Ghostbusters (song) explained

Ghostbusters
Cover:RayParkerJrGhostbusters7InchSingleCover.jpg
Caption:One of European variants of non-US artwork
Type:single
Artist:Ray Parker Jr.
Album:Ghostbusters: Original Soundtrack Album
B-Side:"Ghostbusters" (instrumental)
Released:June 8, 1984
Genre:
Length:
  • 4:06 (soundtrack version)
  • 3:46 (edit)
Label:Arista
Producer:Ray Parker Jr.
Prev Title:Woman Out of Control
Prev Year:1984
Next Title:Jamie
Next Year:1984

"Ghostbusters" is a song written by American musician Ray Parker Jr. as the theme to the 1984 film Ghostbusters, and included on its soundtrack. Debuting at number 68 on June 16, 1984, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, staying there for three weeks (Parker Jr.'s only number one on that chart), and at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart on September 16, staying there for three weeks. The song reentered the UK Top 75 on November 2, 2008 at No. 49 and again on November 5, 2021, at No. 38.

The song was nominated at the 57th Academy Awards for Best Original Song but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You". A lawsuit accusing Parker of basing the song's melody on Huey Lewis and the News's song "I Want a New Drug" resulted in Lewis receiving a settlement.

Background

Parker was approached by the film's producers to create a theme song, although he only had a few days to do so and the film's title seemed impossible to include in any lyrics. However, when watching television late at night, Parker saw a cheap commercial for a local service that reminded him that the film had a similar commercial featured for the fictional business.[3] This inspired him to write the song as a pseudo-advertising jingle that the business could have commissioned as a promotion.

Lindsey Buckingham, on his interview disc Words & Music [A Retrospective], stated that he was approached to write the Ghostbusters theme based on his successful contribution to National Lampoon's Vacation, "Holiday Road". He declined the opportunity as he did not want to be known as a soundtrack artist. Glenn Hughes and Pat Thrall also submitted a demo that was ultimately rejected. The Hughes and Thrall version was later rewritten and used as the track "Dance or Die" for the 1987 film Dragnet.

The theme is estimated to have added $20 million to the film's box-office gross.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Ivan Reitman, who also directed the Ghostbusters film, and produced by Jeffrey Abelson. It features a young woman played by actress Cindy Harrell[4] who is haunted by a ghost portrayed by Parker, roaming a nearly all-black house interior (with vibrant neon designs outlining the sparse architectural and industrial features) until the woman finally calls the service.

Directed by Reitman, the "Ghostbusters" music video was No. 1 on MTV and features cameos by celebrities Chevy Chase, Irene Cara, John Candy, Melissa Gilbert, Ollie E. Brown, Jeffrey Tambor, George Wendt, Al Franken, Danny DeVito, Carly Simon, Peter Falk and Teri Garr. None of the actors were paid for participating but did so as a favor to Reitman.

The video concludes with Parker and the stars of the film, in full Ghostbuster costume, dancing down the streets of New York City. Times Square was closed in order to film the scene, although a sizable crowd may still be seen in the background. The Ghostbusters also perform the same dance in the closing credits to The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series, as well as in a trailer for the 2009 Ghostbusters video game.

Lawsuit

Shortly after the film's release, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, alleging that Parker had copied the melody (primarily the bassline) from Lewis's 1983 song "I Want a New Drug". The case was settled out of court in 1985 for an undisclosed sum and a confidentiality agreement that prohibited discussion of the case. According to Parker, there were several lawsuits at the time, because "when you sell that many records, I think everybody wants to say that they wrote the song." Parker later sued Lewis for breaching the confidentiality agreement in a 2001 episode of VH1's Behind the Music by reasserting that Parker stole the song. Regarding his case against Lewis, Parker said, "I got a lot of money out of that." Lewis said it was at least $30,000 in an interview with Dutch television NPO.[5]

In a 2004 article for Premiere magazine, the filmmakers admitted to using the song "I Want a New Drug" as temporary background music in many scenes. They also noted that they had offered to hire Huey Lewis and the News to write the main theme but the band had declined. The filmmakers then gave film footage, with Lewis's song in the background, to Parker to aid him in writing the theme song.[6]

Personnel

Credits sourced from Mix and Roland.[7] [8]

Track listing

7-inch Arista / ARI 8391 (US), ARIST 580 (UK)

Side one
  1. "Ghostbusters" – 3:46
Side two
  1. "Ghostbusters" (instrumental) – 4:07[11]

Charts and certifications

Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 11, 1984, two months after the film's release, and remained there for three weeks. It spent a total of 21 weeks on the charts.

