The Ghost at Number One

I agree with GeoVII. But does anyone understand the Mrs Lynn reference? SOunds like he's name-checking someone in particular, but I'm not sure who. Great song.

All songs mean different things to different people, so I might not have the answer. But this is my understanding.

I think the song describes a struggling artist whose work is brilliant but is hard pressed to make a name for himself and is frequently misunderstood. The refrain "How does it feel to be the only one that knows that you're right?" describes his frustration after having put so much into his work but have it pass over everyone's heads. He experiences a brief stint of popularity and builds a fanbase but never amounts to anything more than a one hit wonder despite the fact that his work is good ("up at the address all the widows write" suggests that when his popularity ends the only fan letters he gets are from little old ladies, people whose lives are waning along with his career). He is "deep down underground", suggesting that his work is both deep and obscure. Thus, 'the Ghost at Number One' is a metaphor for every singer, songwriter, poet or artist whose career is defined by one chart topping single before fading away. Actually, it's ironically a good description of Jellyfish themselves, who made quite a few excellent songs, but sadly fell apart too soon.

Anyway, that's just my take on the song. I'd go into a line by line analysis but I doubt that either myself or any of you have the patience for one at the moment. ^^

He's probably talking about Jeff Lynne, ELO's main songwriter. And given Andy's involvement with L.E.O., Its likely that he thought of Jeff Lynne as a "Saviour"

I agree with GeoVII, but hey what fantastic lyrics! I love the line (how does it feel) 'to be a chalkline dollar sign' It's not Jeff Lynne it's referring to with 'Mrs LYNN' (sorry i don't have an answer!), although being a massive ELO fan i would love it to be a tip of the hat to him. Someone who can write such intelligent lyrics is unlikely to mis-spell the person they are (partly) writing about and secondly Jeff Lynne/ELO or even Travelling Wilburys were anything but one hit wonders. It would be particularly apt if it were regarding Jeff Lynne as he doffed his cap to the Beatles in his lyrics many times. Finally, i do love the irony of Jellyfish effectively writing about a one hit wonder, it's a crying shame this was never the massive hit it deserves to be. I enjoy introducing younger friends to it as many have never heard it and they without fail seem to love the song. Genius.

"This song was written about dead rock stars because sometimes we make a little to much of how great they were." [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZZo49PlBMI&feature=related] That's what Robert Joseph Manning jr. said in a concert (see the link). I have always been intrigued by the b meaning of this song, and it only became clear to me only after watching that video, the song is more ironic than what I though, and it makes perfect sense: "Ugly apparition",god gift to oxygen...How does it feel to be in a chamber with piss and spite... How does it feel to be in the address all the widows write... How does it feel to be the ghost at number one." anyway helps this is as illuminating for you as it was for me! have a great day!

This song was written sometime before 1993 when "Spilt Milk" was released.

So what can we tell about the person in question? 1st are they alive or dead? The vast majority of the song suggests they are dead, and possibly they died of a heroin overdose, or at least were addicted to heroin. For example, there's lines like "Shoot up (bop bop)"

Not all of the lyrics are listed here, as in the finale of the song includes these:

(There's a party at the pearly gates of gold and platinum) To be the only one (For you, an invitation to the holy rock-n-rollers) To be the only one that knows that you're right (Standin' on the bandstand, you'll see the legends) To be a so deep down underground (Who'll tell you how it feels to be the only one who knows) To be the only one who knows you've been buried alive

And yet... there's that last line: "you've been buried alive". So perhaps this person isn't dead?

We know that Sturmer and Manning were big Anglophiles and lovers of power pop, so the "Nappy superstar" could perhaps be about hair, but it also could just be "diapers", since that's what they're called in the Uk and Ireland.

It's easy to home in on the "Mrs. Lynn" reference. Some people think that this might be about Jeff Lynne, whose ELO was a big influence on Jellyfish, and perhaps might think that the "nappy superstar" lyric fits his hair, but Jeff Lynne is not from a mixed race background, and curly hair isn't "Nappy" hair.

After considering a lot of different possibilities, one other person comes to mind, and that is Irish musician Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. You can short Lynott to Lynn, and you have a slightly disguised version of the name, and Phil was mixed race, had the hair style and had died after the effects of years of heroin addiction. In subsequent years, Thin Lizzy would find an even larger audience on AOR.

Mrs. Lynn could be a hint, or it could just be a red herring, and the song could be about angry rock song writers who died and afterwards became more popular due to the music industry "death effect" where bands and musicians are promoted and exploited after they die.

Jim Morrison and the Doors would be a prototype, as a song writer who did a lot of drugs (including Heroin, although he didn't shoot it) and whose record sales increased, in particular for the L.A. Woman album, which had been driven by Morrison's desire to make a blues record received some extremely negative reviews upon release. It would go on to produce several hits, and ultimately would sell 24 million records.

Last but not least, some people think that the song could be about Brian Wilson, and there is some reason to believe this, as just prior to the making of Spilt Milk, Sturmer and Manning had worked on Ringo Starr's solo record, and also were booked to write songs with the legendary Wilson, which ultimately was a failure after only one session. At the time Wilson was emerging from a long period where he had been virtually controlled by his Doctor, and had been battling with drug addiction and mental illness. It is possible that this left Sturmer and Manning disillusioned, although in totality, while Wilson's musicality was certainly an influence on Jellyfish and a power-pop influence, his songs are not known for their acerbic lyrical content. Musically however, the "Mrs. Lynn" bridge is a clear musical homage to Wilson's Beach Boys compositions particularly in the "Pet Sounds". When reviewing the song recently on "Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro" channel on youtube, Manning went into a long discussion of his reflection that many of the song writers who connected with him, had some history of heartbreak and sadness, and this was a way for men in western society to process negative emotion through art, so perhaps there are also elements of this in the song.

You could also make the argument that there are elements of Phil Spector's descent into seclusion and madness and his many years of drug abuse.

Probably the song isn't about any one individual, but takes elements from many different stories, as Manning has suggested. Andy Sturmer has persistently resisted interviews or any projects involving reformation or performance, so if there are secrets to the song he imbued into it, we are unlikely to get them from him.

Hmmm, just another excellent Jellyfish song i can't figure out, , it may be about the death of a rock-star who had a number one single, meh.

Could it be Kurt Cobain? I can't remember if the song or his suicide came first...

Yup, it's got to be Jeff Lynne, also a member of the Traveling Wilburies (you know, the dude with the big 'fro, the "nappy superstar"), friend to the Beatles, and producer of Tom Petty albums.

Perhaps it's about Brian Wilson?