Every October, it sneaks back onto playlists like a boppy little ghost, popping up on radio rotations, Halloween party mixes and TikTok videos that refuse to die. However, Ray Parker Jr.'s “Ghostbusters” wasn’t born during Spooky Season like most would assume. It was a summer hit.
Released on June 8, 1984, just days before Ghostbusters hit theaters, Parker’s supernatural earworm climbed the charts during the warmest weeks of the year. It officially hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by August 11, 1984, and it made itself at home for the next three weeks. That means the quintessential Halloween anthem was actually dominating the charts while fans were still sipping piña coladas and cranking up the A/C.
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Parker was approached by Columbia Pictures senior vice president Gary LeMel to create a theme song for a comedy about ghosts. It came with a catch, though. He had only a few days to write it.
“He said that he had tried everything. They had spent a year trying to find somebody to write their song, and he just called me up and said, ‘You’re the guy to do it,’” Parker, 71, said in an interview with Music Radar published on February 3, 2024.
He saw a cheap late night ad that was similar to the one in the film, and it inspired the hook: “Who you gonna call?” That simple, tongue-in-cheek line became one of the most quotable phrases in pop culture. The song’s infectious groove and sly humor captured the movie’s spirit so perfectly that Parker landed his first (and only) No. 1 hit. It even earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, though he lost to Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
The Haunting That Never Ends
Even though “Ghostbusters” dominated the summer of ’84, it’s now inseparable from Spooky Season. Every year around Halloween, the song returns from the afterlife.
In 2023, it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 45 after streams surged by more than 168 percent, thanks to Halloween playlists and party DJs. In 2024, it climbed even higher, re-charting at No. 28, marking its best performance since 1984.
Nearly four decades later, “Ghostbusters” still refuses to cross over to the other side.
Why It Still Works
Part of the song’s staying power comes from its tone. It’s spooky but playful, and catchy with just the right amount of cheese. It hits that sweet spot between nostalgia and novelty, the same energy that makes "Thriller" and "Monster Mash" crawl back up the charts every October.
And while Parker’s funky riff was famously accused of borrowing from Huey Lewis and the News’ “I Want a New Drug” (a lawsuit later settled out of court), even that controversy couldn’t dim its charm.
The truth is, “Ghostbusters” is a long-lasting favorite because it’s fun. The kind that doesn’t care what season it is.
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