Weekly charts

Notes and References

  1. Gary . Graff . 'Ghostbusters' At 30: A Soundtrack Appreciation . June 8, 2014 . . June 15, 2015.
  2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters. . August 28, 2020 . And underneath all this jubilation, a simple, electric, instantly familiar synth-rock jam pulses away.. July 29, 2023.
  3. News: Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. - Professor of Rock. 2018-10-25. Professor of Rock. 2018-10-29. en-US. 2018-10-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20181029232439/https://www.professorofrock.com/ghostbusters-by-ray-parker-jr/. dead.
  4. Web site: Ryan . Mike . June 6, 2014 . Who Ya Gonna Call? The Inside Story Of The 'Ghostbusters' Music Video . ScreenCrush.
  5. https://npo.nl/start/serie/top-2000/seizoen-72_1/top-2000-untold-stories_3 Untold Stories Ray Parker Jr
  6. Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghostbusters Exclusive! Inside story of a comedy classic. Premiere Magazine. June 2004. February 5, 2012-->.
  7. Web site: Classic Tracks: Ray Parker Jr.'s 'Ghostbusters'. 2023-06-04. mixonline.com. September 2006 .
  8. Web site: All Access: Ray Parker Jr.. 2023-06-04. youtube.com.
  9. Web site: Biography - Chazzy Green. 2024-02-11. chazzygreen.net.
  10. Web site: Ray Parker Jr performs 16 minute long version of 'Ghostbusters' live at Ghostbusters Fan Fest!. 2024-02-11. youtube.com.
  11. Discogs.com https://www.discogs.com/Ray-Parker-Jr-Ghostbusters/release/398813
  12. News: Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica. La Opinión (Los Angeles). es. 25 October 2023. 4 February 1985. 12.
  13. Book: Nanda Lwin. Nanda Lwin. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. 1999. 1-896594-13-1.
  14. Web site: Classifiche. Musica e dischi. it. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Ray Parker jr.".
  15. Web site: Ghostbusters in South African Chart . John Samson . 31 May 2013.
  16. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
  17. Ray Parker Jr. Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). Billboard. January 22, 2021.
  18. Web site: Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984. Kent Music Report. Imgur.com. January 23, 2023.
  19. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W . 1993. 0-646-11917-6. Kent Music Report.
  20. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1984: Singles. nl. Ultratop. May 4, 2022.
  21. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984 . . May 4, 2022 . nl.
  22. Web site: Jaaroverzichten - Single 1984. MegaCharts. nl. May 4, 2022.
  23. Web site: End of Year Charts 1984 . . May 4, 2022 .
  24. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1984: Singles. de. Swiss Charts Portal. May 4, 2022.
  25. Book: Peter . Scaping . Top 100 singles: 1984 . BPI Year Book 1985 . . 7th . 46–47 . 1985 . 0-906154-06-5.
  26. December 22, 1984. Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles . TA-19 . Billboard . 96 . 51. May 4, 2022.
  27. Web site: The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1984 . . May 4, 2022 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120930234839/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/1984YESP.html . September 30, 2012.
  28. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1984. de. Offiziellecharts.de. May 4, 2022.
  29. Web site: Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985. Kent Music Report. Imgur. January 23, 2023.
  30. Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart. Billboard. 10 December 2018.
  31. Web site: The UK's biggest selling singles of all time. Official Charts Company. 5 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180624234820/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-biggest-selling-singles-of-all-time__21298/. 24 June 2018. live.
  32. Web site: Revisiting Run-D.M.C.'s hip-hop version of the Ghostbusters theme. The A.V. Club. 9 July 2016.
  33. 241.
  34. "Ghosbusters", by Mickael Turtle Lescharts.com. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
  35. 187.
  36. 2005 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com . Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  37. Web site: Ray Parker Jr. responds to Fall Out Boy's catastrophic Ghostbusters theme song. Consequence of Sound. July 9, 2016. November 4, 2020. Collin. Brennan.
  38. What Have We Done to Deserve Fall Out Boy's Ghostbusters Theme Song?. Hillary. Busis. Vanity Fair. June 23, 2016. November 4, 2020.
  39. Web site: Exactly how bad is Fall Out Boy's new 'Ghostbusters' theme song?. June 23, 2016. November 4, 2020. Los Angeles Times. Randall. Roberts.
  40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRHw0XyyZnk KMOV "Channel 4 Newsbusters" Promo - YouTube
  41. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYJjsTf68CY Autonation Ghostbusters ad - YouTube
  42. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0iyWS7sgmw Carpet Mart Ghostbusters Commercial - YouTube
  43. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edIWsAQduRA 118 118 Uk Ghostbusters parody with Ray Parker Jr - YouTube
  44. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNHvizqMLTM Dacia Duster Ghostbuster (Go Duster) commercial - YouTube
  45. Web site: Heins. Scott. Flashback Friday: Ray Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters" Is Reborn As The Brilliant "Bustin". March 6, 2021. okayplayer. 25 September 2015.
  46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynQsDFxTSU4 Vinesauce Joel - Super Ghostbusters (Full Album) - Youtube

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