Entertainment

Adam Lambert's "Ghost Town" Is Hella Catchy

by Rachel Semigran

When first listening to Adam Lambert's new track "Ghost Town," from the upcoming album The Original High, you might not actually know that it's Adam Lambert. The first verse sounds more like something you'd hear on your Kings of Leon Pandora station than Lambert's usual audio stomping grounds, like night clubs and 24-hour frozen yogurt shops. Lambert's "Ghost Town" has a modern country twang with lyrics that drip with broken Hollywood dreams. Then the song bursts into a techno beat for the chorus, but once again returns to the more haunting groove for the bridge. It's a mash-up that happens to be just one song. Over and over Lambert tells you, "My heart is a ghost town," and I'll be the first to warn you, for better or worse, it'll get stuck in your head.

What's most surprising about the song is that it's not just about the usual heartbreak and the stuff that inspires sloppy, sweaty make-out sessions on the dance floor; it's got some inspired commentary going on. After the first techno chorus, Lambert goes back to the original (read: better) sound and laments, "Died last night in my dreams/ All the machines/ Had been disconnected/ Time was thrown at the wind/ And all of my friends/ Had been disaffected." On paper you'd think this was Bright Eyes rather than an American Idol star.

Maybe the more mellow sound is actually where Lambert belongs. "Ghost Town" actually makes you listen closely to what he's saying and it lands. I'll be the first to admit, I was surprised by how much the song really did hit home. When he sings, "Saw all of the saints/ Lock up the gates/ I could not enter/ Walked into the flames/ Called out your name/ But there was no answer," I thought to myself, "Oh, Ive been in that relationship before."

Take a close listen to the lyrics of "Ghost Town" and if you're not already a Lambert fan, you just might soon become one. Oh, and the mentions of James Dean and Elvis in the song really help explain his hair in the video.

Take a listen here: