Ghost Riders in the Sky
Written by Suzanne on October 29, 2008I was whistling this legendary cowboy song the other day while running errands in my mini van. This isn’t a Halloween tune but it is about ghosts riding through the sky, a devils herd, and hearing mournful cries. The eerie chorus is haunting, yet catchy at the same time.
My favorite version has always been the Vaughn Monroe hit of 1949.
I was surprised to find so many different versions of the same tune. Turns out their was at least 50 adaptations, many of them all from 1949. Burl Ives did a rendition which makes me think more of Frosty the Snowman than ghosts.
Here’s Elvis rehearsing the song in 1970 at the MGM soundstage.
Another one by the Toy Dolls, showing off their radical 80′s shades, and killer drum beats:
And for all you comic book lovers out there, the rock cover by Spiderbait from the movie Ghost Rider starring Nicolas Cage.
Deborah Harry did a trance version you can listen to on her website: http://www.deborahharry.com/music/ghostridersinthesky.mp3
I’d love to hear the adaptations by The Doors, The Ventures, and Dean Martin. We can’t forget the one by Johnny Cash. I could sit here all day listening to these variations, watching those red-eyed, steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the ghosts of damned cowboys. I could, but I have laundry, dishes and dusting to do. Yippee-yi-ya, yippee-yi-yo!
Posted in Pop Culture
October 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Without doubt the Vaughn Monroe version is my favorite. We played this every Christmas Eve for several years upon my Aunt May’s request. The smell of good food was baking in the oven but we were in no hurry to eat it until we were finished listening to favorite songs on the old record player.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 am
my favorite is by toy dolls, what can I say, I love the 80′s!
January 1st, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Thanks for your post about this much-recorded tune. I have collected somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred versions, and I know there are more out there. The Toy Dolls’ version is new to me.
My favorite instrumental performance has to be Dick Dale’s. The best vocal, to my mind, was recorded by Slim Whitman, who had the cojones to sing it in a falsetto, instead of the typical Sturm und Drang.