Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Who's afraid of the new Ghostbusters song? Not me!

We've been hearing a lot of flack about the new female friendly Ghostbusters movie for months now and the haterade just keeps on flowing. The latest outrage is over the recently released revamped theme song, performed by Fall Out Boy with guest appearance by Missy Elliot.

The immediate response was that of horror, as various media outlets insisted that this was the "worst song ever" and "nightmare inducing". Well, as a fan of movie theme songs(even the bad ones), I was intrigued to say the least.

So, I found the audio edition video(at this time, there's no official movie clip version) and bent my ear to listen. Turns out that it's not as terrifyingly bad as many claim it to be:



Granted, your mileage may vary when it comes to Fall Out Boy( I like them well enough) but all in all, this is a perfectly suitable song for this particular version of Ghostbusters, just as the original Ray Parker,Jr. tune was for the now classic 1984 film.

I did notice a significant difference in the refrain, with FOB making it "I'm not afraid" instead of "I ain't afraid of no ghosts!", which to me signals the major difference between both films.

The first song is a whimsical adventure intro, emphasizing the comedic nature of the movie. The newer version seems to be more action adventure focused, which is not necessarily a bad thing. What both renditions have in common is aptly reflecting the spirit of the film and that is exactly what a theme song is supposed to do!:


Also, this isn't the first time the song has been remade. There are three other cover versions, including one that Run D.M.C. did for the Ghostbusters II soundtrack in 1989.

 Not to mention that if you're looking for bad movie theme songs, this new Ghostbusters song doesn't qualify at all for such a dubious honor. Remember Vanilla Ice and his "Ninja Rap" for TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze or better yet, former Ghostbuster Dan Ackroyd teaming up with Tom Hanks in a ham fisted rap for 1987's Dragnet? That's nightmare material,folks.

Movie theme songs are a tricky beast to tame but when done well, they can instantly bring to mind the thrill of seeing that particular movie for the first time. That's why even a new take on an old theme like this needs to set itself apart. Otherwise, it would be just a sorry retread of a song that detracts from the movie it's representing:


 Of course, some of this negativity for the new song is part and parcel of the whole "we hate the new Ghostbusters movie" bandwagon. Look, people, the movie is almost here and whether you like it or not, there is a possibility that it might actually be good.

Even if it's not, there are far worse things out there in the world right now, so if you don't want in, just change the dial and tune into something else. If nothing else, this new Ghostbusters is inspiring old fans and new to get together for some much needed laughs and we truly could use more of that positive energy these days.

Even the original cast is happy to see this twist on their former glory and the new players are eager to honor those who went before them. So, why don't we follow their example and not be afraid to take a few fresh pop culture steps on the dance floor:







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