Ghostbusters

Ray Parker Jr's spooky hit

I’m not a big Hallowe’en fan. I hate dressing up in costume, however, I am a big fan of the treats. I don’t like horror films or being scared.¹ The 1984 film Ghostbusters did scare me a bit but since it’s really a comedy I just enjoyed it.

The movie struck gold with the title song. Ray Parker Jr was commissioned to do the theme song in just a few days, a task that seemed impossible as Ghostbusters isn’t a word that easily fits in a song lyric. Fate has a funny way of getting around these problems. Parker was watching a late night tv commercial by a local company - we all know the ones, poorly shot with bad performances. He was reminded that the Ghostbusters in the film have one too and the conceit was his key in. 🗝²

I can’t hear you!

What also helped was the video. Creating a neon room on an black backdrop, a sexy strutting Parker is trying to convince a lady in distress (Cindy Harrell) to call. In the outro, the core 4 dance down the street in Times Square, ending with Bill Murray doing a really lame breakdance attempt. The video is punctuated throughout by scenes from the film and celebrity appearances by friends of Ivan Reitman³, who not only directed the film but this video as well. I LOVE this video.

As a special Hallowe’en treat, I’m hooked on watching videos of people sequencing holiday lights on their houses to songs. Here’s a set up from this year using the song.

And here’s a set up from the GOAT, Tom BetGeorge. He’s a musician who started almost a decade ago with a Christmas light display which he’s now leveraged into a company that creates systems for others to use, as well as corporate light shows. This one is from 3 years ago, the last year at this house. Love the musicality, each instrument gets it’s own programming. It’s masterful.

Enjoy your song of the day!

ETA: NickS (WA) found that Professor of Rock did a sit down with Ray Parker Jr. about this song and released it the same day as this post. Here’s the convo:

1. I find roller-coasters thrilling rather than scary.

2. I would be remiss in not mentioning the lawsuit by Huey Lewis claiming that Parker stole the bassline and much of the melody from I Want A New Drug. Parker settled out of court with one of the conditions being confidentiality. Lewis broke that agreement in 2001 in an episode of Behind The Music where he reiterated that Parker stole the song. Parker sued and in his words, “I got a lot of money out of that”. In 2004, the filmmakers admitted in Premiere magazine to using I Want A New Drug as a temporary soundtrack for a lot of the scenes, hoping to hire Lewis. When he declined, they gave that cut to Parker to help him write the song.

3. 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.