Huey Lewis, Ray Parker Jr. And The Ghostbusters Theme

Ghostbusters is an icon of both the films of the 1980s as well as cinema in general. An absolute classic, the film simply wouldn’t be the same without its groovin’ and funkdafied theme song of the same name.. The grammy-nominated tune (for Best Original Song) is thought to have increased the film’s box-office gross by a whopping $20 million. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for three weeks.

However, those achievements aren’t the most interesting trivia surrounding the song.

After the filmmakers had difficulties finding the right song. Musician Ray Parker Jr. was brought in and given only a couple of days to come up with a theme for Ghostbusters. Parker somehow pulled it off and met the incredibly tight deadline.

However, shortly after the release of the film, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, claiming Parker Jr. had used the melody from the song, “I Want a New Drug,’ with a focus on the bassline. Director Ivan Reitman told Esquire in 2014 that they had cut the film’s montage to the tempo of ‘I Want a New Drug,’ sort of as a holding place. And producers reportedly told Parker Jr. they wanted a Huey Lewis-like sound for the song. Lewis received an out-of-court settlement in 1985 which included a clause that prohibited Lewis from discussing the case.

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All was fine for 16 years.

Then on an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music, Lewis broke the confidentiality agreement. For which Parker Jr. then sued him and won.

Alright, the basslines do sound very similar. Though I would like to be able to listen to the songs with the basslines isolated. However, copyright infringement in the world of music is somewhat finicky. With the case being settled out of court, I wonder if Lewis would have prevailed had the case went before a judge.

What do you think about the similarities between the songs? Let us know in the comments down below!

Sources: Medium, Wiki

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