Who you gonna call?': The story of Ray Parker Jr.'s 'Ghostbusters'

"Ghostbusters" is the title song from the 1984 film Ghostbusters, performed by American musician Ray Parker Jr. Often mistaken for a "one hit wonder," Parker did have an earlier US top 5 hit in 1982 with a song called "The Other Woman." However, the song in question became iconic not only for its catchy hook ("Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!") but also for its role in defining the film's fun and supernatural tone.

It's surprisingly fun for a story about how the world could end, right? Well, that's certainlu why Ray Parker Jr. was commissioned to write a theme song for the movie Ghostbusters. The film's director, Ivan Reitman, wanted something upbeat and fun to match the film's comedic tone, and Parker did not fail.

Parker was given a tight deadline (reportedly just a few days) to write and record the song, which is sometimes the perfect excuse to sit down and write. He struggled to come up with a concept until he saw a late-night TV commercial for a local service, which gave him the idea to structure the song like a jingle for a ghost-catching service. Released as a single, "Ghostbusters" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks in 1984, becoming as iconic for that year as songs like Prince's "When Doves Cry" or Madonna's "Like a Virgin."

The song was a massive commercial hit and became Parker's most famous work, even reaching No. 1 in France and No. 4 in Germany. That being said, even this fun song was not without controversy. Yes, there was the plagiarism lawsuit.

The "Ghostbusters" plagiarism lawsuit

Popstar Huey Lewis sued Parker, claiming that "Ghostbusters" plagiarized his song "I Want a New Drug." Could it be that Parker listened to the song to deliberately lift some ideas, or was it perhaps more of an "unconscious" plagiarism? Either way, the case was settled out of court in 1985.

Interestingly, Lewis later admitted during a VH1 show that part of the settlement was that neither party would talk about the case, leading to a second lawsuit when Lewis discussed it publicly. Ouch! That must have hurt!

Music video and cultural icons

The music video for "Ghostbusters" was also a big hit. It featured Ray Parker Jr. performing the song with various celebrity cameos and clips from the film. Among plenty of other stars, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and the other stars of the movie appeared, adding to its popularity (it also didn't hurt that "Ghostbusters" isn't a bad movie).

The song became deeply tied to the Ghostbusters franchise, and its infectious "Who you gonna call?" chorus became a pop culture catchphrase. The song has been revived with each new Ghostbusters sequel and reboot, including the 2016 all-female reboot and the 2021 film Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Though new versions of the song have been recorded, Parker's original remains the most beloved.

Awards nomination

"Ghostbusters" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (a memorable tune in its own right, and I doubt even most Ghostbusters fans are that upset about the loss).

Still, even without sweeping award shows, Ray Parker Jr.’s "Ghostbusters" continues to be a part of our memories of '80s pop culture, and still heard at Halloween parties, sporting events, and beyond.

The Ghostbusters franchise is still pretty iconic, and commercially viable, and the song became an anthemic hit during the 1980s when it appeared frequently on television as part of The Real Ghostbusters. People remember and revisit it, as they might with old Nintendo Entertainment System games. Fun stuff!