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Ghost Riders in the Sky Song -Background and Information

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 dozens of rewrites and versions have appeared along the years. 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. In the vision the cowboy is warned to improve his life style or never find peace in the after life and be damned for eternity. Moreover, European myths can be read between the lines in the lyrics.

Ghost Riders in the Sky wrote music history, it became part of the tradition and almost all the stars 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 was performed in the movie Blues Brothers 2000, and then it inspired a heavy metal rendition by a German band. Along the years, other rock bands made attempts 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 version of Ghost Riders in the Sky deals with the destruction of British helicopters by IRA members, although 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, beyond all the remaking, it is clearly obvious that Ghost riders in the Sky made history in the annals of country music.

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