Ghostbusters: Afterlife Music Credits & Song Purchase Links

Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which is currently taking the box office by storm (buy tickets here), will have a score album (erroneously called the "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack") released on Audio CD very soon - though it is available now digitally. This album features the music composed by Elmer Bernstein and Rob Simonsen for the film. It does not feature any of the pop songs ("needle drops") used in the film. Since there won't be a proper "soundtrack" album, what are you to do if you want all of that other music? Well, I'll provide you with links to purchase all of the songs listed in the end credits of the film.

The entire credit text is written below, which includes the songwriter and legal info that you probably couldn't care less about. The information is presented in the order the songs are heard in the movie, NOT in the order written in the credits. Below each of the 14 blocks of text are the links to buy the song on Amazon in MP3 format, and maybe Audio CD and Vinyl for the music from other movies. I've included some notes on where you can hear the songs in the movie. Location identifications done by me, MrMichaelT, Jason Cheseborough, Andrea Persica, Christopher J. Sorrentino, ReelGhostbusters, Groschopf, and Rev.Dr. DarkKnightNNY; with timestamps provided by MrMichaelT.

"Ghostbusters Original Themes"
By Elmer Bernstein
• HEARD IN FILM: Throughout the entire film.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3, Audio CD, Vinyl.

"The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)"
Written by Lincoln Chase, Kay Werner and Sue Werner
Performed by Shirley Ellis
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
• HEARD IN FILM: (6:35) "Moving to Summerville" montage.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3, Digital MP3.

"Baby It's You"
Written by Burt Bacharach, Mack David and Barney Williams
Performed by The Shirelles
Courtesy of Gusto Records, Inc.
• HEARD IN FILM: (11:55) As Callie, Trevor, and Phoebe drive to Spinners.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3 (Rerecorded).

"All Your Love (I Miss Loving)"
Written and performed by Otis Rush
Courtesy of Cobra Records, a division of 43 North Broadway, LLC
By arrangement with The Orchard
• HEARD IN FILM: (13:02) Trevor goes inside Spinners to apply for a job and the jukebox plays the record selected.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3 (Live), Digital MP3 (Live with Eric Clapton at Montreux 1986).

"Rabbit Chase I" and "Cujo Attacks Car"
From the motion picture "Cujo"
Written and performed by Charles Bernstein
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
• HEARD IN FILM: (Rabbit Chase I at 18:58, Cujo Attacks Car at 20:36) When Gary shows the film to the class.
• BUY IT: Audio CD, Audio CD (with The Covenant), Vinyl, Vinyl (Blood Splatter), Movie (Blu-ray), Movie (DVD), Movie (VHS).

"Muddy Water"
Written by Alton Delmore
Performed by The Delmore Brothers
Courtesy of Gusto Records, Inc.
• HEARD IN FILM: (19:59) When Callie buys painting supplies.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3.

"Wait a Minute Girl"
Written by Roosevelt Christmas
Performed by The Newday
Courtesy of the Numero Group
• HEARD IN FILM: (22:45) The zoom in on the Spinners sign right before the scene of Trevor in the freezer.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3.

Music from the MGM film "Child's Play"
Written and performed by Joe Renzetti
Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Music Inc.
Under license from Universal Music Publishing Group
• HEARD IN FILM: (31:24) When Gary shows the film to the class.
• BUY IT: Audio CD, Vinyl, Vinyl (Blood Splatter), Movie (Blu-ray, Shout Factory), Movie (Blu-ray, MGM #1), Movie (Blu-ray, MGM #2), Movie (Blu-ray+DVD, MGM), Movie (DVD), Movie (VHS).

"Can You Get To That"
Written by George Clinton Jr. and Erni Harris
Performed by Funkadelic
Courtesy of Westbound Records by arrangement with Fine Gold Music
• HEARD IN FILM: (38:30) Trevor looks at the dirty black mat in Spinner's kitchen, then the teens drive up to the mineshaft.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3.

"Boredom"
Written by Howard Devoto and Peter Shelley
Performed by Buzzcocks
Courtesy of Domino Recording Company Ltd.
• HEARD IN FILM: (53:39) Ecto-1 drifting in the field.
• BUY IT: (All Explicit?) Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3 (Explicit), Digital MP3 (Explicit), Digital MP3 (Live), Digital MP3 (Live), Digital MP3 (Live), Digital MP3 (Demo).

"Foolish Try"
Written by Kelly Zirbes and Doug Pettibone
Performed by Kelly's Lot
Courtesy of PK Entertainment
• HEARD IN FILM: (54:53) The start of Callie and Gary's date.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3.

"On the Road Again"
Written and performed by Willie Nelson
Courtesy of Columbia Records Nashville
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
• HEARD IN FILM: (1:00:52) Two seconds heard as Muncher flies through Spinner's Roller Hop.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3 (Live), Digital MP3 (Live), Digital MP3 (Live).

"Ghostbusters"
Written and performed by Ray Parker Jr.
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
and RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Under license from Sony Pictures Music Group
• HEARD IN FILM: (1:52:38) Immediately prior to the end credits.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3, Digital MP3 ("Searchin' for the Spirit" Remix).

"Haunted House"
Written by Mckenna Grace and Lily Kincade
Produced by Nathaniel Motte
Performed by Mckenna Grace
Mckenna Grace appears courtesy of Photo Finish Records
• HEARD IN FILM: (1:55:46) After the mid-credit scene in the end credits.
• BUY IT: Digital MP3.

Well, there you have it. After listening to samples of all of the songs while putting this article together, I can understand why Sony never bothered releasing all of it together on a "soundtrack" album. The music presented here is too varied in genre, too old, not performed by popular contemporary artists (aside from Mckenna Grace), and would not sell well to today's youth. The only song here that is fresh is the track by Mckenna Grace. While I enjoy listening to the Easy Listening/Pop of the Ghostbusters soundtrack and the Rap/R&B of the Ghostbusters II soundtrack - and I'm warming up to whatever hot mess genre is represented on the Ghostbusters (2016) soundtrack - I can't say that I would enjoy listing to a compilation of the 11 songs (the Cujo and Child's Play score cues aren't individual songs) used in the film. Sure, there are some I like, but there are some I'd rather never hear again.

If you feel differently, then go ahead and buy the MP3s from the links above and make your own "soundtrack" compilation album. I doubt that there will ever be an official "soundtrack" album of all of this music together for the reasons I previously stated. Afterlife will be the only one of the four "official" Ghostbusters films to NOT have both a "soundtrack" and a "score" album.

Finally, in an instance of it all coming around full circle... During the scene in Child's Play (1988) where Detective Norris (Chris Sarandon) is searching for Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) in the toy store after an explosion, Kenner's Ecto-1 toy can be seen on one of the store shelves. Now Afterlife repays the favor by showing that film to the characters in the Ghostbusters universe.

Thanks to Chris Stewart for originally photographing the music credits off the theater screen. (The photograph has since been replaced with a framegrab from the digital release of the film.)