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)
I Got You
Ray Parker Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't know what to do
Cause I still can't get over
Lovin' you
I've had a time
But I can't get you off of my mind
No, I still can't get over
Lovin' you
Everytime I run into your friends
I just have to ask them
With who and where you've been
And when they tell me what I
Really didn't want to know
It only breaks my heart
And make me want you more
When I hear your name
I get more insane
Cause I still can't get over
Lovin' you
I can't turn you loose
Though I know
It's self abuse
I still can't over
Lovin' you
Now I've tried to get involved
With someone new
But it's just no use
'Cause I expected them
To be like you
Baby, I don't know what I'm gonna do
'Cause every girl I date
Resembles you
Oh, help me baby
I'm going crazy
I still can't get over
Lovin' you
No, no
It's tearing my heart apart
'Cause I still can't get over
Lovin' you
Girl I'm so sad
And it hurts me so bad
Knowing you're with someone else
(Someone else)
Though I have no right to be
I'm filled with jealousy
'Cause I want you for myself
I'm not blamin' you, no baby
It's not your fault that you don't feel
The way I do
And even though I wish
That you still loved me
It still won't change the way
I feel for you
I can't forget
'Cause it's not over yet
I still can't get over
Lovin you
Every breath you take
I'll be watch you girl
'Cause I still can't get over
Lovin' you
There's no way that
This thing is through
Naw, not yet
I ain't through lovin' you
I'm gettin' mad, girl
Don't you ever try to leave
Awl, no
Cause it'll be the last thing
You'll ever do
Lovin' you
I still can't get over
Lovin' you
Lovin' you
Oh, oh, oh
I still can't get over
Lovin' you
The song "Over You" tells the story of a person who is struggling to move on from a past love. The singer is confused and doesn't know what to do because they are still in love with their ex-partner, and they feel they can't get over this feeling. They have tried to move on and see other people, but nothing seems to work, and they are still fixated on the past love. The singer even starts feeling jealous and suspicious when they hear about their ex's whereabouts and romantic involvements. They feel as though they are going crazy due to their inability to forget about their past love.
The lyrics suggest that the singer's love for their ex will not fade away anytime soon. They are determined to keep loving this person despite the grief it brings them. The repetition of the phrase "I still can't get over lovin' you" emphasizes the depth of the singer's feelings, and the insistence that "there's no way that this thing is through" leaves no room for doubts. In conclusion, the song's message is a universal one β that moving on after a heartbreak sometimes takes much longer than expected, and we can't always control our feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm all confused
I am uncertain and unsure
And I don't know what to do
I am lacking direction
Cause I still can't get over
I am unable to move past
Lovin' you
My feelings for you
I've had a time
I have tried to move on
But I can't get you off of my mind
I am constantly thinking of you
Everytime I run into your friends
Whenever I see someone you know
I just have to ask them
I always inquire
With who and where you've been
Who you have been with and where you have been
And when they tell me what I
And when they inform me of what is going on
Really didn't want to know
That which I did not want to hear
It only breaks my heart
It only causes me pain
And make me want you more
And makes me yearn for you even more
When I hear your name
Whenever I hear someone mention you
I get more insane
I become more irrational
I can't turn you loose
I cannot let you go
Though I know
Even though I am aware
It's self abuse
That it is unhealthy for me
Now I've tried to get involved
I have attempted to start a new relationship
With someone new
With a different person
But it's just no use
But it has not been successful
'Cause I expected them
Because I wanted them
To be like you
To have similar qualities to you
Baby, I don't know what I'm gonna do
I do not know how to proceed
'Cause every girl I date
Because every woman I see
Resembles you
Reminds me of you
Oh, help me baby
Oh, assist me please
I'm going crazy
I am becoming insane
It's tearing my heart apart
It is causing me emotional pain
Girl I'm so sad
I am feeling very unhappy
And it hurts me so bad
And it is causing me a lot of pain
Knowing you're with someone else
Aware that you are in a relationship with another person
Though I have no right to be
Although I do not have a legitimate reason to feel this way
I'm filled with jealousy
I am experiencing feelings of envy
'Cause I want you for myself
Because I desire to be with you exclusively
I'm not blamin' you, no baby
I am not placing blame on you, no dear
It's not your fault that you don't feel
It is not your responsibility to feel
The way I do
Like I do
And even though I wish
Despite the fact that I desire
That you still loved me
For you to still have feelings for me
It still won't change the way
It still will not alter the manner
I feel for you
That I feel about you
I can't forget
I cannot erase from my memory
'Cause it's not over yet
Because the situation is not yet finished
Every breath you take
Anything you do
I'll be watch you girl
I will observe you
There's no way that
It is impossible for
This thing is through
This situation to be complete
Naw, not yet
No, not at the moment
I ain't through lovin' you
I have not stopped loving you
I'm gettin' mad, girl
I am becoming angry, girl
Don't you ever try to leave
Do not ever attempt to depart
Awl, no
No
Cause it'll be the last thing
Because it will be the final occurrence
You'll ever do
You will ever do
Lovin' you
Loving you
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Lovin' you
Loving you
I still can't get over
I am still unable to move past
Lovin' you
Loving you
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY ERSKINE PARKER, RAY JR. PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jenniferr9519
This song is so interesting. He begins very forthright, saying how much he misses her. He admits it's not her fault if she doesn't love him anymore. He admits to feeling jealous. He says he asks his friends with whom and where she's been, so he's not completely stalking her at that point. But as he goes on, and discusses how much being without her is tearing him apart, it seems the end is a culmination of heartbreak, self-abuse, and obsession. What an incredible talent Ray is. Definitely underrated.
@kelvinbryant7602
A very underatted song .One of my favorites.This song reminds of what I'm goin thru right now
@Eagles0690
You got all that from the song? Thatβs why this country is falling apart! Just enjoy the fucking music π π
@freedom4mealways
Forty years later after this song/video hit the charts, pop lovers still can't get over loving Ray Parker's music. Truly a gifted entertainer!
@therealbigpeevpeavy8463
I don't think back in 1983 people realized that this song is really the stalker's anthem!!πππI'm a HUGE Ray Parker Jr. fan from way back when and love this song, but hearing it as a 16yr old back in 1983 vs. a grown man now....it hits so different!!! LOL!!! Still love it though!!
@t-bo2734
That only becomes clear late in the song.
@jamesward6935
RPJ even appropriated the title and the most-repeated line of the biggest hit of 1983. Of course, the sordid lines of that song went directly over most people's heads...
@courylanders4142
β@@jamesward6935 Excatly!! He got the song from Every breath you take by the Police. And the ending lyrics are scary af!
@rodmoore1577
Lenny Williams "Cause I love you " has stalker all over it! I thought it was creepy the first time I heard it.
@spiraljoe1273
At 53 today, this is STILL in my ALL TIME TOP 10 FAVORITE singles - there is something about this song - the tempo, the vocal, the meaning, the simplicity yet elegance of the composition. or maybe just cus it was the 80's and soundtrack of my life, the fact that he is the first African-American man I had the hots for - whatever the reason, I just totally love it as much today as I did then.
Oh and talk about memories: The day this 45 vinyl finally hit the shelves at Camelot Music, I was 16 and just got my driver license and on my dinner break at my first job ever, I drove to the mall IN SNOW FOR MY FIRST TIME EVER because I had to buy this record.