"Beautiful Ghosts" is a song written by Taylor and Andrew Lloyd Webber, released on November 15, 2019, for the movie adaptation of the musical "Cats".

Whilst the radio version is performed by Taylor, the version within the film is performed by Francesca Hayward, who plays Victoria.

LYRICAL CONTENT

Composed specifically for the motion picture adaption of "Cats", “Beautiful Ghosts” follows Victoria’s yearning for a future as ethereal and exciting as what Grizabella laments after in “Memory.” Partnering powerful imagery with haunting vocals over orchestral accompaniment, the stripped-back production enhances a sense of nostalgia and lost times as reflected in the lyrics.

BACKGROUND AND RECORDING

Webber had seen that Victoria, a character in the musical, needed a song. He played the music he had composed for Taylor and she came up with the lyrics during the meeting:

"I played this to you and I said it was a new song. You said ‘I’ll do the lyric[s]’, and you did it then and there, more or less."

-- Andrew Lloyd Webber

Taylor said that she wanted to emulate the lyrics of T.S. Elliot, the original lyricist for the musical:

"I knew it would be right after Jennifer Hudson sings ‘Memory,’ and a young little kitten reflects off what she just heard and gives her, sort of her counter point of view. Because ‘Memory’ is Grizabella singing about how she had all these beautiful, incredible moments in her past, she had these glittering occasions where she felt beautiful and wanted, and now she doesn’t feel that way anymore. Okay, so what if you have this kitten who’s been deserted and tossed out, and she’s had to wander around the streets of London, looking where she’s going to find a home. She would be thinking, ‘At least you had those!’ The first line that came to me is, ‘And the memories were lost long ago, but at least you have beautiful ghosts.’ I just wanted it to be like, I just wanted to get in the head of the character if she was hearing someone lamenting about wonderful, majestic, incredible times, an extraordinary life behind her. And a young person thinking, ‘What if I never have any of that in my life? What if that’s lost on me? What if I don’t get that ever? At least you have that to cling to.’ […] It came together really well. I learned later they had this beautiful piece of music, but they didn’t know what they wanted the cat to say. I was like, ‘I got you. I know what that cat would say.'" -- Taylor Swift