Beautiful Ghosts
Produced by
Follow me home if you dare to
I wouldn't know where to lead you
Should I take chances when no one took chances on me?
So I watch from the dark, wait for my life to start
With no beauty in my memory
[Chorus]
All that I wanted was to be wanted
Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted
Born into nothing
At least you have something, something to cling to
Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into
And the memories were lost long ago
But at least you have beautiful ghosts
[Verse 2]
Perilous night, their voices calling
A flicker of light before the dawning
Out here, the wild ones are taming the fear within me
Scared to call them my friends and be broken again
Is this hope just a mystical dream?
[Chorus]
All that I wanted was to be wanted
Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted
Born into nothing
At least you have something, something to cling to
Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into
And the memories were lost long ago
But at least you have beautiful ghosts
And so maybe my home isn't what I had known
What I thought it would be
But I feel so alive with these phantoms of night
And I know that this life isn't safe, but it's wild and it's free
[Chorus]
All that I wanted was to be wanted
I'll never wander London streets, alone and haunted
Born into nothing
With them, I have something, something to cling to
I never knew I'd love this world they've let me into
And the memories were lost long ago
So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts
And the memories were lost long ago
So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts
About
Composed specifically for the motion picture adaption of CATS, “Beautiful Ghosts” follows Victoria’s yearning for a future as ethereal and exciting as what Grizabella laments after in “Memory.” Partnering powerful imagery with haunting vocals over orchestral accompaniment, the stripped-back production enhances a sense of nostalgia and lost times as reflected in the lyrics.
Whilst the radio version is performed by Taylor Swift, one of the song’s co-writers and the actress playing Bomblurina in the film adaptation, the version within the film is performed by Francesca Hayward, who plays Victoria.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Writers Taylor Swift and Andrew Lloyd Webber alongside Director Tom Hooper talked at length about how the song came into being:
As transcribed by a fan on Tumblr, Swift told Zane Lowe:
I knew it would be right after Jennifer Hudson sings ‘Memory,’ and a young little kitten reflects off what she just heard and gives her, sort of her counter point of view. Because ‘Memory’ is Grizabella singing about how she had all these beautiful, incredible moments in her past, she had these glittering occasions where she felt beautiful and wanted, and now she doesn’t feel that way anymore. Okay, so what if you have this kitten who’s been deserted and tossed out, and she’s had to wander around the streets of London, looking where she’s going to find a home. She would be thinking, ‘At least you had those!’ The first line that came to me is, ‘And the memories were lost long ago, but at least you have beautiful ghosts.’ I just wanted it to be like, I just wanted to get in the head of the character if she was hearing someone lamenting about wonderful, majestic, incredible times, an extraordinary life behind her. And a young person thinking, ‘What if I never have any of that in my life? What if that’s lost on me? What if I don’t get that ever? At least you have that to cling to.’ […] It came together really well. I learned later they had this beautiful piece of music, but they didn’t know what they wanted the cat to say. I was like, ‘I got you. I know what that cat would say.'
- 1.The Overture
- 10.Magical Gus
- 13.Macavity
- 14.Mr. Mistoffelees
- 15.Memory
- 17.Beautiful Ghosts
