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Songlines: Ghost Town

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05/05/2008

Ghost Town

BBC Radio Scotland - Songlines, Ghost Town

A look at the Specials song 'Ghost Town', a hit as riots spread across Britain in 1981.

A look at the Specials song 'Ghost Town', which became the soundtrack as riots spread across Britain in 1981.

In July 1981, riots spread across Britain as industrial decline, record unemployment, and racial tensions spilled over into violence. Soundtrack to the dissatisfaction was "Ghost Town" by The Specials, an unsettling, politically-charged anthem which 27 years on, still resonates. John Cavanagh uncovers the story behind the song described as "the most prescient number one in British chart history".

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