| "Ghostbusters" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:RayParkerJrGhostbusters7InchSingleCover.jpg) One of European variants of non-US artwork | ||||
| Single by Ray Parker Jr. | ||||
| from the album Ghostbusters: Original Soundtrack Album | ||||
| B-side | "Ghostbusters" (instrumental) | |||
| Released | June 8, 1984 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Parker Jr. | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Parker Jr. | |||
| Ray Parker Jr. singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative release | ||||
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Ghostbusters_by_Ray_Parker_Jr_US_single_side_A.png) Side A of the US single | ||||
"Ghostbusters" is a song written by American musician Ray Parker Jr. as the theme to the 1984 film Ghostbusters, and included on its soundtrack. Debuting at number 68 on June 16, 1984, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, staying there for three weeks (Parker's only number one on that chart), and at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart on September 16, staying there for three weeks. The song reentered the UK Top 75 on November 2, 2008 at No. 49 and again on November 5, 2021, at No. 38.
The song was nominated at the 57th Academy Awards for Best Original Song but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You". A lawsuit accusing Parker of basing the song's melody on Huey Lewis and the News's song "I Want a New Drug" resulted in Lewis receiving a settlement.
- ^ Graff, Gary (June 8, 2014). "'Ghostbusters' At 30: A Soundtrack Appreciation". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (August 28, 2020). "The Number Ones: Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters". Stereogum. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
And underneath all this jubilation, a simple, electric, instantly familiar synth-rock jam pulses away.