| Context | | | |
| Cultural | Named a single of the year by various magazines, such as NME and Melody Maker, its message obviously resonated with the young people who bought the record and sang along with the lyrics | | |
| Social | The specials are not only providing a soundtrack for the disenfranchised youth, but feeling the pain being felt by millions of people nation wide | ‘Ghost Town’ is an important commentary on social injustice in the early 1980s, especially the tremendous dissatisfaction many young people felt towards politicians and their economic policies. | |
| Historical | The song was inspired by the Brixton and Bristol riots, so the sounds become a signifier of social unrest and police brutality, especially the implementation of stop and search powers which disproportionately targeted young black men. | | |
| Political | Shops are shuttered and factories are closed. This represents the social collapse caused by the decline of car manufacturers and other industries in the UK. There is no more ‘boomtown’ because there is ‘no job to be found in this country’ | | |
