Ghostbusters II (soundtrack)

Ghostbusters II is the soundtrack album for the film of the same name, released by MCA Records in 1989.^[1] The soundtrack includes the Billboard Hot 100 number two hit "On Our Own" performed by Bobby Brown, as well as Run-D.M.C.'s rendition of "Ghostbusters". The film score, Ghostbusters II: Original Motion Picture Score is composed by Randy Edelman.^[2] Since the release of the film in 1989, the complete film score was unreleased, until it was finally released on August 13, 2021.^[3]

Ghostbusters II

Ghostbusters II
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	June 12, 1989
Genre	New jack swing[4]
Length	44:55
Label	MCA
Ghostbusters soundtracks chronology
Ghostbusters: Original Soundtrack Album (1984) Ghostbusters II (1989) Ghostbusters: Original Motion Picture Score (2006)
Singles from Ghostbusters II
"On Our Own" Released: May 30, 1989 "Ghostbusters" Released: July 12, 1989

Development

Ray Parker Jr. helped develop an updated version of his hit song "Ghostbusters", performed by Run-D.M.C.^[5][6] Aiming to replicate the success of the original soundtrack, producer Peter Afterman wanted to hire Bobby Brown, who had a recent succession of hit songs.^[7][8] To secure Brown's involvement, Afterman offered Brown's music label, MCA Records, the rights to the soundtrack. Brown agreed in exchange for receiving a role in the film. Filming had nearly concluded at that time, but Reitman wrote Brown a cameo as the mayor's doorman.^[8][7][9]

Brown worked with Dennis Austin, Larry White and Kirk Crumpler to write and produce "We're Back".^[10] Other songs on the soundtrack include "Flip City" by Glenn Frey, "Spirit" by Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew, and "Love is a Cannibal" by Elton John. The song "Flesh 'n Blood" by composer Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo was written for the film but Elfman said he was disappointed that only four musical bars of it were used. He thought the small usage was an excuse to be able to release it on the soundtrack and said if he had known he would have pulled the song.^[11][12]

Singles

Two singles were released from the album, Bobby Brown's "On Our Own" and Run-D.M.C.'s "Ghostbusters". Brown's single performed better, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100, while Run-D.M.C.'s did not chart. Music videos were released for both.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer	Length
1.	"On Our Own"	L.A. Reid Babyface Daryl Simmons	Bobby Brown	4:53
2.	"Supernatural"	Garry George Johnson James Harris Terry Lewis	New Edition	4:34
3.	"The Promised Land"	Bobby Caldwell Paul Gordon	James "J.T." Taylor	3:22
4.	"We're Back"	Bobby Brown Dennis Austin Larry White Kirk Crumpler	Bobby Brown	5:10
5.	"Spirit"	Doug E. Fresh Bernard Wright	Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew	4:14
6.	"Ghostbusters"	Ray Parker Jr.	Run-D.M.C.	4:10
7.	"Flesh 'n Blood"	Danny Elfman	Oingo Boingo	4:17
8.	"Love is a Cannibal"	Elton John Bernie Taupin Davey Johnstone	Elton John	3:53
9.	"Flip City"	Glenn Frey David Wolinski	Glenn Frey	3:31
10.	"Higher and Higher"	Gary Lee Jackson Carl William Smith Raynard Miner	Howard Huntsberry	4:09
Total length:				44:55

The movie includes two versions of the song "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher": Jackie Wilson's original version was used during the dancing toaster scene, and a cover by Howard Huntsberry was used during the Statue of Liberty scene. The soundtrack only included the Howard Huntsberry version.

