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)
That Old Song
Ray Parker Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go hand in hand together
When you think you've gotten over one
The other holds on to your forever
I've tried hard to forget (To forget love)
Ever lovin' you
But just when I've convinced myself
That old song that they used to play (That old song)
On the radio just about every day
And whenever I hear it all I can do
Is reminisce about lovin' you
That old song that they still play (That old song)
Keeps me longin' for the good old days
The lyric and the melody (Melody)
Remindin' me how in love we used to be
I shouldn't be tellin' you this
I know that I'm out of place (Out of place)
But when I love another woman
I can still see your face, baby
Maybe this is a sign for us (We should get back)
To try and get back together
You can't imagine that those memories (Those memories)
Do to me every time I hear
That old song that they used to play (That old song)
On the radio just about every day
Whenever I hear it all I can do
Is reminisce about lovin' you
That old song that they still play (That old song)
Keeps me longin' for the good old days
The lyric and the melody (Melody)
Remindin' me how in love we used to be
(That old song)
Think of you and me
Every time I hear that song
I recall the good times
When I hear that song, that song, that song
Makin' me realize
That I want you back, girl
Every time I hear that song (Keep on playin' that old song)
Keep on playin' that old song
Ooh, when I hear that song (Keep on playin' that old song)
It reminds me of a love so strong, mmm...
Mr. DJ, would you please play (Keep on playin' that old song)
That old song
Help me bring my baby back home (Keep on playin' that old song)
Keep on playin', playin' that old song
Ba-de-ah-ba-de-ah
Ba-de-ah-ba-de-ah-ah-ah
The lyrics of Ray Parker Jr.'s song "That Old Song" talks about how a good song and a love affair go hand in hand. These two things are interconnected, when one is forgotten, the other holds on to you forever. The singer has tried to forget the girl he loves, but the memory of her is triggered every time he hears that old song that they used to play on the radio. The singer reminisces about the good old days and longs for the love he once had, as the melody and the lyric remind him of how much they were in love before.
In the second verse, the singer reveals that when he is with other women, he can still see her face, and maybe this is a sign for them to try and get back together. The singer is aware that he is out of place, but he cannot help the way he feels whenever he hears that old song. The chorus repeats the same theme of the old song reminding him of his old love and how much he misses it.
Overall, the lyrics of "That Old Song" are about the power of music in triggering memories of love and the constant longing for that love to return.
Line by Line Meaning
A good song and a love affair
A relationship and a song are similar in the way that they both require passion and emotion.
Go hand in hand together
They are interconnected and can bring back memories of each other.
When you think you've gotten over one
When you believe you have moved on from a relationship or song,
The other holds on to your forever
it can still linger in your thoughts and feelings for a long time.
I've tried hard to forget (To forget love)
I have made a conscious effort to move on from the love I once had.
Ever lovin' you
The strong emotional connection that they once shared.
But just when I've convinced myself
When I believe that I have finally moved on from you,
It's over with, then I hear
something, such as a song, brings back all the memories and emotions of the past.
That old song that they used to play (That old song)
A song that they used to listen to together and reminds him of his past relationship.
On the radio just about every day
The constant exposure to the song makes it more difficult for him to move on.
And whenever I hear it all I can do
It brings back memories of his ex-girlfriend and the love they shared.
Is reminisce about lovin' you
The song reminds him of all the good times they had together, and he can only think about how much he loved her.
That old song that they still play (That old song)
The song is still played and reminds him of the relationship that he has lost.
Keeps me longin' for the good old days
It makes him wish he could go back to that time in his life where he was happiest.
The lyric and the melody (Melody)
The words and the tune of the song that was once special to them.
Remindin' me how in love we used to be
It brings back memories of how strong their love once was.
I shouldn't be tellin' you this
He knows that what he is about to say is inappropriate.
I know that I'm out of place (Out of place)
He understands that he is being forward and out of line by proposing getting back together.
But when I love another woman
Despite being with another woman,
I can still see your face, baby
he can still visualize his ex-girlfriend who he still loves.
Maybe this is a sign for us (We should get back)
The song reminds him of the happy times in their relationship and makes him believe that they should rekindle it.
To try and get back together
He wants to rekindle the love they once shared.
You can't imagine that those memories (Those memories)
The memories that come back to him when he hears the song are intense and powerful.
Do to me every time I hear
The way this song affects him is overwhelming.
Think of you and me
The song makes him think of his ex-girlfriend and the love they once had.
Makin' me realize
The song reminds him of his true feelings and what he wants.
That I want you back, girl
He admits that he still loves her and wants to get back together.
Keep on playin' that old song
He wants the DJ to play the song that reminds him of his past love.
Ooh, when I hear that song (Keep on playin' that old song)
When he hears that song, he's transported back to a time when he was happy.
It reminds me of a love so strong, mmm...
The song brings back the intense love he once felt for her.
Mr. DJ, would you please play (Keep on playin' that old song)
He's pleading with the DJ to keep playing the song that reminds him of his past love.
Help me bring my baby back home (Keep on playin', playin' that old song)
He believes that this song will help him get his ex-girlfriend back.
Ba-de-ah-ba-de-ah
A nonsense lyric to create rhythm in the song.
Ba-de-ah-ba-de-ah-ah-ah
A variation of the nonsense lyric to maintain rhythm in the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY ERSKINE PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PatriciaSilva-oj3hf
This amazing song came out 40 years ago in 1981. Such an underrated song that deserves more airtime in this era of nonsensical music.
@blueyes816
Absolutely love Ray Parker Jr! Reminds me of my friend cruising down to the Jersey Shore
@drawnigh1
Facts
@fredricardo3272
I have loved this song for more than 40 years; but the part of the song that always brings me to tears is: “I tried hard to forget ever loving you.”
For me that’s been my relationship with the 80’s. No matter how I’ve tried I just can’t get over them. I think that those of you of a certain age know what I mean.
@MoosicandCritters
Absolutely 💯💔
@brucefitzgerald446
I'm on your side for that.
@patsy9605
Yep 😢
@Chi-Town23
Love this song.It was great in the 80's and is still great
@alvarotuneu4259
Con no mucho el líder de Radio logra un gancho tremendo, canción casi olvidada por completo, pero basta escucharla cada 3 o 4 años para que recobre su frescura y eterna vigencia de aquellos tiempos donde todo era mejor
@carlathedestructor2454
He is so underappreciated. He has some great songs and this is one of them.