Legends Reimagined Series #3.
This post is part of our Classics Reimagined series. In previous entries, we explored the vibrant world of Calypso music, which was essential to the spirit of Carnival. If you can recall, it took time for Steelbands to evolve into Soca music, specifically music for Panorama. Today, we shift our focus back to Soca music. We have selected a song by the acclaimed master of Soca, Machel Montano. This post is our interpretation and revival of his classic song, "Haunted (This Haunted Feeling)."
When Machel Montano sings the line “haunted feelings,” he’s not expressing sorrow; instead, he evokes a sense of being possessed by joy, by music, and by the vibrant trance of Carnival itself. He’s not fleeing from ghosts. He’s moving alongside them—ghosts of feathers, rhythm, wine, and every sleepless sunrise that lies in "Haunted" (feelings). Kernal Roberts and Machel Montano tapped into a profound understanding shared by every true masquerader: the moment Carnival concludes, it begins to haunt you.
unt you. Just like Bunji Garlin's "Carnival Tabanca," this song travels on the same carnival spectrum of longing and wanting more.
This feeling isn’t post-party blues. It’s something more spiritual—almost mythic:
- Your skin still tingles from the road.
- Your ears ring with rhythm and musical riddims.
- Your soul refuses to return to nine-to-five reality.
Carnival isn’t just a festival. It’s a state of being. And it's not merely a festival; it represents a state of being. If you recall, in Bunji's song, he mentions a large truck filled with red sand (thinking of the big Music trucks), and similarly, the music truck is referenced in "Haunted." Long after the final truck has passed, its presence endures. The mind continues to replay every jump, whine, chant, and laugh, as if attempting to summon the spirits of joy from beyond. After the last truck rolls by, its presence lingers. The mind is replaying every jump, whine, chant, and laugh as if trying to conjure spirits of joy back from beyond.
That’s the haunted feeling Montano sings of: Not grief—but reverence. It's not a loss but an obsession. It’s possession by culture, by memory of party mode, and by masquerading bands. All those images, all those memories, resurface and overwhelm your senses, leaving you feeling faint and filled with a deep yearning for more of what has been lost, yet with memories that endure. live on.
On Sokah2Soca, we know this haunting well. It lives in our captions, dances in our hashtags, and peeks through every image watermark. We curate this ghost—not to exorcise it—but to keep it alive year-round. Every time you visit our pages, look at the captions, and read our posts, our goal is to help you find something to return to, something that brings a smile to your face, and something that connects you to the joy of Carnival. You may not realize it yet, but the truth is that we adore the sensation, the heart-wrenching moment when we realize it's over, and the memories that resurface to haunt us in delightful ways.
Like it or not, MM is correct; we want to be haunted. We want to be happy with good memories, Soca music, satire, and the spirit of unity in glitter and sweat. It’s the sweetest kind of possession there is, and we embody it with our Caribbean-styled carnivals. Let us spread awareness of the culture of the Caribbean diaspora.
Let us spread awareness of the Caribbean diaspora's culture.
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Song Title: Haunted
Artist/Performed by: Machel Montano
Written by: Kernal Roberts & Machel Montano
Produced by: Johnmarc "Pasta" Gittens and Dreamteam Music TT
Additional Production by: Alex "Kubiyashi" Barnwell
Mixed by: Alex "Kubiyashi" Barnwell
Mastered by: Chris Gehringer @ Sterling Sound
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago 👻🇹🇹
Year: 2014
Genre: Soca 🎶
Sokah2Soca—Where Rhythm Lives and Calypso, Steelband Music and Soca Thrive!
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