Meaning of “Ghost” by Ella Henderson

The ghost that Ella Henderson is referring to in this song is something to the effect of the spirit of her ex-boyfriend. And no, he is not dead! Rather she is saying that his essence is tormenting her, as in he is still exercising a controlling influence over her being even though she wishes it weren’t so.

For instance, Ella states that she has sought remedies, such as prayers, to help alleviate the pain of their relationship. In other words, she is fighting back against the influence of her lover. However, such does not seem to be effective, because at night she still feels related discomfort. 

Her friends perceived the unsavory personality traits her man possessed, but he was able to hide such from Ella – that is until now, when she’s fully cognizant that he is “the devil”. However, interestingly enough, the hardship she has endured as a result of this romance still has not quenched her love for him.

Indeed the second verse shows us that despite certain periods of absence, this character always returns to lurking about in Ella’s life. And she naively receives him.  She never knew that love was such a painful experience and feels that she doesn’t deserve such. However, despite now possessing such knowledge, she has yet to internalize its inherent lesson because she keeps letting this person back into her life. So ultimately, she does something to the effect of pleading with him to leave her alone.

The song ends on a note that the agony associated with this past and indeed present love is still ongoing.

What Ella Henderson has said about this song

Speaking with Radio.com, Henderson said the song is about a person or thing that has a hold over you and torments you constantly. And even though you try running away from it, you always fail in your attempt.

Facts about “Ghost”

• Writer(s): This song was written by Ella Henderson along with songwriters Noel Zancanella and Ryan Tedder of OneRepubic fame.
• Producer(s): Zancanella and Tedder also produced the track.
• Album/EP: “Ghost” is featured on Henderson’s 2014 album entitled Chapter One.
• Release Date: Henderson’s team released “Ghost” on 1 March 2014.
• Record Label: Two record labels were behind the release of this song. They are Syco Music and Columbia Records.
• 1st Interesting Stuff: This song reached number one on the music charts in the United Kingdom, Scotland and Ireland. It was also a chart success in a number of other countries including the United States, South Africa and Slovakia.
• 2nd Interesting Stuff: “Ghost” has been certified platinum in the United States, New Zealand and Denmark, double-platinum in the United Kingdom and triple-platinum in Australia.
• 3rd Interesting Stuff: According to Ella Henderson, she and Ryan Tedder wrote this international hit song in just 20 minutes.
• 4th Interesting Stuff: Despite hailing from the United Kingdom, Henderson filmed the video for “Ghost” in New Orleans, Louisiana – perhaps the one major city in the entire United States that is most associated with spiritualism.
• 5th Interesting Stuff: Syco Music, the label upon which this song was released, was founded by Simon Cowell. Henderson became associated with Cowell through her participation on the UK talent-based reality-TV show The X Factor, which is also a Cowell property. Henderson finished sixth place on ninth series of The X Factor in 2012.

Did Ella Henderson release “Ghost” as a single?

Yes. Not only was the first single from her debut album Chapter One, it was also the first single of her career.