Is Justin Bieber’s new song “Ghost” about Selena Gomez?
On Friday (March 19), the “Anyone” singer released his sixth studio album, Justice. After listening to the record, some fans are speculating that a track called “Ghost” might have been written about the pop star’s ex-girlfriend, Gomez.
On “Ghost,” Bieber sings about longing for a love that is gone: “Since the love that you left is all that I get / I want you to know that / If I can’t be close to you / I’ll settle for the ghost of you / I miss you more than life (More than life) / And if you can’t be next to me / Your memory is ecstasy / I miss you more than life.”
Check out the track, below:
Fans are now debating whether or not the person Bieber is singing about walked out of his life, like a former flame, or passed away.
After deciphering the lyrics, some believe Bieber’s lyrics about holding someone to be romantic in nature, and have pointed to Gomez, one of the singer’s last famous ex-girlfriends before he married his wife, Hailey Baldwin. Gomez also has a song called “Ghost of You” which was released in 2010, a year before Gomez and Bieber went public with their relationship.
Meanwhile, some fans are pointing out the lyric, “I know you cross the bridge that I can’t follow,” speculating that he wrote it about someone passing on. See various fan theories and reactions to “Ghost,” below:
However, Bieber addressed the exact inspiration for the song in an interview with <ahref=“https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/justin-bieber-new-album-justice/“>British Vogue, in which the singer confirmed that the song is about the death of someone important in your life: “I know a lot of people have [lost someone]; I know this has been a really challenging year where we’ve lost loved ones and relationships too.”
He added that the song could also speak to listeners who have been in quarantine, away from their loved ones. “The hook is saying, ‘If I can’t get close to you, I’ll settle for the ghost of you.’ That works for this quarantine situation […] we’re not relating and connecting in the same way. It has allowed us to only really have these memories. I hope this resonates and I hope it fills your heart up with joy or comfort in some sort of way.”
“Ghost” was co-written by Bieber alongside Jon Bellion, Michael Pollack, Stefan Johnson and Jordan Johnson.