Ghostbusters (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Ghostbusters"
Single by Ray Parker, Jr.
from the album Ghostbusters: Original Soundtrack Album
Released 1984
Genre Dance-pop, synthpop, funk rock
Length 4:04
4:45 (extended instrumental version)
Label Arista
Writer(s) Ray Parker Jr.
Producer Ray Parker Jr.
Ray Parker, Jr. singles chronology
"Woman Out of Control"
(1984)		 "Ghostbusters"
(1984)		 "Jamie"
(1984)

"Ghostbusters" is a 1984 song recorded by Ray Parker, Jr. as the theme to the film of the same name starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11 in 1984, and stayed there for three weeks. It also peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on 16 September 1984, where it stayed for three weeks.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You".

Contents

Background[edit]

According to Parker, he was approached by the film's producers to create a theme song for the film. Unfortunately, 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. This inspired him to write the song as a pseudo-advertising jingle that the business could have commissioned as a promotion.

Columbia Pictures was later the defendant in a copyright infringement lawsuit, also naming Parker which claimed "Ghostbusters" was too similar in musical structure to "I Want a New Drug," written and performed by Huey Lewis and the News (more specifically, the bass/guitar riff which runs through the song). "I Want a New Drug" was a U.S. top-ten hit earlier the same year and was extremely similar to "Pop Muzik" by M, a project by Robin Scott.[1] The two parties settled out of court. Details of the settlement (specifically, that Columbia Pictures paid Lewis a settlement) were confidential until 2001, when Lewis commented on the payment in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. Parker subsequently sued Lewis for breaching confidentiality.[2]

In the United Kingdom, the song is parodied with Parker himself being featured in a commercial advertising direct enquiries line 118 118.

The song re-entered the UK Top 75 on 2 November 2008 at No. 49.

Lindsey Buckingham claims to have been approached to write the Ghostbusters theme based on his successful contribution to Harold Ramis's National Lampoon's Vacation (the song "Holiday Road"). He turned down the opportunity as he did not want to be known as a soundtrack artist. He mentions this on the "Words & Music" interview disk.

Music video[edit]

A music video for the song featured a young woman, played by Cindy Harrell, who was being 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. It also contained footage from the film Ghostbusters, and featured cameos from many celebrities of the day, including Chevy Chase, Irene Cara, John Candy, Melissa Gilbert, Ollie E. Brown, Jeffrey Tambor, George Wendt, Al Franken, Danny DeVito, Carly Simon, John Goodman, Peter Falk and Teri Garr; all of whom exclaim the "Ghostbusters!" line of the song when shown.

The video concludes with Parker and the stars of the film, in full Ghostbuster costume, dancing down the streets of New York City. The Ghostbusters also performed the similar dance in the closing credits to the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series as well as in a trailer for the 2009 Ghostbusters video game.

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Ghostbusters" — 3:46
  2. "Ghostbusters" (instrumental) — 4:03

Run–D.M.C. version[edit]

"Ghostbusters"
Single by Run-D.M.C.
from the album Ghostbusters II OST
B-side "Pause"
Released July 12, 1989
Genre Hip hop
Length 4:07
6:00 (12" mix)
Label MCA, Profile Records
Writer(s) Ray Parker Jr., Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizell
Producer Jam Master Jay, Davy D
Run-D.M.C. singles chronology
"Run's House"
(1988)		 "Ghostbusters"
/ "Pause"
(1989)		 "What's It All About"
(1990)

For the film's 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II, a remixed version of the "Ghostbusters" song was recorded featuring a rap by Run–D.M.C.. It was released on 7" vinyl and cassette as a standard single, as well as on 12" vinyl and CD as a double A-side maxi single with the track "Pause" from Run-D.M.C.'s fifth studio album, Back from Hell.

Music video[edit]

The song's music video begins with Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts climbing out of a limousine in front of a large crowd. They are accompanied by Run–D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay dressed in the standard beige Ghostbusters' uniform, who then perform the song on stage to a packed audience for the remainder of the video, intercut with clips from the film.

