Released in 1980 (is that vague enough for you?) this song reached #1 and sold over 2 million copies but if you've ever been to a party or a wedding since it was released, you've heard this song....placing it among a small handful of songs everyone on the planet has heard...….over and over and over.
So lets listen to it one more time......and just remember....its a celebration!
Released in 1980, this #1 song on the US charts has sold over 4 million copies but it could be used to save your life......or not.
The song was written by bassist, John Deacon, around a very simple but powerful bassline. In fact, it is so powerful that the British Heart Foundation has recommended that anyone performing CPR should sing this song as the bassline is nearly the perfect rhythm for restarting a human heart.
But imagine if you just had a heart attack and, essentially, you're dead and you suddenly regain consciousness only to discover someone hovering over you saying "..dun..dun..dun..another one bites the dust...dun..dun..dun..another one bites the dust...and another one gone and another one gone...another one bites the dust....hey...gonna get you too..another one bites the dust!" You might scream and wonder if you've been attacked by a serial killer that likes to push on his victims chests.
Enjoy the song...but please sing this one to yourself when saving a life.
Released in May of 1984, this theme song to the hugely popular film was about as simple a pop song as you could possibly imagine and yet.....it ended up in court and made Huey Lewis a lot of money. Until it cost him a lot of money.
Ray Parker Jr. was approached to do the theme for the comedy film, Ghostbusters, after Lindsey Buckingham turned down the chance......and, apparently, after Huey Lewis was also approached. Ray only had about 3 days to write and record the song and he felt incredibly silly singing the word "Ghostbusters" so he got his girlfriend and her sisters to sing it for him. Listen closely....he doesn't say the word.
The song (and the film) was a huge hit and reached #1 in the US charts and stayed there for 3 weeks. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars that year but lost to Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You (why? I have no idea).
Right after the song was released, Huey Lewis sued Ray and Columbia Pictures because this song bears a striking resemblance to Huey's song I Want A New Drug and they settled for an undisclosed amount of money. The settlement was confidential.....until Huey mentioned it in a VH1, Behind The Music documentary and Ray sued Huey....and won. Easy come, easy go.
The video features clips from the film along with a ghost Ray haunting a young woman who lives in a creepy house that looks like its under a bridge and is just a bunch of neon windows inside. The word Ghostbuster is, again, not sung by Ray but by miscellaneous stars from the time of the films release, including: Chevy Chase, John Candy, Peter Falk and Terry Garr, among others.
To this day, anyone from the 80's, when asked, "Who ya gonna call?" will immediately say "GHOSTBUSTERS!!" Just don't tell anyone that Ray payed you and you'll be ok.
