There are a few movies that become pop culture figures upon or before their release. While most of these infamous movies are thought of positively, some gain notoriety due to negativity, whether it deserves it or not. This appears to be the case for the upcoming Ghostbusters movie, which has been the victim of hatred and trolling since the all-female cast was first announced. Fans of the original film have been outspoken for their disdain of the unreleased reboot, and now its soundtrack has been brought into the conversation. Rock band Fall Out Boy has recorded a cover of the famous Ray Parker Jr. "Ghostbusters" song, and it's been universally panned. Now the man behind the original has spoken up regarding the new cover.
Ray Parker Jr. wrote and released the original "Ghostbusters" song to accompany the 1984 comedy, even garnering himself an Academy Award nomination in the process. When speaking to Inside Edition, the recording artist gave his two cents regarding the less than stellar cover:
I'm not gonna say whether it's good or bad. I'm just gonna say maybe I'm an old guy now and I like it the old way. I wish they had called me to maybe work with some of the younger guys and help them get a direction.
While Ray Parker Jr. took the classy route and didn't trash the Fall Out Boy cover, his true feelings seem pretty clear. He doesn't love the new Ghostbusters theme, and I can't say that I blame him.
The original "Ghostbusters" song was truly a perfect musical interpretation of the movie. Funky, silly, and full of character, Ray Parker Jr.'s song served to capture the feel of Ghostbusters. The song itself would also cemented itself in pop culture history, and everyone still knows the answer when someone says "Who you gonna call?". Check out the original, complete with the awesome music video, below.
Conversely, Fall Out Boy's version is strangely disconnected to itself. It speeds through the signature lyrics, and it's so bizarre that not even Missy Elliot could save it with her feature during the bridge.
It's really surprising that no one from Fall Out Boy or their label ever reached out to Ray Parker Jr. before, during, or after recording of the new Ghostbusters theme. Surely his insight would have been helpful, and his stamp of approval would probably assist in stopping the arrows and stones that Ghostbusters purists have been throwing at the track. As a reminder of what we're talking about, here is the new version.
It's just not the same!
While I may not enjoy the Fall Out Boy version of "Ghostbusters", I'm not writing the movie itself off. The cast is phenomenal, and I'm really hoping that it is merely suffering from being trolled on the internet and a series of less than stellar trailers.
Ghostbusters will slime into theaters on July 15th, 2016.
