‘Ghostbusters’: New Theme Song From Fall Out Boy And Missy Elliott Is Certainly Not Ray Parker Jr.’s Classic

The reboot or remake or re-imagining of Ghostbusters has gotten a lot of flak and heat by longtime fans of the franchise and those who simply think it looks bad. The trailers have changed the minds of some and others are willing to give it a chance, but that may change yet again. The official theme song for the film has been released from Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott, and let’s just say that it really isn’t good.

Awesome, Fall Out Boy redid the Ghostbusters theme song. Maybe, if we’re lucky, Good Charlotte will rerecord The Beatles ‘Let it Be’.

— Tad Carpenter (@TadCarpenter) June 24, 2016

That is pretty much the overwhelming consensus from the majority of the internet. Social media users are far from the only ones that feel this way, though, and the negative press is coming in droves just as Paul Feig’s reboot was starting to gain a bit of positive traction.

Time believes that Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott are “here to ruin the Ghostbusters theme song.”

The Los Angeles Times questions how awful the new theme song really is and simply states, “Oh, it’s bad. Hauntingly bad.”

Some may hear Ray Parker Jr.’s classic theme song from the 1984 Ghostbusters and say it’s cheesy or very ’80s. Well, that’s exactly what it was supposed to be as it was the time period, but it also worked tremendously well for the film.

In 1989, Bobby Brown was tasked with doing the theme song for Ghostbusters 2, and “On Our Own” sounded quite simple and also rather ’80s. Again, it worked really well and seemed to fit the movie in perfect fashion.

“I’m Not Afraid” from Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott is something that grabs some inspiration from both of those theme songs and blends them together. Parker’s song is used a bit more as is to be expected, but it’s just not good and it’s hard to think it would work for any film at all.

So the new Ghostbusters Trailer look terrible, and now the theme is performed by Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliot. Why? #Ghostbusters

— Henry Cline (@HenryBrice) June 24, 2016

Unfortunately, this is going to have a lot of flack and negativity toward Paul Feig, and that’s not entirely fair. Ninety-nine percent of the time, directors and writers have nothing to do with the music that is written specifically for a film, and most movie theme songs aren’t usually good anyway.

Now, Ghostbusters is getting some of the worst reactions imaginable on social media, and at this point, it has nothing to do with the actual film. Making matters worse is that this song from Missy Elliott and Fall Out Boy is likely going to be heard numerous times in the movie and not just over the closing credits.

Set for release on July 15, Ghostbusters stars Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Christ Hemsworth, and a host of others. At this point, it is seeming more and more likely that the film will bomb. Perhaps having cameos from Dan Aykroyd, Billy Murray, Sigourney Weaver, and Ernie Hudson will help salvage it in some form or another.

Ghostbusters is trying very hard to make sure that it is a good film, one that many generations will be able to enjoy. The original was a classic that was marred a little bit by the sequel, but not enough to hurt its legacy. Ray Parker Jr. and Bobby Brown had songs that truly worked for the first two films, but Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliott’s new theme just doesn’t seem to do it. Needless to say, that’s how most of the world currently feels about it too.

[Image via Sony Pictures]