From the very first mention that Ghostbusters 3 would not be happening and would instead be replaced by a women-led Ghostbusters reboot, controversy flooded the internet. Motivated by the apparent reasoning that highly talented comedians Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon weren’t suitable enough to don the Ghostbuster uniforms, an ongoing hate campaign has been directed at both director Paul Feig and his cast ever since.
It seems that when it comes to Ghostbusters, some fans may not be open to the idea of trying something different. Even recent praise for the new film from original franchise creator and co-writer Dan Aykroyd hasn't stemmed the criticisms. Scorned by many as nothing more than biased, profit driven incentives, Aykroyd's review just couldn't seem to get a fair chance from a certain segment of the original franchise’s fanbase.
This being the case, news of a reworking of the Ghostbuster’s 1984 hit theme song by Ray Parker Jr will likely meet further resistance from some. However, for the remainder of Ghostbusters fans who are looking forward to the film’s upcoming release, the idea of hip-hop star Missy Elliott collaborating with Fall Out Boy will be a great opportunity to see what can be done with the 32-year-old track. The band's official Twitter recently announced the collaboration, take a look:
FOB x @MissyElliott #Ghostbusters collab coming soon who ya gonna call? pic.twitter.com/teaspEHtEH— Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) June 2, 2016
Additionally, the band's bassist, Pete Wentz, confirmed the existence of the completed cover on Twitter in a response to Pop Justice editor Peter Robinson:
@Popjustice crossed one off the kid dream bucket list by covering Ray Parker theme with missy Elliot verse— t(-.-t) (@petewentz) June 2, 2016
There’s currently no word on a scheduled released date for the single, but at present the official soundtrack contains selections from Wolf Alice, Walk The Moon, Pentatonix, G-Eazy ft. Jeremih and 5 Seconds of Summer. The first single off the soundtrack, "Good Girls" by Elle King, was released June 3rd. There’s also no word as to whether or not this new incarnation of the Ghostbusters theme will contain any samples from Ray Parker Jr.’s original track.
When it was released alongside the original film back in 1984, Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters anthem was an instant hit, gaining an Oscar nomination for best original song and remaining in the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three straight weeks. With prestige like that, it’s understandable that a certain wariness over it being covered could exist – the song is after all, incredibly catchy and belongs to a time for which many feel intense nostalgia.
All that being said, musicians have been covering songs ever since people began listening to music. A different artist (or in this case different artists) taking on a classic does not mean the original ceases to exist. Just as a new Ghostbusters film has evolved into something different, so too will its soundtrack. In the end both deserve to be judged on their own merit and only once seen and heard.
Ghostbusters hits U.S. theaters on July 15th, 2016.