Ghost Riders in the Sky is a country song composed in the cowboy style in 1948 by Stan Jones. Little did he know what a hit his song was going to become, as there have been dozens of rewrites and versions over the decades. Ghost Riders in the Sky remains a visionary song about a cowboy who sees cattle with red eyes chased by ghost cowboys in the sky. He is warned to change his life style or never find peace in the after life and be damned for eternity. The song has strong echoes of European myths and it surely has a great artistic making.

Ghost Riders in the Sky has become a classic by now, and almost all the big names of country music  aimed at its interpretation. Moreover, it seems the that the famous band The Doors took their inspiration from Ghost Riders in the Sky song when they created their Riders on the Storm hit. From all the versions of the song, the one recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1949 was the most popular enjoying the first place in the Billboard charts of the year, and holding this position for no less than twenty two weeks.

Ghost Riders in the Sky became part of the soundtrack of the movie Blues Brothers 2000, and then it was even taken as a source of inspiration by a German heavy metal band. Along the years, several rock musicians aimed at combining the initial original country song with the message of the rock movement, and they enjoyed different levels of success. Ghost Riders in the Sky generated cultural responses other than rewrites and new versions, and here we mainly refer to parody and political engagement.

An Irish parody variant of Ghost Riders in the Sky refers to the destruction of British helicopters by IRA members, though no such acts of violence were ever committed. Despite these politically engaged messages that could be added to the Ghost Riders in the Sky, most of the performing artists are not aware of them, and sing the song without pointing at terrorist or Republican facts. Last but not least, Ghost Riders in the Sky also served as a starting point for the creation of some football club songs by supporters. Yet, with all the remaking, it is clearly obvious that Ghost riders in the Sky made history in the country music tradition.

Tagged with: • • • •

Filed under: Acoustic Guitar • Bluegrass Lyrics • Bluegrass Music • Bluegrass Musicians • Bluegrass Tablature • Dobro • Fiddle • Mandolin

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!