“I hate that damn song!” by Ray Parker Jr.

By Eric Filipkowski, September 16, 2021

It may surprise you to hear, but Ray Parker Jr. has a deep- seated contempt for his most famous song, the “Theme From Ghostbusters.”
Unlike some artists, he hasn’t grown sick of the song over time, nor is his resentment born of being labeled a “one- hit wonder,” instead, his concern is solely with the subject matter

“I lied – I’m terrified of those damn ghosts!” he explained to Barbara Walters in an infamous 1985 interview. “My big brother Buzz used to lock me down in the basement and there was this spooky old wood-fired stove and it looked like a big scary monster mouth!”

It begs the question, why write a song about a subject you’re petrified of, but Parker Jr. claims it wasn’t even about the supernatural.
“It’s about beating off; jackin’ it!” He goes on, “I didn’t mean literal spirits, but when the sperms come out, they kind of look like ghosts, it helped me deal with with my fear to associate something pleasurable with something so awful, but that only goes so far!”

Parker Jr. tells of attending the movie premiere in Hollywood. What should have been a night of triumph was instead an anxiety-ridden nightmare: “I tried to watch that opening scene and I almost pissed myself, I had to watch the rest of the damn picture with my jacket over my head!”

The artist expressed some frustration that nobody ever seemed to get the subtext of the song. “Why’s everyone so simple-minded? It’s about bustin’ nuts! I mean, I almost come out and say it at the bottom of the bridge. What do they think “bustin’ makes me feel good” means? Am I just expressing satisfaction at a job well done? Shit!”