Top 10 Ray Parker Jr. Songs

Ueli Frey – www.drjazz.ch, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our top 10 Ray Parker Jr. songs list takes a look at the career of a songwriter and singer best known for his 1984 hit “Ghostbusters.” As big as that song had become for Ray Parker Jr., it must have been frustrating for the man because it had very much overshadowed all of the other great r&b songs that he was responsible for. Born in Detroit Michigan, Ray Parker Jr. was surrounded by soul music. The man would begin his career working with legends such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. You don’t get any better training than that.

Ray Parker Jr.’s early success came as a composer writing songs for such big time artists as Diana Ross, The Temptations, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs, and many more. Her first began to have hits on his own when he formed his group called Raydio. After releasing two albums with the group, Ray Parker Jr. went out on his own. Hew would release six solos albums while celebrating the release of some of the biggest hits of the 1980s.

# 10 – Jamie

We open up our Ray Parker Jr. songs list with his sensational single entitled “Jamie.” The song “Jamie,” was released as a single in 1984. The song was written by Ray Parker Jr. The song is about a woman cheating on her boyfriend. The song was a moderate success, reaching the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It describes the pain and heartbreak of being cheated on and is relatable for many people.

# 9 – Bad Boy

“Bad Boy” is a song by American musician Ray Parker Jr., released as the third single from his album The Other Woman. The song was written by Parker and his frequent collaborator Jeffrey Cohen and produced by Parker. The song’s lyrics concern an attractive woman who is a bad boy’s downfall and has a strong groove and synthesizer-based production. “Bad Boy” was covered by the British girl group The Saturdays for their debut album Chasing Lights (2008). The song was also featured in the 2004 film White Chicks.

# 8 – A Woman Needs Love

American band Raydio had a huge hit in 1978 with “Jack and Jill,” but it was the follow-up single, “A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do),” that made them a household name. The song was written and produced by Parker, and it reached the Top 10 on both the pop and R&B charts. The song’s video was also popular, and it helped to cement Parker as one of the era’s top performers.

# 7 – Two Places At The Same Time

“Two Places at the Same Time” is recorded by American group Raydio. It was written by Ray Parker Jr. and produced by Quincy Jones. Released as the lead single from the album Raydio, it peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine on the R&B chart. The song was featured in the 1980 comedy film Nine to Five, starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin.

# 6 – I Still Can’t Get Over Loving You

I Still Can’t Get Over Loving You was song number six on the album Chartbusters, released by Ray Parker Jr. in 1984. The song was written by Parker and his writing partner, Jeffrey Cohen. The song is a ballad about a man still in love with his ex-girlfriend. It describes the feeling of being unable to get over someone you used to be in love with.

# 5 – Let Me Go

“Let Me Go” is a song by American singer Ray Parker Jr., released as the second single from his 1982 album The Other Woman. The song is about a man trying to convince his girlfriend to let him go. It describes the feeling of being trapped in a relationship and wanting to break free. The lyrics are written in the first-person perspective. The song was a moderate success, peaking at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also peaked at number 12 in the United Kingdom.

# 4 – The Other Woman

This was the second single from Parker’s second album, The Other Woman. It is a great song about a man being cheated on by his woman. The lyrics are very clever, and the song is very catchy. It was a big hit on the R&B charts and helped to make Parker a household name. The song describes the anger and betrayal that the man is feeling, and it is easy to see why it became such a popular song.

# 3 – Jack and Jill (Back Up the Hill)

At the number three spot on our top 10 Ray Parker Jr. songs list is the very smooth song entitled “Jack and Jill.” The song is about a young couple in love and features Parker’s most memorable guitar work. It describes the couple’s playful courtship and how they spend their time together. The song was a huge hit and is great to listen to on a summer day. Ray Parker Jr. sang this song with many souls, and the guitar work is excellent.

# 2 – You Can’t Change That

Just off the number one spot on our Ray Parker Jr. Songs list is the legendary r&b track entitled “You Can’t Change That.” The song was originally released by the r&b group Raydio. It was released in 1979 as the second single from the album Rock On. The song was written by Parker and produced by Parker and Quincy Jones. It’s amazing how many songs and recordings had the hands and ears of the brilliant Quincy Jones at the helm. The song is about a man trying to tell his girlfriend that he can’t change who he is. Several artists have covered the song, including INXS, Aaron Neville, and Tower of Power.

# 1 – Ghostbusters

The classic theme song from the Ghostbusters movie is Ray Parker Jr.’s biggest hit. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for an Academy Award. The song describes the Ghostbusters’ job of capturing ghosts. The lyrics also name many of the ghosts that the Ghostbusters have captured. They describe the ghosts as “screaming” and “howling.” The film Ghostbusters as well as the song were one of the biggest cultural successes of the 1980s. They have tried repeating the success of the film many times in sequels and reboots, but nothing ever comes close to the originals. The song played a major part in the marketing of the film. Whenever you think of the film, you can’t help but remember the songs and that iconic line….”I ain’t afraid of no ghost.”

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