Track listings[edit]

7" single / cassette
  1. "Ghostbusters" – 4:07
  2. "Ghostbusters (Ghost Power Instrumental)" – 4:07
12" single
  1. "Ghostbusters" – 6:00
  2. "Ghostbusters (Dub Buster)" – 4:10
  3. "Pause" – 6:00
  4. "Pause (Dub Version)" – 3:32
  5. "Pause (Radio Version)" – 3:46
CD single
  1. "Ghostbusters" – 6:00
  2. "Pause" – 6:00
  3. "Pause (Dub Version)" – 3:32
  4. "Pause (Radio Version)" – 3:46


Mickael Turtle version[edit]

"Ghostbusters"
Single by Mickael Turtle
Released 2005
Length 2:26
Label Universal
Writer(s) Ray Parker Jr.
Mickael Turtle singles chronology
"Ghostbusters"
(2005)		 "Super Freak"
(2006)

In 2005, the original song was covered by the animated character Mickael Turtle, reaching No. 5 in France on December 3, 2005, and No. 23 in Switzerland on January 15, 2006.[3]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Ghostbusters" (radio edit) — 2:26
  2. "Ghostbusters" (extended club original mix) — 5:07
  3. "Ghostbusters" (who's that remix long voix) — 6:15
  4. "Ghostbusters" (extended club instrumental mix) — 5:07
  5. "Ghostbusters" (Who's that remix long dub) — 6:12
  6. Mickael The Turtle - Teaser Video


Other versions[edit]

 This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)
This section contains embedded lists that may be poorly defined, unverified or indiscriminate. Please help to clean it up to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Where appropriate, incorporate items into the main body of the article. (March 2013)
  • A version of the song with vocals by John Smith serves as the theme song for the spin-off cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters.
  • A remix of the song serves as the theme song for the cartoon series Extreme Ghostbusters.
  • Ska band Attaboyskip recorded a version of the song. It is often attributed to other Ska band like Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger on various file sharing sites.
  • In 1985, Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their TV series episode "Who Ghost There?".
  • David Essex covered the song on his 1987 album Central Stage.
  • Rapper Mistah F.A.B. samples the song in his 2006 single "Ghost Ride It".
  • A cover of the song also appears on the debut album Peep by the Finnish band The Rasmus. It is available on their compilation album Hell of a Collection as well.
  • British thrash metal band Xentrix covered the song as a single and released it in various versions on several albums. There was a bit of controversy when they used a parody of the Ghostbusters logo on the single sleeve (with the ghost flicking a V Sign) without permission, but the band later reissued the single with different artwork.
  • DJ team Umi Ghoulies remixed and covered the song at 175 bpm for the 2003 dance compilation Speed SFX.[4]
  • "Ghostbusters" was also covered in 2004's Kidz Bop Halloween album.
  • The band McFly performed the song live on their 2006 "Motion in the Ocean" tour. The song later appeared on their tour edition album as well as on the DVD of the show.
  • Rapper The Game, used the song as a sample for the first song on his mixtape Ghost Unit.
  • Another mashup of "Ghostbusters" and AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" was included on Mash Up Your Bootz Vol.6.
  • Texas pop-punk band Bowling for Soup covered the song for the movie Just Like Heaven.
  • The alternative band Hoobastank recorded a version of the song for Halloween in 2009. A video, which features the band dressed in the multi-colored uniforms worn by The Real Ghostbusters, opposed to the tan jumpsuits worn by the motion picture Ghostbusters, was also put on YouTube.
  • The song was covered on the sixth series of the UK version of The X Factor by the twins John & Edward, and later included on their debut album Planet Jedward.
  • Latvian instrumental cello rock trio Melo-M (featuring Intars Busulis on vocals) included a cover version in their 2007 album Singalongs.[5]
  • The Swedish radio comedy show Rally (late 1990s) did a spoof version of the song as Jörg Haider, ironically urging various people who had fallen on bad luck or hard times to trust the Austrian populist politician; this version emphasizes the march element of the tune.
  • The song was used by Irish pub chain Bennigan's from the late 1980's to early 1990's and was called "Blues-Busters".
  • The song has also been used in commercials for various automotive dealerships owned by AutoNation starting in the early 2000s; it is expected to be adopted nationwide as the company phases out local brands in favor of its own name.

In the media[edit]

The song is referenced in both the films and the cartoon series.

The song is used in the opening of the game for computers, such as the Atari 8-bit family, the Commodore 64, and the Apple II.

