THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

969-R. Dean Taylor-There’s a Ghost in My House.

1967. It did not chart in the UK until 1974, when it reached Number 3.

Best Bit-At 1.29. The term ‘Northern Soul’ was invented by the record store owner, and musical journalist Dave Godin, (1936-2004) who had noticed British Northern football fans who were in London to follow their team, coming in to his store to buy records, but they weren’t interested in the latest ‘Soul’ music, it was the obscure American ‘Soul’ of the mid 1960’s they were after. Godin said,’I devised the name as a shorthand sales term. It was just to say ‘If you’ve got customers from the north, don’t waste time playing them records currently in the US black chart, just play them what they like – ‘Northern Soul.’ Other songs in this countdown that can be considered as ‘Northern Soul’ include (see also best songs 509-446-346-338-243 and 97.)

Richard Dean Taylor was born on May 11th, 1939, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he died on January 7th, 2022, having contracted COVID-19 the previous year, he was 82 years old. R. Dean Taylor was one of only a select few white artists to have had a hit single on Tamla Motown records. He had originally been hired by Motown records subsidiary label ‘V.I.P.’ in 1964 as a songwriter, alongside this song, his other biggest successes for the label were co-writing the Billboard Number 1 single ‘Love Child,’ and ‘I’m Living in Shame,’ (see also best songs 411) (Billboard Number 10) for Diana Ross & the Supremes. R. Dean Taylor released two solo studio Albums, in 1970, and 1975, and there are also two official compilation Albums available. There have been 28 singles released, including re-recordings and re-releases, between 1960-2004, with five of those singles charting in Canada, with ‘Indiana Wants Me,’ from 1970 reaching Number 2. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, only ‘Indiana Wants Me’ has reached the top 40, when making Number 5, while in the UK, Taylor has had five hits, with ‘Indiana Wants Me’ once again being the most successful, when making Number 2.

‘There’s a Ghost in My House’ was co-written in 1966 by R. Dean Taylor, and the legendary song writing team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, (1941-2022) and Eddie Holland, (see also best songs 823-650-553-411-212 and 148) with the production being by Brian Holland, and Lamont Dozier. When originally released on Motown’s subsidiary label ‘V.I.P.’ in 1966 the song went largely unnoticed due to a lack of promotion, and it would be a further eight years until it finally became a hit in the UK. By 1974 ‘Northern Soul’ was at it’s peak in the UK, and ‘There’s a Ghost in My House’ had become a popular dance song in ‘Northern Soul’ night clubs in England, such as the ‘Wigan Casino,’ and the ‘Blackpool Mecca.’ Fans of ‘Northern Soul’ would hear the song in the clubs, and then go out and buy a copy, leading to it becoming a major hit single, and one of many obscure ‘Northern Soul’ songs to make the chart several years after their initial release.

Speaking to the British music weekly magazine ‘Melody Maker’ in 1974, R. Dean Taylor said,’It was originally recorded on Tamla Motown several years previously, but the label never did anything to promote it. They weren’t really interested in me as an artist because they had a name for being a black label. I hope it will eventually be strong for white artists too, but I can’t wait for that. I can’t hang around. I could be 68 years old. R. Dean Taylor also went on to say that he was ‘staggered but delighted’ when ‘Ghost’ started leaping up the British charts, having been adopted by the ‘Northern Soul’ scene.

In 1987 the English Post/Punk group ‘The Fall’ took their version of the song to Number 30 in the UK, it was their first top 40 record, at their 19th attempt to have a hit single. ‘There’s a Ghost in My House’ sees the narrator trying to get over the fact that the one he loves has gone for good. It doesn’t make any difference where he goes or what he does, his ex is always there ‘haunting’ him all of the time.

‘Sittin’ in my easy chair I feel your fingers runnin’ through my hair. Lookin’ down in my coffee cup, I think I see your face lookin’ up. All alone in my gloom, your voice echoes through the room.’