"Beautiful Ghosts" (also subtitled "(From the Motion PictureCats)") is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift and the English composerAndrew Lloyd Webber from the 2019Cats film adaptation, in which Swift playedBombalurina. The song was written by Swift (lyrics and music) andCats creatorAndrew Lloyd Webber (music), and produced byGreg Wells, Lloyd Webber, andCats directorTom Hooper. It was released on November 15, 2019. Considered as its signature song, it is performed in the film by the principal characterVictoria, portrayed byFrancesca Hayward. A 30-second reprise is also sung byJudi Dench asOld Deuteronomy.[1] Swift performs the official single version that is played over the ending credits.[2]
As a concept, the then-untitled song was first reported in early 2018, when the film adaptation was in early stages of production.[3] The song was designed to provide a way for Victoria to introduce her character to the audience, as she communicates solely through gestures and dance in the original stage show.[2] Swift described the song as such:
"Beautiful Ghosts" is sung from a young voice who is wondering if she will ever have glory days. Longing for the sense of belonging she sees everyone else finding. Reaching for it, desperately afraid of never having beautiful ghosts of days gone by to cling to in her older years.[4]
The song was released on digital platforms and to streaming services on November 15, 2019, one month before the film's theatrical release.[5] A lyric video for the song was released onYouTube the same day. The lyric video has over 8 million views on YouTube.[6] In a 2021 interview, Webber said writing "Beautiful Ghosts" with Swift was his "only enjoyable part" of working inCats.[7]
The song has a running time of four minutes and twenty-one seconds. It is in the key of E,modulating from aminor key in the verses to amajor key in the chorus with a vocal range spanning fromG#3 toC#5. It has atempo of 60 beats per minute. The song is in acompound meter that changes between6 8 and9 8 throughout most of the song, with the ending in compound septuple meter21 8.[8] The orchestral ballad started as an acoustic melody composed by Lloyd Webber.[2] During rehearsals in December 2018 at his London studio, he played Swift the melody on the piano, and Swift immediately started improvising lyrics.[1][4] According to Lloyd Webber, the two "wrote 90 percent of it pretty much over an afternoon."[1] He described the collaboration with Swift as "a joy", the collaboration as "one of the finest of [his] 50-year career",[9] Swift's lyrics as "brilliant", and her performance of the song as "emotional" and "among the very best [he's] ever had".[10]Tom Hooper, director of the film and a producer of the song, complimented the "extraordinary beauty" of Swift's lyrics and praised Swift for her "profound understanding of what we're trying to do with the movie."[11]
In contrast to the negative receptionCats received, the song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Swift's vocal performance. Darlene Aderoju and Joelle Goldstein ofPeople described the song as "chillingly-beautiful" and a "haunting melody" that "speaks to a feeling of longing to be wanted and reminiscing on better memories." They also praised Swift's singing, describing it as "impressive pipes beyond her typical country-pop style", especially the final belted note.[11] Writing forHuffPost, Ron Dicker complimented Swift's vocals, referring to the song as "hauntingly gorgeous" and an "absolute showstopper".[12]Elite Daily's Jessica Bolaños opined that the song is "nothing short of perfection" and stated that the lyrics are "dripping with passion".[13][14] Chris Willman ofVariety wrote that the song is a return to the "youthful tonality" in Swift's voice, typical of "herFearless days".[15] Brittany Spanos and Ryan Reeds ofRolling Stone described the song as "cinematic" and "wistful". They also opined that the song "builds to a rousing climax with the singer's voice in a full roar".[16]MTV's Madeline Roth praised Swift's vocal performance and labeled the final high note of the song as "more powerful than anything we've heard from T. Swift in recent memory".[17] Carolyn Droke ofUproxx wrote that the song is about "the melancholy feeling that comes with reminiscing on old memories" and appreciated Swift for showing off her vocal range.[18]
Others gave the song less favourable reviews. Adam Feldman wrote forTime Out that "Beautiful Ghosts" is "terrible", saying that "Swift's lyrics clank with banality at nearly every turn of phrase".[19] Johnny Oleksinski of theNew York Post agreed, calling the song "a boring 'Memory' copycat".[20] Leah Marilla Thomas ofCosmopolitan praised the final chorus, but described the song as "a little bonkers", and said that listeners need to lower their expectations before listening.[21] VariousVulture staff also criticized the song, describing the lyrics as nonsensical and corny; Swift's vocal performance was criticised, with Rebecca Alter summarizing the song as Swift "leaping for that note and falling off a cliff".[22] In June 2022,Insider ranked "Beautiful Ghosts" as Swift's worst soundtrack song.[23]
Andy Parker, Gillianne Haddow, Gustav Clarkson, Jake Walker, Martin Humbey, Peter Lale, Polly Wiltshire, Sue Dench – viola
Dai Emanuel, Dave Williams, Debbie Preece, Debbie Widdup, Emil Chakalov, Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Jonathan Evans-Jones, Julian Leaper, Kate Robinson, Laura Melhuish, Lorraine McAslan, Mark Berrow, Martyn Jackson, Miranda Dale, Natalia Bonner, Odile Ollagnon, Patrick Kiernan, Paul Willey, Ralph de Souza, Richard George, Rick Koster – violin
