Ghost Stories, partly inspired by lead singer Chris Martin's troubled relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow at the time of the album's recording, is a concept album that tells the story of a man going through a dramatic and sudden breakup, with the narrative following the man's various emotional states leading up to his eventual acceptance of the situation. The album revolves around a central theme of "opening yourself up to love", and accepting that love does not last forever. The album was recorded by the band throughout 2012 and 2013 at the band's purpose-built home studios in London, England, and features guest producers Avicii, Timbaland and Madeon, in addition to the band's frequent collaborator, Jon Hopkins. The album is packaged with original etchings by Mila Fürstová, created specifically for the album.
The album was heavily promoted by the band and Parlophone in the lead-up to its release in May 2014, with its release accompanied by a prime time television special, a visual album and a six-date promotional tour of the album which included various appearances on television and radio. The album was further promoted by three singles by the band released in 2014: "Magic", released in March, "Midnight", released in April, and "A Sky Full of Stars", released in May.
