I recently wrote about the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of July 21, 1984, today’s Throwback Weekend focus.
This was one of the weeks that Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ topped the chart, relegating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ to #2 and depriving The Boss of what would have been his only #1 hit.
Watching that drama from #3 was Ray Parker Jr.’s ‘Ghostbusters,’ theme song to the hit film. ‘Ghostbusters’ would ascend to #1 the following month and remain there for three weeks, just as its namesake movie was dominating the box office.
Parker Jr. was sued by Huey Lewis, who claimed this song copied his ‘I Want a New Drug.’ The parties settled for an undisclosed amount. The settlement included a clause that neither side would speak publicly about the matter, which Lewis violated when he stated on an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music that Parker Jr. stole the song. He ended up paying a healthy sum to the man who ripped him off.
If anyone thought the similarity between the two songs was a coincidence, that possibility was put to rest when Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman admitted that he scored early footage of the film with ‘I Want a New Drug’ and gave it to Parker Jr. as an inspiration for his own track.
(Ghostbusters)
If there’s something strange
In your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
If there’s something weird
And it don’t look good
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
[Chorus]
I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
[Verse 2]
If you’re seeing things
Running through your head
Who can you call?
(Ghostbusters)
An invisible man
Sleepin’ in your bed
Ow, who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
[Chorus]
I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
Uh, I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
[Verse 3]
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
If you’re all alone
Pick up the phone
And call
(Ghostbusters)
[Bridge]
I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
Ooh, I hear it likes the girls
Hm, I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 4]
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
Mm-ef, if you’ve had a dose of a
Freaky ghost, baby
You better call
(Ghostbusters)
Ow
[Interlude]
Lemme tell ya something
Bustin’ makes me feel good
[Chorus]
I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
Uh, I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost
[Verse 5]
Don’t get caught alone, oh no
(Ghostbusters)
When it comes through your door
Unless you just a-want some more
I think you better call
(Ghostbusters)
Ow
[Outro]
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
Uh, think you better call
(Ghostbusters)
Ha-ha, who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
I can’t hear you
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
Louder
(Ghostbusters)
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
Who can you call?
(Ghostbusters)
Who you gonna call?
(Ghostbusters)
Uh, it likes the girls too
(Ghostbusters)
Meet Me In Montauk 
I was just talking about the controversy and lawsuit with Daniel, and played him “I Want a New Drug” so he could hear the similarity.
Meanwhile, it’s rather crazy that Ray Parker, Jr. scored a number one hit with his plagiarized song while all of the great artists you have been featuring never achieved that.