Early Work
In the mid-1970s he was a sideman in Barry White's "Love Unlimited Orchestra", before creating Raydio, an R&B group, in 1977, with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. Parker appeared briefly in the 1974 film "Uptown Saturday Night" as a guitar player. Parker also wrote songs and did session work for The Carpenters, Rufus and Chaka Khan,Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Leon Haywood, Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs, Rhythm Heritage, and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Raydio
The group scored their first big hit, with Arista Records, "Jack and Jill" off of their self-titled album in 1978. The song was # 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, earning a Gold record in the process.
Their successful follow-up hit, "You Can't Change That" was released in 1979, off of the Rock On album. The song was a Top 10 hit, making it up to # 9 on the Billboard charts during the same year it was released.
In 1980, the group became known as Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio, and the group released two more albums: Two Places at the Same Time in 1980 and A Woman Needs Love in 1981.
During the eighties Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio had two Top 40 hits ("Two Places at the Same Time" - # 40 in 1980 and "That Old Song" - # 21 in 1981) and their last and biggest hit "A Woman Needs Love," released in 1981, went to # 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, and # 1 on the R&B Charts for two weeks in 1981.
The Solo Years and Ghostbusters
Raydio broke up in 1981, while Ray Parker Jr. continued with his solo career, scoring six Top 40 hits, including the hit single "The Other Woman" (Pop # 4) in 1982 and "Ghostbusters" in 1984.
Parker was one the first black artists to venture into the then-fledgling world of music videos. He actually made two different videos for his hit "The Other Woman". The first was Halloween-themed and centered around a haunted castle with dancing corpses and vampires. The second was more performance-oriented, with Parker performing the song against a outer space background with backup singers. MTV initially refused to air either video because, at the time, no videos for black artists were shown and, in the case of the "haunted castle" video, Parker was depicted as having interracial relationships, which MTV didn't want to promote.
"Ghostbusters" was a title track of the Gold-selling soundtrack of the hit movie Ghostbusters (but the song has now sold upwards of 28 million units internationally according to Parker in 2007)[citation needed], starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. The single was at #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and at #1 for two weeks on its Black Singles chart. The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1984 but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red.
He also made an acting appearance on the 1980s sitcom Gimme a Break starring Nell Carter.
Controversy surrounding Ghostbusters
Parker was accused of plagiarizing the melody from Huey Lewis & the News song "I Want a New Drug" for his 1984 #1 hit theme to Ghostbusters, released only six months after Lewis' hit reached #6 in the Billboard Hot 100. This ended with Lewis suing Parker, and the pair settled out of court in 1995.
They returned to court once again in 2001, as Parker sued Lewis for breaching a confidentiality agreement forming part of their original out of court settlement which prohibited either side from speaking about it publicly. Lewis had revealed in a VH1 Behind The Music special that Parker had paid a financial settlement as part of the original agreement.
Continued Songwriting
Ray Parker Jr. also wrote and produced hits for New Edition ("Mr. Telephone Man"), Randy Hall, Cheryl Lynn ("Shake It Up Tonight"), Deniece Williams ("I Found Love") and Diana Ross. He also performed guitar on several songs on La Toya Jackson's 1980 debut album.
Raydio Discography
* Raydio (1978) #27 US
* Rock On (1979) #45 US
* Two Places at the Same Time (1980) #33 US
* A Woman Needs Love (1981) #13 US
* Greatest Hits (1982)
Ray Parker Jr. Discography
* The Other Woman (1982) #11 US
* Woman Out of Control (1983) #45 US
* Ghostbusters (Soundtrack) (1984) #6 US
* Chartbusters (1984) #60 US
* Sex and The Single Man (1985) #65 US
* After Dark (1987) #86 US
* I Love You Like You Are (1991)
* I'm Free (2006)
Girls Are More Fun
Ray Parker Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girls are more fun
The party ain't begun till all the girls come
Girls are more fun, mmm
Make you dance to the music
Have a good time, mmm
I could tell the way she moved, yeah
She said the girls decide if it's gonna be dead or alive
'Bout choosing to arrive or not to show, mmm
Please understand, she took me by the hand
And pulled me closer than you want to know
Then she whispered to me
Girls are more fun, ooh, ooh
Girls are more fun
The party ain't begun till all the girls come
'Cause girls are more fun, ah, ooh
Good night turned to late night
We're still on the floor, uh
Drove my mind through the red light
Before she said, "Go", uh, well (Baby, let's go)
It was party time, her body close to mine
That familiar line, dancin' slow, ho
It was up and down, in, out, and all around
She never made a sound till she let go
It when somethin' like this, oh
Girls are more fun, ooh, ooh
(Girls are more fun) You know the girls are more fun, mmm
