Original Ghostbusters Composer Wanted To Help With New Theme Song

Who you gonna’ call? Well, if you’re Fall Out Boy, you’re probably not ringing up Ray Parker Jr. The Chicago pop-punk band has been flooded with critical backlash following the release of their remade version of Parker’s original Ghostbusters OST. The new track, which features Missy Elliot rapping, has fans universally scratching their heads. And, now, Parker is saying that he simply finds the single “interesting.”

Ouch.

Parker, who won a Grammy for his work back in ’84, was less than enthusiastic when asked about the song. He said, “I wished they had called me to maybe work with some of the younger guys and maybe get a direction. Because some of the main things that you should do with the music to a film like that, some of the young guys just didn’t do that at all.”

Calling the song “interesting,” Parker stood his ground and went on record saying, “I’m not going to say it’s good or bad…I liked it the old way.” Generally, it’s often a bad thing to have someone call your work interesting as the apparent compliment is usually paired with passive aggressive undertones. Clearly, Parker wasn’t very pleased with the franchise’s updated music as given his word choice. ‘Interesting’ is often what parents begrudgingly say when they’re trying to describe the consequences of their kids’ drunken escapades which leave them with, say, NSFW tattoos.

However, not all critics have completely bashed Fall Out Boy’s music. Billboard described the song as “rocking” and said, “As if further proof were needed that this isn’t your dad’s Ghostbusters reboot, Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott have stepped up to give Ray Parker Jr.’s shiny, happy 1984 theme song a radical, rocking remake.”

On the other hand, plenty of publications have not held back in sharing their confused feelings. Time Magazine said the single was “nightmare inducing” while Consequence of Sound wrote, “From the gates of hell emerged Fall Out Boy’s Ghostbusters theme song.”

The remake, which has been no stranger to controversy, aims to re-up the classic franchise for new audiences who’re both familiar and unfamiliar with the 1984 film. However, when it comes to fans like Ray Parker, it seems like many would’ve wanted the franchise to leave its iconic theme song live on untouched.

Have you heard the song yet? Check it out above and let us know what you think about Fall Out Boy’s remake!