Peak
1
Weeks
46
Score
9,245
Chart Year
1984
Scores & Rankings
Chart Performance
Peak Position1
Peak DateAug 11, 1984
Weeks at Peak6
Weeks Charted46
Weeks in Top 4031
Weeks in Top 1020
Weeks at #24
Weeks at #16
Scoring
Summary Calc4,756
Weekly Calc4,489
Total Score9,245
Rankings
Year Ranking#1
Decade Ranking#1
Billboard Year#1
Top 5000#166
Details
- Album
- Kid Krow
- Label
- Arista Records
- Genre
- Stage & Screen
- Composer(s)
- Ray Parker Jr.
- Entered Chart
- Jun 16, 1984
- Peak Date
- Aug 11, 1984
- Released
- June 8, 1984
- Recorded
- Unknown
- Catalog #
- Arista 1-9212
- B-Side
- "Ghostbusters" (Instrumental)
Music Video
The music video for the song was directed by Ivan Reitman, the same director as 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.[citation needed] Directed by Reitman, the "Ghostbusters" music video was number one 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.[5][6][7] The video concludes with Parker and the stars of the film, in full Ghostbuster costume, dancing down the streets of New York City. The crew closed down Times Square to film the scene, although a sizable crowd can still be seen in the background.[2] 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.
Notes
This was the theme song for the movie starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver. The film's director Ivan Reitman insisted that the title of the film be in the song, which made Ray Parker Jr. leery of the assignment. Once he started working on it, Parker wrote it in just a few days. Parker had to get pretty creative with this, as writing a song with the word "Ghostbusters" in it is quite challenging. In an interview with George Cole, author of The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis, 1980-1991, Parker said: "It sounds easy now because you've heard the song. But if somebody told you to write a song with the word 'Ghostbusters' in it, it's pretty difficult. That was the hard part - getting the title in the song." Parker added that he got his girlfriend and her friends to shout the title for the chorus, since he didn't want to sing it. Parker, who was a renowned session musician, played most of the instruments on the track. Huey Lewis sued Parker for plagiarizing the melody to his song "I Want A New Drug" on this track. They settled out of court and agreed not to talk about the case in public, but in 2001, Lewis revealed that Parker paid to settle the suit on an episode of VH1's Behind The Music. Parker then sued Lewis for violating the terms of their agreement. The video featured short appearances by a bunch of random celebrities, including George Wendt, Carly Simon, and John Candy. Martin Page played keyboards on this song, and Brian Fairweather played guitar. The English duo had a group called Q-Feel that got a lot of attention when their song "Dancing In Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)" was put in rotation on the Los Angeles radio station KROQ. They had done session work in England, performing on records for the group Tight Fit. When they came to America, they were thrilled to get the call to work on this track, as they were big fans of Ray Parker, Jr. and his group Raydio. Martin Page quickly established himself as a top songwriter, co-writing the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." When Ghostbusters II was released in 1989, another contemporary hit was expected for the film's theme song. This time, they didn't insist on having the word "Ghostbusters" in the title, which simplified the task. That song ended up being "On Our Own," which was recorded by Bobby Brown and written by Babyface, L.A. Reid and Darryl Simmons. This was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song From A Movie. It lost to "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder. In the 2016 documentary Hired Gun, Ray Parker, Jr. said: "To this day, people ask me, 'Are you tired of hearing people say, who you gonna call?' Well, no! It's like, am I tired of holding the best lotto ticket or the best thing to ever happen? No." This was used in the 2008 movie Be Kind Rewind in a scene where the main characters re-create the Ghostbusters movie. >> Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott came together to rework the famous theme for the 2016 Ghostbusters movie reboot. Their version was titled "Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)." According to an interview on Inside Edition, Parker did not approve or contribute to the cover. "I wish they had called me to maybe work with some of the younger guys and help them get a direction," he said. Parker added, "I'm just gonna say maybe I'm an old guy now and I like it the old way." This was used on Stranger Things in the season 2 episode "Trick Or Treat, Freak." An instrumental version plays while the boys are posing for photos in their Ghostbusters costumes, and the regular version plays during the end credits.
Ghostbusters! If there's something strange In your neighborhood Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! If there's something weird And it don't look good Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! I ain't 'fraid of no ghost I ain't 'fraid of no ghost If you're seeing things Running through your head Who can you call? Ghostbusters! An invisible man Sleepin' in your bed Ow, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! I ain't 'fraid of no ghost I ain't 'fraid of no ghost Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! If you're all alone Pick up the phone And call Ghostbusters! I ain't 'fraid of no ghost Ooh, I hear it likes the girls Hm, I ain't 'fraid of no ghost Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Mmm, if you've had a dose of a Freaky ghost, baby You better call Ghostbusters! Ow! Lemme tell ya something Bustin' makes me feel good! I ain't 'fraid of no ghost I ain't 'fraid of no ghost Don't get caught alone oh, no Ghostbusters! When it comes through your door Unless you just want some more I think you better call Ghostbusters! Ow! Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Uh, think you better call Ghostbusters! Ha ha, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! I can't hear you Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Louder Ghostbusters! Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Who can you call? Ghostbusters! Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Uh, it likes the girls too Ghostbusters!
Chart History (46 weeks)
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 16, 1984 | 68 | 58 |
| 2 | Jun 23, 1984 | 46 | 80 |
| 3 | Jun 30, 1984 | 29 | 97 |
| 4 | Jul 7, 1984 | 19 | 107 |
| 5 | Jul 14, 1984 | 8 | 118 |
| 6 | Jul 21, 1984 | 3 | 123 |
| 7 | Jul 28, 1984 | 2 | 124 |
| 8 | Aug 4, 1984 | 2 | 124 |
| 9 | Aug 11, 1984 | 1 | 125 |
| 10 | Aug 18, 1984 | 1 | 125 |
| 11 | Aug 25, 1984 | 1 | 125 |
| 12 | Sep 1, 1984 | 4 | 122 |
| 13 | Sep 8, 1984 | 4 | 122 |
| 14 | Sep 15, 1984 | 9 | 117 |
| 15 | Sep 22, 1984 | 13 | 113 |
| 16 | Sep 29, 1984 | 19 | 107 |
| 17 | Oct 6, 1984 | 43 | 83 |
| 18 | Oct 13, 1984 | 53 | 73 |
| 19 | Oct 20, 1984 | 66 | 60 |
| 20 | Oct 27, 1984 | 95 | 31 |
Weeks 1–20 of 46
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