DEPECHE MODE - GHOSTS AGAIN

Released : February 9, 2023

Charted:  UK: #20 

"Ghosts Again" is a song released as the lead single from the band’s fifteenth studio album, “Memento Mori”. It reached Top 20 in the UK Singles Sales charts, something that they had not accomplished since their 2006 single "Martyr". it marks the band's first new music following the death of co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher in May 2022.

The lyrics of "Ghosts Again" explore the theme of life's transience, as things can suddenly disappear, break, or vanish. They reflect on our mortality, reminding us that one day we too will become "ghosts again," fading into the ether and losing our physical form. According to vocalist David Gahan, the song strikes a perfect balance between melancholy and joy.

Dave Gahan told: "When I first heard that song, I was like, 'Okay. I'm in.' The demo made me feel instant joy. I remember dancing around my living room, and my daughter came in and she was looking at me weird, like, 'What's going on?' I was like, 'Don't you love this?' She kind of started bopping along with me and she was like, 'I get it. It's a really good song.'"

The “Memento Mori” album title is a Latin expression that translates to "remember you must die." It was originally used to remind proud Roman generals of the inevitability of death and, in the Middle Ages, to exhort people to make the most of their earthly lives. With lyrics that describe "Heaven's dreaming, thoughtless thoughts, my friends," and a "place to hide the tears we cry," "Ghosts Again" serves as a fitting introduction to the themes of life after death that drive “Memento Mori”.

Depeche Mode started work on “Memento Mori” before Andy Fletcher's death, but he didn't record any material for it. "He never got to hear any of it, which is really sad to me because there are songs on this record where I know he'd be like, 'This is the best thing we've had in years,'" Gahan reflected to NME. "I can hear his voice. I can also hear him saying, 'Does every song have to be about death?!'"

Martin Gore co-wrote "Ghosts Again" with Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler. Four Memento Mori tracks feature songwriting credits from Butler. "I've never written with anyone outside the band in our history," Gore told NME. "Richard reached out to me around April 2020, just texting to say 'We should write some songs together.' I asked for ideas and he sent me a few lines, so I put those to music and we started sending them back and forth.” We ended up writing seven songs. We didn't like the first one, but the other six were so great that I thought it would be a bit of a waste to put them out as a side-project. They just wouldn't get the same sort of exposure as they would if they were put out by Depeche."