Ghost Riders In The Sky

With Ghost Riders in the Sky, Stan Jones opened a great chapter in the history of country music as early as 1948. He had no clue about what a hit his composition was going to become, as there dozens of rewrites and versions have appeared along the years. Ghost Riders in the Sky is the song of 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. Moreover, European myths can be read between the lines in the lyrics.

Ghost Riders In The Sky

Ghost Riders in the Sky has become a classic by now, and almost all the stars of country music  made an attempt at its interpretation. Moreover, it seems the that the famous band The Doors took their inspiration from Ghost Riders in the Sky when they created their Riders on the Storm hit. From all the variants of the material, the one recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1949 was the best enjoying the first place in the Billboard charts of the year, and remaining in this position for more than five months.

Ghost Riders In The Sky

Ghost Riders in the Sky was performed in 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.

Ghost Riders In The Sky

An Irish parody variant of Ghost Riders in the Sky refers to the destruction of British helicopters by IRA members, though no such violence has ever occurred. Despite these politically engaged messages that could be added to the Ghost Riders in the Sky, the majority of the performing artists are not aware of them, and sing the song without any reference to 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 changes, it is clearly obvious that Ghost riders in the Sky marked history in the annals of country music.