it's also a pop song, with the English legends refusing to stray too far from their roots." Damien Morris of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' praised the song, saying "Gore's say-what-you-see lyrics are always best on the essentials of life—sex and death—and 'Ghosts Again' is the pair's best single in aeons, a singalong meditation on mortality that's concise and powerful."

Music video

The music video was filmed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and released on 9 February 2023. It was directed by longtime visual collaborator

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director, and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner" ...

. The story focuses on Gore and Gahan reenacting the chess game with

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

's ''

The Seventh Seal ''The Seventh Seal'' () is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with the p ...

'' (1958) on an urban rooftop. It alternates with scenes of the two performing in a cemetery.

Remixes

In May 2023, several remixes of the tune were released, including by

Chris Liebing Chris Liebing (born Christopher Liebing; 11 December 1968) is a German techno DJ, music producer and radio host and the founder of the record label CLR. Biography Liebing was born in Gießen, Hesse. In the early 1990, he became active on the ...

Luke Slater Luke Slater (born 12 June 1968) is an English electronic musician, DJ and record producer, who has concentrated on techno since the beginning of the 1990s. He achieved break through commercial success with his tracks "Love" (1997) and "All Exh ...

Rival Consoles Ryan Lee West (born November 10, 1985), known by his stage name Rival Consoles, is a British electronic musician, living in London. All of his albums and EPs have been released by Erased Tapes Records. Biography West was born in Leicester. He l ...

Matthew Herbert Matthew Herbert (born in 1972), also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, Wishmountain, and DJ Empty, is a British electronic musician. He often takes sounds from everyday items to produce electronic music. ...

and

Davide Rossi Davide Rossi (born 7 August 1970) is an Italian violinist, string arranger, orchestrator, songwriter, composer and conductor, perhaps best known for having been the electric violinist and multi-instrumentalist for the British electronic music d ...

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2023 songs 2023 singles Depeche Mode songs Commemoration songs Columbia Records singles Music videos directed by Anton Corbijn Black-and-white music videos Song recordings produced by James Ford (musician) Songs written by Martin Gore Songs written by Richard Butler (singer)