How the Alessi Brothers Helped Save the Day in Ghostbusters

While “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. ultimately became one of the most recognizable movie themes of all time, it was far from the only memorable song used within the film. And in today’s news, a new video uploaded by Bobby Alessi, one-half of the Alessi Brothers, sheds light on how their track “Saving the Day” ended up in the 1984 hit.

As Bobby explains, producer Phil Ramone invited them to submit a song for the Ivan Reitman-directed comedy, sending along early footage of Ecto-1 crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The clip, cut to a temp track of Huey Lewis’ “I Want a New Drug.” With little context beyond that footage, the brothers wrote and submitted several songs, including an early version of “Saving the Day.” After turning in their material, they heard nothing back and assumed the opportunity had passed, with Bobby noting they figured, “Okay, we tried.”

That silence was broken roughly ten days later, when Reitman personally called. While Ghostbusters ultimately went with Parker Jr.’s theme for its opening and marketing, “Saving the Day” clearly made an impression. Reitman told the brothers they hadn’t landed the title track, but assured them he had a special place in the movie for their song, inviting them to Burbank to collaborate more closely.

Once in California, the brothers were shown early pencil-test footage featuring characters like Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, though even then, the movie’s tone remained a mystery, admitting they still weren’t sure whether Ghostbusters was shaping up to be a kids’ movie, a cartoon, or something else entirely.