"Ghost of Days Gone By" is a song written and performed by the band

Alter Bridge Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. After their former ba ...

, released in the United States as the third single from their third album, '' AB III'', on April 18, 2011. In the United States, the song was self-released via

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

, like the album. Musically, the song features a somewhat lighter tone than other songs on the album except for the much heavier and darker

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. The song's lyrics are about mortality, reminiscing past memories, and "coming to terms with the fact that time will go on."

Background

The band hinted via Facebook that "Ghost of Days Gone By" would be released as the second single in North America and the third single overall, after " Isolation" and "I Know It Hurts," the latter of which was released worldwide except for the United States. On March 7, 2011 the band wrote on Facebook "The Ghost Of Days Gone By... haunting North America this spring... It's coming!!!" It was later shown on

FMQB ''Friday Morning Quarterback'' (better known as ''FMQB'') was a trade magazine which covered the radio and music industries in the United States. Its coverage included programming, management, promotion, marketing, and airplay Airplay is how ...

that the song would be self-released via

to rock radio on April 18, 2011. The official artwork for the single was designed by guitarist

Mark Tremonti Mark Thomas Tremonti (born April 18, 1974) is an American guitarist and singer, best known for his tenures with the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other artists over ...

's brother Dan Tremonti, who has designed all of the artwork for the band. It was revealed via Facebook on March 17, 2011. It was released to rock radio on March 28, 2011.

Song meaning

Lead vocalist

Myles Kennedy Myles Richard Bass (born November 27, 1969), known professionally as Myles Kennedy, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge and the lead vocalist in guitarist S ...

said that the song is "a bit of a departure from the theme of the rest of the record." He explained:

In other media

* In ''You Think You Know Me: The Story of Edge'', the song appears at the end of the documentary where it was played during a montage commemorating the career of WWE Hall of Famer

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...

, who is best known for using the band's song "Metalingus" as his theme song.

Credits and personnel

;Alter Bridge *

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

Brian Marshall Brian Aubrey Marshall (born April 24, 1973) is an American musician and songwriter best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. Early life Brian Aubrey Marshall was born April 24, 1973, in Jackson, Missi ...

– bass * Scott Phillips – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost Of Days Gone By 2011 singles Alter Bridge songs Songs written by Mark Tremonti Songs written by Myles Kennedy 2010 songs Songs written by Brian Marshall Songs written by Scott Phillips (musician) Capitol Records singles Song recordings produced by Michael Baskette