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)
So Into You
Ray Parker Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All my life
I′ve elected
To keep my feelings
Well protected
I've acted like a fool
Trying to hide my heart from you
Or had the nerve to say
Girl I′m so into you, I'm so into you (into you)
Though I may not show it
I'm so into you, so into you (into you)
I open up my heart to you
As a boy
I grew up, being lonely and never in love
Now I just began to understand
A little more about romance
So I′m hoping you′ll understand this lonely man
Cause I'm so into you, I′m so into you (into you)
Help me feel easy
I'm so into you, I′m so into you (into you)
I 'm putting all my trust into you
Honey your the first yes it′s true
I want to experience love with you
So I'm hoping that you can get into me
Half as much as I am into you
I'm so into you, so into you (into you)
I want you in my life
I′m so into you, girl so into you (into you)
I′m in love, I'm in love with you
I′m in love, I'm in love with you
Baby I want you for my lady
Ooh, my lady
I swear I love you girl
I love you
The lyrics of Ray Parker Jr.'s song "So Into You" express the singer's vulnerability and his struggle to show his true feelings to his love interest. Throughout his life, he has chosen to protect himself by hiding his emotions but now, he finds himself falling deeper and deeper for this woman. He is opening up his heart to her, showing her a side of himself that he has never revealed before. He admits that he is acting like a fool, but he cannot resist the pull of his feelings for her. He desperately wants her to understand that he is not trying to play games or hide anything, rather he is entrusting her with his heart.
The lyrics also touch on the singer's past, where he grew up being lonely and without experiencing love. Now, he wants to experience love with this woman and is hoping that she will give him a chance to show her how much he cares. He asks her to get into him as much as he is into her, expressing his willingness to take a risk and put his trust in her.
Overall, the lyrics of "So Into You" convey the message of vulnerability, trust, and the fear of rejection that comes with falling in love. The singer is taking a leap of faith by revealing his true feelings, and he is hoping that his love interest will reciprocate them and be his lady.
Line by Line Meaning
All my life
Throughout my entire existence
I′ve elected
I have chosen
To keep my feelings
To conceal my emotions
Well protected
Deeply guarded
I've acted like a fool
I have behaved stupidly
Trying to hide my heart from you
Attempting to keep my affection for you hidden
And never I have I felt this way
I have never experienced these emotions before
Or had the nerve to say
Or had the courage to express them
Girl I’m so into you, I'm so into you (into you)
My feelings for you are incredibly intense
Though I may not show it
Although I may not demonstrate it
I'm so into you, so into you (into you)
I am completely enamored with you
I open up my heart to you
I am vulnerable with you
As a boy
When I was young
I grew up, being lonely and never in love
I matured without experiencing romantic love
Now I just began to understand
I am only just starting to comprehend
A little more about romance
The basics of love and relationships
So I’m hoping you’ll understand this lonely man
Therefore, I hope you can empathize with my isolated state
Cause I'm so into you, I’m so into you (into you)
Because I have such strong feelings for you
Help me feel easy
Please make me feel at ease
I'm so into you, I'm so into you (into you)
I am truly captivated by you
I'm putting all my trust into you
I am placing complete reliance on you
Honey you're the first yes it's true
You are indeed the first
I want to experience love with you
I wish to encounter romance with you
So I'm hoping that you can get into me
Therefore, I hope you can reciprocate my feelings
Half as much as I am into you
To half of the extent that I am enamored with you
I want you in my life
I desire your presence in my life
I'm in love, I'm in love with you
I am infatuated with you
Baby I want you for my lady
Darling, I desire you as my partner
Ooh, my lady
Oh, my love
I swear I love you girl
I genuinely and ardently love you
I love you
I love you
Writer(s): Ray Parker Jr.
Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.