The party ain't begun till, uh, till everyone
Girls are more fun
Everybody say, "Yeah" (Yeah, yeah), oh, yeah
Girls are more fun, uh
Put your hands in the air (Yeah, yeah) if you believe
Girls are more fun, oh
Oh, the world is confused, you read it in the news
Every day they're findin' somethin' new, ho, oh
Girls are more fun, mmm
(Girls are more fun)
For those of you who've gone the other way
Girls are more fun, oh, yeah
The magic stare, nothing can compare
It's the best feelin' anywhere
Girls are more fun, ooh, ooh
Girls are more fun
The party ain't begun till all the girls come
'Cause girls are more fun
Everybody say, "Yeah" (Yeah, yeah)
Girls are more fun, yeah
Put your hands in the air (Yeah, yeah) if you believe
That the girls, the girls are more fun, let me hear you
Girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah)
Girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah), yeah, hoo
Girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah)
You know the girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah)
Girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah)
Girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah)
Girls are more fun
The song "Girls Are More Fun" by Ray Parker Jr. is a celebration of the female gender and how they are the life of the party. The opening lines state "Girls are more fun, ooh, ooh / The party ain't begun till all the girls come", making it clear that the presence of women is essential for a good time. The verse describes how the singer is drawn to a woman on the dance floor, with her movements indicating that she wants to have a good time. He notes that women are decisive, stating that "the girls decide if it's gonna be dead or alive", and that their arrival is crucial to the success of the party.
In the chorus, the singer repeats the phrase "Girls are more fun" multiple times, emphasizing the message of the song. He asks the audience to put their hands in the air if they believe that girls are more fun, creating a call-and-response effect. The bridge takes a dramatic turn, with the singer acknowledging that the world is confusing and full of bad news. However, he asserts that despite all of this, "Girls are more fun" remains a universal truth that everyone can agree on.
Line by Line Meaning
Girls are more fun, ooh, ooh
Girls bring more excitement and enjoyment to life
The party ain't begun till all the girls come
The presence of girls is necessary to make the party fun
Make you dance to the music
Girls can make you dance to the rhythm of music
Have a good time, mmm
Girls can make sure you have a great time
I could tell the way she moved, yeah
A girl's movements can communicate her intentions
She said the girls decide if it's gonna be dead or alive
Girls have the power to make or break the vibe of the party
'Bout choosing to arrive or not to show, mmm
Girls can choose to come or not to come to the party
Please understand, she took me by the hand
A girl can guide you through the party
And pulled me closer than you want to know
A girl can make your night very interesting
Then she whispered to me
A girl can share secrets with you
Good night turned to late night
The night can become more exciting with girls
We're still on the floor, uh
The party is still going strong with girls
Drove my mind through the red light
A girl can make you lose control
Before she said, "Go", uh, well (Baby, let's go)
A girl can be the one to initiate something more
It was party time, her body close to mine
A girl's body can be very alluring at the party
That familiar line, dancin' slow, ho
A familiar dance with a girl can be thrilling
It was up and down, in, out, and all around
A girl can take you on a wild ride
She never made a sound till she let go
A girl can be unpredictable and surprising
Oh, the world is confused, you read it in the news
The world can be a confusing place, but girls can bring clarity
Every day they're findin' somethin' new, ho, oh
The world is always changing, but girls remain fun
For those of you who've gone the other way
For those who prefer something else, this song is not for you
The magic stare, nothing can compare
A girl's gaze can be captivating
It's the best feelin' anywhere
Being with a girl can be the best feeling
Everybody say, "Yeah" (Yeah, yeah)
Let's celebrate how great girls are
Put your hands in the air (Yeah, yeah) if you believe
If you agree that girls are awesome, show it with your hands
That the girls, the girls are more fun, let me hear you
Let's all acknowledge together that girls are the life of the party
Girls are more fun (Yeah, yeah)
Girls bring more enjoyment to life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY ERSKINE PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donna Means: You Can Call Me LaLa!
I woke up thinking about this song. I haven't heard it over 30 years. Rare gem. Thank you for posting it.
Darlene Goodwin
Same here.
Michele Laraia
11/4/2023,1st time.🇮🇹
Eugene Dalton-Ruark
The backing vocal harmonies, are quite something on this tune.
Trudy Crockett
You know out of all the songs that Ray Parker Jr. has ever sung ( Girls are more fun ) , is my favorite song ever.
Eric Bear!
Great song and even better video! Some outstanding choreography here!
nicolas Funk
Awesome pure 80’s stuff here !!
Paulo Cesar
Show de bola é só ter tempo que agente acha música e cantores do nosso tempo aqui é Brasil.
Jason Foley
despite the dark side of the 1980's, that time was still a time of fun
Fausto Pacheco
racist