Mathematics, Athletics, Aerospace, and a Pesticide Commercial: How Questions Influence Results

​​​​Read the full story ⬇︎

Who Ya Gonna Call?
When the music supervisor for Ghostbusters hired Ray Parker Jr. to write the theme song, he was only given a few days’ notice. Despite listening to over 60 submissions from top composers of the day,[1] nothing quite fit what they were looking for—and the movie was being released in just a few short weeks.


There were only three requirements:

1. It had to have a saxophone line.
2. It had to be up-tempo.
3. It had to include the word Ghostbusters.

It was the last requirement that stumped Ray, because he couldn’t think of an elegant way to sing it.


“No wonder he got 60 songs and no winners,” Ray later recalled, “this is impossible!”


By four in the morning, after spending hours working through the score, Ray finished composing all the music, but still hadn’t written any lyrics. Not even a single word.


But then a pesticide commercial came on TV, and in his half-asleep state, Ray thought the exterminators—with their pesticide spray packs strapped to their backs—looked like the Ghostbusters.


And that’s when it all clicked. He didn’t have to sing the word Ghostbusters. Instead, he could sing, “Who ya gonna call?” and then the crowd would yell “Ghostbusters!”[2]


Turns out, good answers come from good questions.
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Not Knowing Any Better
The lecture was already in progress when George stepped into the classroom. Taking out his notebook, he quickly settled in and copied down two problems written on the blackboard.


Days later, after spending hours working through the calculations, he turned in the solutions. His professor, Dr. Jerzy Neyman, was stunned. Because George was late to class, he had missed the explanation that these problems were unsolved equations mathematicians had struggled with for years—and that many experts deemed them unsolvable.


Because he didn’t know any better, George Dantzig assumed there was a solution, and kept trying until he found it.[3]
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Good Questions
For some people, sitting with a challenge can be so painful that they quit before they really get started—preferring to stick with the comfort of the known, rather than deal with the discomfort of the unknown. Yet avoiding discomfort also comes with avoiding the joy of new and interesting experiences, learning, and growth.


To overcome this tendency, give this a try: Read the letters below and then close your eyes and recite them from memory.


TTLSHIWWYAUATWSHLADITSTTLSHIWWYA


How’d you do?


Your results may depend on the overriding question used to approach the problem.


Approached with a question like “Can I do this?” creates a mindset of doubt, which can inhibit progress before you even get started.


Approached with a question like “How can I do this?” creates a mindset of encouragement, because it assumes there is a solution and you only have to stick with it long enough to discover it.
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Overcoming Doubt
For years, athletes thought running a four-minute mile was impossible, because that’s what they were told. But in 1954, along came Roger Bannister who ran a mile in 3:59.4 seconds.[4] Since then, thousands have followed in his footsteps—including the current world record holder, Hicham el Guerrouj, who in 1999 ran a mile in 3:43.13 seconds![5]


In 1903, The New York Times said it would take millions of years for humans to learn to fly.[6] Then, just two months later, the Wright Brothers did the impossible, giving credence to the adage: “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” And for good reason; 66 years later, we landed on the moon.
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In Other Words
To be fair, some people would argue that Ray Parker Jr. cheated when he discovered a solution to the Ghostbusters problem. Huey Lewis was so upset about it that he sued, claiming Ray plagiarized the melody from his song “I Want a New Drug.”[7] A year later, the case was settled out of court, but the lawsuit only held the melody in contention, not the lyrics.


When new words are set to an established melody, it’s called a contrafactum: “the substitution of one text for another without substantial change to the music.”[8] This has been common practice across history, but in our modern times lawyers like to get involved. (Weird Al gets a pass because parodies are considered “fair use”[9] as a form of social commentary and expression.[10])


There are many examples you might already know of, including:

• “Love Me Tender” to the tune of “Aura Lee”
• “My Country, ‘tis of Thee” to the tune of “God Save the King”
• “The ABC Song” to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

In other words, it may be argued that Ray Parker Jr. had a little help on the melody from Huey Lewis, but the lyrics are all Ray (with a dash of pesticide).[11]
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Final Thoughts
If there is anything to be gained from these stories, perhaps it is this: Good answers come from good questions.


George Dantzig didn’t know that what he was doing was supposed to be impossible. He believed there was a solution and asked the critical question: “How can I do this?”


Meanwhile, The New York Times was so busy asking the defeating question “Is this even possible?” that they discouraged others from even trying. If the Wright Brothers listened, we may have never landed among the stars.
 

And if Ray Parker Jr. never asked “Who ya gonna call?” we may still be haunted by the ghosts of what might have been.


So, how’s it coming? Were you able to recite those letters from memory? Let’s run in Roger Bannister’s footsteps for a moment; because anything is possible when someone shows us that it can be done: As children, we learn to recite letters by singing “The ABC Song,” which is just another set of lyrics for the same melody. If you change the words, you just may land among the stars.

Reflection
Who ya gonna call?

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Want More?
Jonas Cain, M.Ed. is a storyteller, magician, musician, and facilitator of fascination—uncovering joy through curiosity and wonder. Connect with Jonas to discover more: [email protected]

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​​REFERENCES & FOOTNOTES
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​[1] Fitzsimmons, J. (2021, June 22). “A reworked rendition of the rejected Ghostbusters theme song appears on the 1987's Dragnet soundtrack.” Ghostbusters News. www.ghostbustersnews.com/2021/06/22/a-reworked-rendition-of-the-rejected-ghostbusters-theme-song-appears-on-1987s-dragnet-soundtrack/

[2] Reader, A. (2018, October 25). "Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.” Professor of Rock. https://web.archive.org/web/20181029232439/https://www.professorofrock.com/ghostbusters-by-ray-parker-jr/

[3] Holley, J. (2005). “Obituaries of George Dantzig.” Washington Post. https://supernet.isenberg.umass.edu/photos/gdobit.html

[4] Ingle, S. (2024, May 6). “Greatest sporting feat in the last 100 years: Roger Bannister’s sub four-minute mile.” The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/may/06/roger-bannister-four-minute-mile-athletics-sebastian-coe

[5] “Hicham el Guerrouj.” (n.d.). World Athletics. www.worldathletics.org/athletes/morocco/hicham-el-guerrouj-14212038

[6] “Flying Machines Which Do Not Fly.” (1903, October 9). The New York Times. p. 6

[7] Pizzo, M. (2016, July 14). “The freaky legacy of the Ghostbusters theme song.” Medium. www.medium.com/cuepoint/the-ghastly-legacy-of-the-ghostbusters-theme-song-28094f0e71a1

[8] Falck, R.& Picker, M (2001). “Contrafactum.” Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06361

[9] In other words, Free Speech.

[10] “Parody Guide.” (n.d.). “Parody Guide.” Berkman Klein Center For Internet & Society, Harvard. https://dcrp.berkman.harvard.edu/tool/parody-guide

[11] And come to think of it, with copyright law being what it is, it’s a wonder why The Jackson Five didn’t sue Huey Lewis for using the melody from their 1978 hit “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground.”