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Ghostbusters II

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13]	18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14]	48
US Billboard 200[15]	14

Year-end charts

1989 year-end chart performance for Ghostbusters II

Chart (1989)	Position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[16]	86
US Billboard 200[17]	98

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Ghostbusters II

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18]	Gold	50,000^
United States (RIAA)[19]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Ghostbusters II: Original Motion Picture Score

Ghostbusters II: Original Motion Picture Score
Film score by Randy Edelman
Released	August 13, 2021
Recorded	1989
Genre	Film score
Length	51:27
Label	Sony Classical
Producer	Randy Edelman
Ghostbusters soundtracks chronology
Ghostbusters: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2016) Ghostbusters II: Original Motion Picture Score (2021) Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)

Development

Randy Edelman composed the score for Ghostbusters II.^[20][21] It was one of Edelman's first experiences working with a large scale orchestra. Although familiar with Ghostbusters, he chose not to re-watch it for inspiration so the sequel would have its own unique sound. Edelman believed the distinct personalities of the existing characters meant they rarely needed a musical accompaniment, and instead focused his efforts on scoring the supernatural and action setpieces to represent the menace and "dark nature of the evil Carpathian".^[22]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Few Friends Save Manhattan"	2:00
2.	"A Baby Carriage Meets Heavy Traffic"	2:00
3.	"Venkman's 6th Avenue Strut"	3:04
4.	"Order in the Court"	3:46
5.	"He's Got Carpathian Eyes"	2:32
6.	"The Sensitive Side of Dana"	4:07
7.	"In Liberty's Shadow"	3:47
8.	"Rooftop Broom Kidnap"	3:47
9.	"The Scoleri Brothers"	2:17
10.	"Oscar is Quietly Surrounded"	4:22
11.	"A Slime Darkened Doorway"	2:23
12.	"One Leaky Sewer Faucet"	1:11
13.	"Vigo's Last Stand"	3:01
14.	"Good with Kids"	1:22
15.	"Enlightenment"	1:32
16.	"Family Portrait - Finale"	3:48
Total length:		45:07

All music is composed by Randy Edelman

See also

• Ghostbusters (1984 soundtrack)
• Ghostbusters (2016 soundtrack)
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife (soundtrack)

References

1. "Ghostbusters II - Soundtrack - Spotify". Spotify. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
2. "Ghostbusters II (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Spotify". Spotify. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
3. "Sony Music Announces 'Ghostbusters II' Score Album - Soundtrack.net". Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
4. Roffman, Michael (February 28, 2014). "The 30 Best Songs from Movie Soundtracks". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
5. Kobylanski, David (October 31, 2013). "You Know Who To Call Part 1: A Detailed History of the Ghostbusters Movies, Cartoons, Comics, and Merchandise". Collider. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
6. Kreps, Daniel (October 12, 2014). "'Ghostbusters' Theme Gets 30th Anniversary Marshmallow-Scented Reissue". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
7. Greene, Andy (July 30, 2019). "Flashback: Bobby Brown Takes Control With 'On Our Own' From 'Ghostbusters 2'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
8. Tannenbaum, Rob (September 7, 1989). "Bobby Brown's Uneasy Passage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
9. Goldstein, Patrick (April 9, 1989). "Ghostbusters Sequel: The red-hot Bobby Brown, coming off..." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
10. IMBDSoundtrackGhostbustersII
11. Harrington, Richard (June 10, 1990). "Danny Elfman' Big Score". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
12. Willman, Chris (February 25, 1990). "Oingo Boingo "Dark At The End Of The Tunnel" MCA". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
13. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6424". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
14. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Ghostbusters II". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
15. "Billboard 200 Chart History". Billboard. August 5, 1989. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
16. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6625". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
17. "Billboard.BIZ: Top Pop Albums of 1989". Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
18. "Canadian album certifications – Soundtrack – Ghostbusters". Music Canada. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
19. "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Ghostbusters". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
20. Burlingame, Jon (December 1, 2004). "Ghostbusters: The Video Game Is Still the Franchise's Best Follow-Up". BMI.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
21. "Filmtracks: Randy Edelman". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
22. "Sony Music Announces 'Ghostbusters II' Score Album". Soundtrack.Net. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.