Ray Parker Jr.'s infectious and unforgettable theme for the 1984 film Ghostbusters is an iconic piece of movie history that almost wasn't. Of course, the fun song that gifted viewers the phrase "Who ya gonna call?" (as well as a star-studded music video) became just as big of a hit as the Ghostbusters film itself, but that was far from a sure thing in the months leading up to the film's release. From the other songs considered to the amount of time Ray Parker Jr. was given to complete his task, the story behind the Ghostbusters theme is as captivating as the song itself.
Given the success and quality of the original Ghostbusters, it's a remarkable fact that the movie's production was both troubled and rushed. Extensive rewrites to the original Ghostbusters script, budget concerns from the studio, and a concise production window are just a few of the hurdles that creators Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman faced while making their film. As music is generally one of the last elements to be added to a movie, the hectic and hurried nature of Ghostbusters' development made finding the perfect theme song even more of a challenge.
Just as many aspects of Ghostbusters came down to quick decisions and snap judgments, Ray Parker Jr.'s involvement in the film was far from a sure thing. As Aykroyd and co. were scrambling to finish the film and name the ghost in the Ghostbusters logo, Columbia Pictures was rumored to have reached out to Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame, thanks to the success he had found writing "Holiday Road" for National Lampoon's Vacation the previous year. The film studio also received over sixty song submissions from other artists, none of which were deemed usable (via CBC). Parker Jr. was only tapped to write the song after he had already booked a flight to Los Angeles for a completely different project - not to mention that he was, at the time, largely focusing his efforts away from music in order to take care of his ailing parents. He ended up extending his Los Angeles stay by a few days, which, incidentally, was all the time he would get.
Given that the Ghostbusters theme would come to be used for several future projects (presumably including the never-made original Ghostbusters 3), it's remarkable that Ray Parker Jr. only had a few days to create it. When Parker Jr. got involved, the movie was already in the mixing process, meaning that music would be the next addition to the project. Though Parker Jr., a longtime session guitarist, wrote the music quickly, he has admitted to struggling with the theme song's lyrics. In the "Ghostbusters" episode of Netflix's The Movies That Made Us, Parker Jr. stated that he couldn't find a good way to sing the word "Ghostbusters," the inclusion of which was a must for the studio. Thankfully, when Parker Jr. was shown a cut of the film, he was struck by the in-movie Ghostbusters advertisement (which returns in Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Force Awakens-esque trailer). This reminded Parker Jr. of commercials for home services like plumbing and extermination, which led him to the phrase "Who ya gonna call?"
Parker Jr. was ultimately able to write and record his Ghostbusters theme in two and a half days. Upon completion, he hurriedly sent a cassette tape to Ivan Reitman, who immediately incorporated it into the film. Though Parker Jr. was originally asked to write less than a minute of music for the film's opening library scene, the track was extended to a radio-friendly four minutes. Ray Parker Jr.'s efforts were rewarded with a level of success he had never seen. The Ghostbusters theme quickly became a chart-topping smash and was even nominated for Best Original Song at the 57th Academy Awards. Though it's likely that a theme-less Ghostbusters still would have led to sequels and maybe even the return of Gozer in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ray Parker Jr.'s musical contribution surely helped the film become the undeniable classic it is today.
