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 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 red-eyed cattle 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. The song has strong echoes of European myths and it surely has a great artistic making.

Ghost Riders In The Sky

Ghost Riders in the Sky has become a classic by now, and almost all the big names of country music  made an attempt at its interpretation. Even the Riders on the Storm composed by The Doors, seems to find its sources in Stan Jones' song. From all the variants of the material, the one V. Monroe recorded in 1949 was the best climbing to 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

Ghost Riders in the Sky became part of the soundtrack of the movie Blues Brothers 2000, and then it inspired a heavy metal rendition by a German band. In time, 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. Beside rewrites, new versions and source of inspiration, Ghost Riders in the Sky also fueled all sorts of parodies from the Ghost Writers in Disguise to politically engaged lyrics that some listeners may not even be aware of.

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. Regardless of the political charges 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. All in all, Ghost Riders in the Sky also represented a topic 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 marked history in the annals of country music.