Ghostbusters (song)

"Ghostbusters" is a song written by Ray Parker Jr. as the theme to the film of the same name starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. Debuting at number 68 on June 16, 1984, the song reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on August 11, 1984, staying there for three weeks, and at number two on the UK Singles Chart on September 16, 1984, staying there for three weeks. The song re-entered the UK Top 75 on November 2, 2008, at No. 49.
It 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, regarding Parker's plagiarism of Huey Lewis and the News's song "I Want a New Drug", resulted in Lewis receiving a settlement.
Background.
According to Parker, he was approached by the film's producers to create a theme song for the film, though 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.
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 disc.
The theme is estimated to have added $20 million to the film's box office gross. 
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, 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. 
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. 
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. 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 .
Lawsuit.
Shortly after the film's release, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr, for plagiarism, alleging he had copied the melody (primarily the bassline) from Lewis' 1983 song "I Want a New Drug". The case was settled out of court in 1985 for an undisclosed sum and a confidentiality agreement that prohibited discussing the case. According to Parker, Jr. there were several lawsuits at the time, because "when you sell that many records, I think everybody wants to say that they wrote the song." Parker, Jr. later sued Lewis for breaching the confidentiality agreement in a 2001 episode of VH1's "Behind the Music", by reasserting Parker, Jr. stole the song. Regarding his case against Lewis, Parker, Jr. said, "I got a lot of money out of that." 
In a 2004 article, the filmmakers admitted to using the song "I Want a New Drug" as temporary background music in many scenes. They also noted that they had offered to hire Huey Lewis and the News to write the main theme but the band had declined. The filmmakers then gave film footage – with the Huey Lewis song in the background – to Ray Parker Jr., to aid Parker in writing the theme song.
Charts and certifications.
Weekly charts.
Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart on August 11, 1984, two months after the film's release, and remained there for three weeks. It spent a total of 21 weeks on the charts. 
Run-D.M.C. version.
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.
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. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson also make cameos as security personnel.
The Rasmus version.
The Finnish rock band The Rasmus recorded a cover of the song which is included on their debut album" Peep" and EP album" 3rd", both from 1996, as well as their compilation album" Hellofacollection" by 2001.
The Rasmus official website described the cover as:
Mickael Turtle version.
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.
Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott version.
"Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)", a version of the song by American rock band Fall Out Boy, featuring hip hop recording artist Missy Elliott, was released on June 23, 2016, off the film's remake motion picture original soundtrack, which was released on July 15, 2016. The cover received negative reviews from critics, who criticized its musical structure.
Walk the Moon version.
Another cover version of the song appears on the soundtrack album to the "Ghostbusters" reboot film. Unlike the very different song first released by Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott, Walk the Moon's version is much closer to the original song.
Parody.
American musician and comedian Neil Cicierega uses the song in "Bustin", released on his 2017 album Mouth Moods. It takes Parker Jr.'s vocals and edits them to feature many innuendos, most notably by repeating the titular line "Bustin makes me feel good" to use it as slang for masturbation.
In 2018, Automobile Dacia released a television advertisement for one of its models, the Duster, accompanied by the song, in an instrumental version, but with people in various costumes singing "Go, Duster!" when in the standard song the chorus says "Ghostbusters!".