Beautiful Ghosts

"Beautiful Ghosts" is a song written especially for the 2019 Cats movie, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Taylor Swift.

The song is sung three times in the movie, first by Francesca Hayward's Victoria ("Victoria's Song"), then a reprise by Hayward's Victoria and Judi Dench's Old Deuteronomy ("Reprise"), and lastly by Taylor Swift over the end credits ("Single Version").

Swift's rendition of the song was released as a single by Polydor Records on 15 November 2019. It was later released again on 20 December 2019 as one of the songs on the movie's soundtrack, along with "Victoria's Song".

History
There are three versions of the song:

Victoria's Song
The main version of "Beautiful Ghosts" is credited as "Victoria's Song" in the movie's soundtrack. It is sung by Francesca Hayward's Victoria in response to hearing Jennifer Hudson's Grizabella sing "Memory Act 1". This version of the song is 2 minutes and 50 seconds long.

Lloyd Webber says this about the song: "What she's saying is, 'Ok, It's all very well for you. But you're looking back on a life where you did something wonderful in your life. You were glamorous. You had beautiful ghosts. I've nothing at all. I've been abandoned.' Victoria is saying, 'Maybe one day I'll dance like you did with beautiful ghosts.' "

Reprise
A 30-second reprise is sung by Hayward's Victoria and Judi Dench's Old Deuteronomy, in response to hearing Hudson's Grizabella sing "Memory".

Single Version
The third version is the Single Version sung by Taylor Swift. This rendition plays over the movie's end credits and was released as a single by Polydor Records on 15 November 2019. This version of "Beautiful Ghosts" is 4 minutes and 21 seconds long, with an additional verse not included in "Victoria's Song".

Victoria's Song
 Follow me home if you dare to I wouldn't know where to lead you Should I take chances when no one took chances on me? So I watch from the dark, wait for my life to start With no beauty in my memory

All that I wanted was to be wanted Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted Born into nothing At least you have something, something to cling to Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into And the memories were lost long ago But at least you have beautiful ghosts

And so maybe my home isn't what I had known What I thought it would be But I feel so alive with these phantoms of night And I know that this life isn't safe, but it's wild and it's free

All that I wanted was to be wanted I'll never wander London streets, alone and haunted Born into nothing With them, I have something, something to cling to I never knew I'd love this world they've let me into And the memories were lost long ago So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts And the memories were lost long ago So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts

Reprise
 All that you wanted was to be wanted Never to wander London streets, alone and haunted All your memories of pain, let them go And you'll dance with these beautiful ghosts

Single Version
 Follow me home if you dare to I wouldn't know where to lead you Should I take chances when no one took chances on me? So I watch from the dark, wait for my life to start With no beauty in my memory

All that I wanted was to be wanted Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted Born into nothing At least you have something, something to cling to Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into And the memories were lost long ago But at least you have beautiful ghosts

Perilous night, their voices calling A flicker of light before the dawning Out here, the wild ones are taming the fear within me Scared to call them my friends and be broken again Is this hope just a mystical dream?

All that I wanted was to be wanted Too young to wander London streets, alone and haunted Born into nothing At least you have something, something to cling to Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into And the memories were lost long ago But at least you have beautiful ghosts

And so maybe my home isn't what I had known What I thought it would be But I feel so alive with these phantoms of night And I know that this life isn't safe, but it's wild and it's free

All that I wanted was to be wanted I'll never wander London streets, alone and haunted Born into nothing With them, I have something, something to cling to I never knew I'd love this world they've let me into And the memories were lost long ago So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts And the memories were lost long ago So I'll dance with these beautiful ghosts

International Versions

 * Japanese

Audio

 * Francesca Hayward's version from the 2019 movie soundtrack


 * Taylor Swift's version