My first Halloween post for the blog can only feature one song, really. The timeless, the perfect, the spookily brilliant Ghostbusters!
The artist
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1954, Ray Erskine Parker Jr. was a musician from an early age. Inspired by his Elementary School music teacher, he began playing the clarinet at the age of six. Moving on to other instruments, especially the guitar, the young Parker became a member of the house band at Detroit’s 20 Grand nightclub during the late 1960s. The club regularly featured established Tamla/Motown acts and the members of one of these – The Detroit Spinners – were so impressed by his musicianship, they gave him a role in their touring group. Quickly becoming an established player on the scene, Parker was a guest guitarist on the 1972 Stevie Wonder song Maybe Your Baby, from the classic Talking Book album. In 1973, he joined Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, whilst he also played guitar for the likes of Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, The Temptations, and Gladys Knight & the Pips.
In 1977, Parker created the R&B group Raydio. Their single Jack and Jill reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, whilst the follow-up single You Can’t Change That also reached the top ten, in 1979. The group released three albums in total, before breaking up in 1981. Parker went solo and had eight Top 40 hits during his career, the biggest (by some considerable distance) being Ghostbusters…
Why I’ve chosen to write about this song
Just how many boxes does this song tick for me?! An eighties classic? Check! A song from a film? Check! A song from a film which is one of my favourites of all time? Check! A clever little guitar riff at the heart of the song? Check! A supernatural theme? Check, check, and check again! Jeez – this song could be the very reason I started this blog in the first place!
Parker was approached by the film’s producers really close to the end of production. He was specifically asked to include the film’s title in the lyrics, though he initially struggled finding a way of doing so, He was inspired by watching late-night television, specifically an advert for a local business which gave him the line “Who ya gonna call?” Realising he could use this and have a crowd respond by shouting the film’s title, the song as we know it was born!
Controversy followed though. Shortly after the film’s release, in June 1984, Huey Lewis sued Parker, stating that the Ghostbusters melody had been copied from Lewis’s 1983 song I Want A New Drug. I love both songs and I have to admit – the main guitar riffs are very similar. The case was settled out of court in 1985 for an undisclosed fee, with Parker lamenting that there were several lawsuits at the time, due to the success of the song (his reasoning – not mine…).
The video
It’s a video of the main song from one of the biggest films of the decade, so clearly it’s brilliant! There’s a lot going on here. A core story of a damsel in distress in a spooky neon-drenched scenario whilst Parker lurks around singing (and doing very little else of use to help the lady), this is interspersed with clips from the film, alongside cameos of celebs providing the backing vocals (including Chevy Chase, Irene Cara, John Candy, George Wendt (aka Norm from Cheers!), Danny DeVito, Carly Simon and Peter Falk). The video ends with Parker strutting his stuff through the streets of New York, joined by the four main stars of the film (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson). It’s a video that absolutely drips the eighties and I love it!
The stats
The song spent 31 weeks in the UK Top 100, from August 1984 to March 1985. First charting at number 56 in the 25/8/84 chart, the song quickly rose to a peak of number two in the 22/9/84 chart. For the stats fans, the song which held it off the top spot was Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You – a rare blip (i.e. it’s a bloody awful song!) from one of the greatest music artists of all time. The number 1 album at the time was Now That’s What I Call Music 3
The cover version
This is a song which is crying out for a really good rocked-up cover. Sadly, I’m struggling finding one! So, instead, I’m sharing this wonderful orchestral version. The joy within everyone involved is clear and infectious here – you can tell in an instant that everyone involved is having an absolute ball, especially the saxophonist. Lovely stuff.
The wrap-up
A simple wrap-up today. It’s Halloween. It’s an eighties music blog. It’s pretty much a given that I write about a song that sounds as fantastic here in 2026 as it did 42 years ago! There’s plenty to love and very little to dislike here – this is a song that makes me smile within a couple of seconds of that main riff kicking in. Turn it up loud, play the video, and see if you can resist the urge to dance around the kitchen like you’re one of Bill Murray’s gang!
Best wishes.
Mick
