"Ghost" is a song by Magdalena Bay. It was released on November 16, 2018 as a standalone single.
Composition
"Ghost" is composed in the key of F minor. The song's tempo is 115 beats per minute; in common time.
The bass sound is based on the Classic FM Bass preset for Spectrasonics Omnisphere.
"It's about possession. It's about ghosts. Demons. Spectres, as some might call them." - Magdalena Bay, livestream
"Lyrically, this track’s about turning into a sexy ghost and possessing a man. Sonically, it’s kinda like Britney Spears meets MGMT." - Mica Tenenbaum, 2018 Instagram premiere
"Mica made a garbage demo that had the chorus melody in it and it was a total vibe! We were a long distance band back then so when we met up in Boston we took it from a lofi bedroom thing to the Ghost we all know and love today. For the lyrics, Mica was in a Chinese film class at the time and saw Mr. Vampire, there's a hot succubus ghost character who tricks and possesses men and that felt like a good thematic fit." - Matt Lewin, 2020 AMA
Live Performances
The song was performed at The Echo in Los Angeles on February 13, 2019 and at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles on October 26, 2019.
It was brought back for a one-off performance at The Roxy in West Hollywood on December 18, 2021.
Magdalena Bay most recently performed this song live at Lollapalooza Chicago 2023.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Evil eye
Crawling up my spine, walk into my mind
All my life
Waiting on a sign I can barely find, I can barely find
[Refrain]
Got me feeling like I'm crossing over
A second presence in the corner of my eye
And any time you need me closer
I’m already inside
[Verse 2]
You've got a way of turning on my appetite
You've gotta satisfy what’s burning inside
[Refrain]
Got me feeling like I'm crossing over
A second presence in the corner of my eye
And any time you need me closer
I'm already inside
[Bridge]
Every inch of you I'm taking
Hold you close until you're breaking
Turn the light off and I'll stay
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
[Verse 3]
Evil eye
Crawling up my spine, walk into my mind
All my life
I'm waiting on a sign I can barely find, I can barely find
[Refrain]
Got me feeling like I'm crossing over
A second presence in the corner of my eye
And any time you need me closer
I’m already inside
A second presence in the corner of my eye
I’m already inside
I'm already inside
Trivia
It was one of the songs intended to be re-released as part of the infinity/pop EP prior to Mercurial World's release. The status of this re-release is unclear.
It's the oldest Magdalena Bay song, and the only song with lead vocals by Matt Lewin, to be performed on The Mercurial Tour.