Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters (1984)

After 60 other songs were rejected, R&B crooner Ray Parker Jr. was asked to write the theme to Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters (1984).  With lyrics like "bustin' makes me feel good," you wonder how the song ever received radio airplay.  It became Parker's biggest hit, spending three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 57th Academy Awards, losing to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You."

Huey Lewis was among several artists who previously declined to write the theme song, but his hit "I Want A New Drug" was used as the temp score and was to give Ray Parker Jr. a jumping off point to write his own theme song.  If the melody and bassline sound somewhat familiar, you're not alone.  Ray was a bit too inspired and Huey Lewis sued him for plagiarism.  Years later, Parker sued Huey Lewis for breach of confidentiality after Lewis spoke about the incident in an episode of VH1 Behind The Music.

For the video, Ray haunts a sexy blonde in a house full of 80s neon before taking to the streets with The Ghostbusters.  Together, they perform elaborate dance moves in the heart of Times Square interspersed with a slew of celebrity cameos.  How this didn't win Best Choreography at the MTV Video Music Awards remains a headscratcher to this day.

Location: Ray & The Ghostbusters Bust A Move

Address: Broadway & 44th Street, New York, NY

Location Visited: December 2020

Related Locations: 

Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

Locations Master List