Ray Parker Jr. -- Ghostbusters

 

Halloween is indeed just a few nights away and it looks like that trick or treat can go ahead in my neck of the woods, albeit carefully. Just wondering what Shibuya Scramble is going to look like this weekend with Tokyo treating things as if they're out of the woods but that's why I will be looking at the live camera overlooking the massive intersection over the next few days.

Of course, Thursdays also mean Reminiscings of Youth and that means that I'm putting up my first Halloween-themed ROY article today. I've decided to go with Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters". Who ya gonna call, and all that!

I remember all of the hoopla surrounding "Ghostbusters" when I was just a high school kid in 1984. It was seen as an exciting high-concept vehicle for the guys at "Saturday Night Live" and "SCTV" to come together with some of those amazing Industrial Light and Magic special effects. Ever the late bloomer, I didn't finally get to see the movie until the end of summer about three months after "Ghostbusters" had launched at theatres. Catching the Tuesday afternoon matinee, there was barely anyone inside aside from a few other folks including a young couple about two rows in front of me half-watching the movie and half-canoodling by themselves. I honestly focused on the cinematic experience in front of me.😶

"Ghostbusters" was a fun movie to be sure but I didn't particularly laugh out loud at most of the cracks since Bill Murray was the main jokester (merely smirked and lightly chuckled), and his humour has always been more of the dry and droll type, although I did burst out at the famous line above. That didn't mean that I didn't like the movie. As I said, it was fun and I enjoyed it because it had a heart. I actually cared for Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston and their proton packs as they were ready to believe paying customers with ghost problems. Mind you, I was no fan of the sequel overall.

Of course, the biggest calling card for the movie "Ghostbusters" was the single "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. as one popular and muscular commercial jingle. Yup, I did hear about the legal wrangles over plagiarism between Parker and Huey Lewis but a financial settlement put that to rest and a "Premiere" article in the early 2000s (via Wikipedia) finally explained what the heck was going on with that. Apparently, Parker didn't want a new drug but an old song...or the basic rhythm, at least.

But hey, I like both "Ghostbusters" and Huey Lewis and the News' "I Want a New Drug", although when I eventually put up a ROY for the latter group, I'll probably go with another one of their hits first. Anyways, there have been variations on "Ghostbusters" within the later movies but it's always been the original for me because of Greg Phillinganes' funky work on the keyboards and the fact that it does sound like the most infectious jingle with the call-and-response of "Who ya gonna call?" and "GHOSTBUSTERS!". Plus, there's the music video with Parker, the fetching young lady plus all of those celebrity cameos.

After its release in June 1984, it hit No. 1 in both Canada and the United States and it even ended up in the Top 10 in both nations' year-end charts. Even in Japan, Oricon's international chart had it at No. 1 for six weeks in a row. It was even nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars that year and I distinctly remember it being performed by Ray Parker Jr. at the ceremonies; it didn't go well. I've always wondered whether "Ghostbusters" was arranged so tightly and distinctly that only Parker and those Phillinganes keyboards could ever give it justice.

Although I'm keeping my expectations low, I hope that "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" does well. Strangely enough, this isn't Ray Parker Jr.'s first rodeo on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" since he did compose a tune in the late 1970s that has been covered by singer-songwriter EPO. Now, what were some singles that came out in June 1984...or thereabouts according to Showa Pops?

Takashi Sato -- My Classic: In Your Action!（マイ・クラシック）

Hiroko Yakushimaru -- Main Theme （メイン・テーマ）

Mariko Takahashi -- Momo Iro Toiki （桃色吐息）