The song appears in Ghostbusters: The Video Game. It is played fully in the end credits of the game (on the Wii, PS2, and PSP versions), and on the PS3 Cross Menu Bar screen when a user is on the disc icon for more than 3 seconds.

The song is one of the playable songs in Lego Rock Band, both in the console versions and in the Nintendo DS version.

Beatmania IIDX 14: Gold includes a remix of the "Ghostbusters" Theme as a playable track.

Certifications[edit]

Ray Parker Jr. version
Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[6] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[7] Platinum 1,160,000[8]
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Gold 1,090,000[10]
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 1,000,000^
Total available sales: 3,350,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone
Mickael Turtle version
Country Certification Date Sales certified
France[12] Silver December 1, 2005 125,000

Charts[edit]

Ray Parker Jr.
Chart (1984/85) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[15] 6
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 1
France (SNEP)[17] 1
Germany (Media Control AG)[18] 4
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 4
Italy (FIMI)[20] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 4
New Zealand (RIANZ)[22] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 2
South Africa[24] 1
Spain (AFYVE)[25] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 3
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[28] 2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[29] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[29] 9
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play[29] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[29] 1
End of year chart (1984) Position
Swiss Singles Chart[30] 12
Mickael Turtle
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31] 21
France (SNEP)[32] 5
Germany (Media Control AG)[33] 56
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 23
End of year chart (2005) Position
France (SNEP)[35] 50
Preceded by
"When Doves Cry" by Prince		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
August 11, 1984 - August 25, 1984 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number-one single
August 25, 1984 - September 1, 1984 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" by Billy Ocean
Preceded by
"When Doves Cry" by Prince		 Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single
August 25, 1984 – September 1, 1984		 Succeeded by
"What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner
Preceded by
"I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder		 French SNEP number-one single (first run)
December 29, 1984 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Besoin de rien, envie de toi" by Peter & Sloane
Preceded by
"Besoin de rien, envie de toi" by Peter & Sloane		 French SNEP number-one single (second run)
January 19, 1985 - January 26, 1985 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"When the Rain Begins to Fall"
by Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson
Preceded by
"When the Rain Begins to Fall"
by Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson		 French SNEP number-one single (third run)
February 16, 1985 (1 week)
Preceded by
"When the Rain Begins to Fall"
by Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson		 French SNEP number-one single (fourth run)
March 2, 1985 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Square Rooms" by Al Corley

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stealing Music: “Ghostbusters” vs “I Want a New Drug” vs “Pop Musik”
  2. ^ Ray Parker Jr. Suing Huey Lewis Over 'Ghostbusters' Comment
  3. ^ "Ghosbusters", by Mickael Turtle Lescharts.com (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
  4. ^ "Various – Speed SFX". Discogs. Retrieved June 7, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Singalongs > Overview". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
  6. ^ "Canadian certifications – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 April 2012. 
  7. ^ "French certifications – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters" (in French). InfoDisc.  Select RAY PARKER JR. and click OK
  8. ^ "Les Singles de Platine :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 16 June 2012. 
  9. ^ "British certifications – Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 April 2012.  Enter Ghostbusters in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Click Go
  10. ^ Ami Sedghi (4 November 2012). "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2012. 
  11. ^ "American certifications – Parker, Ray, Jr. – Ghostbusters". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 April 2012. 
  12. ^ French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  13. ^ "Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  15. ^ Canadian Adult Contemporary peak
  16. ^ Canadian Top Singles peak
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  19. ^ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  20. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: P". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012. 
  21. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ray Parker Jr. search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40.
  22. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
  23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters". VG-lista. Hung Medien.
  24. ^ John Samson. "Ghostbusters in South African Chart". Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  25. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. 
  26. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
  28. ^ "Ghostbusters", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  29. ^ a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  30. ^ 1984 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mickael Turtle – Ghostbusters" (in French). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  32. ^ "Lescharts.com – Mickael Turtle – Ghostbusters" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  34. ^ "Mickael Turtle – Ghostbusters – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
  35. ^ 2005 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved August 5, 2008)

External links[edit]
Films
Television
Comics
Video games
Characters
Miscellaneous
Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio
Albums
Singles
Band members
and collaborators
Run–D.M.C.
Albums
Compilations
Live albums
Singles
Related articles
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghostbusters_(song)&oldid=560515508"