I’ve always had a love for Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” track from Ghostbusters 2. On second thought, love is an understatement. In my mind, “One Our Own” is the single most magnificent piece of music ever compiled. If you think I’m joking, I assure you I’m all in on this Bobby B classic.
With the ad campaign of Ghostbusters 2 in full swing during the late Spring of 1989, fans were gifted an accompanying music video for the song. Much like Ray Parker Jr.’s music video from the original 1984 film, Brown’s offering was energetic, eye-catching, and packed with celebrity cameos. More on those later.
The video showcases shots of New York City with video footage of Bobby Brown and a handful of his dancers (let’s call them Brownettes) slapped on top. It’s weird to think that with everything this video has going for it, all Brown had to do was dance in front of a blue screen and perform a couple of wardrobe changes.
Remember how I just mentioned celebrity cameos? Well, get ready for our first!
And there he is! The one and only Rick Moranis! What’s slightly weird here, is while this is a Ghostbusters music video, Rick is just playing himself. I mean, he looks more Wayne Szalinski than Louis Tully, most likely due to Szalinski looking normal and Tully looking like, well, Tully. I recall as a child (I would’ve been four at the time) being unsure if that was even the same guy due to such a contrast in appearance.
We get clips of the film showcase on building and landmarks throughout New York including Trump Tower, which brings us to our first non-Ghostbusters cameo.
As a child, I had no idea who Donald Trump was. I mean, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. I was four, after all. I only knew of him as “the guy from WrestleMania.” Seriously, not to derail this whole article, but those that didn’t know, WrestleMania IV and V took place from Atlantic City, New Jersey, and featured Trump’s Plaza Casino & Hotel as the primary sponsor for both events. As a kid, this cameo got me pretty excited! I mean, if that guy from WrestleMania was in the video, who could pop up next? Hulk Hogan? “Macho Man” Randy Savage? Well, neither, but it was somebody that was certainly, ahem, “super.”
Riding up to a stop sign on a bike, we have Christopher Reeves! At this point, it’s safe to say that these celebrity cameos will have no rhyme or reason, so let’s keep rolling.
We get more shots of Bobby overlayed on city backdrops, including the Plaza Hotel. Movie fans should recognize that location as the same hotel that Kevin McCallister stayed at in Home Alone 2.
The dancing that’s going on during this portion is on a whole other level. While both Bobby and his lead Brownette bust a move, I can’t help but notice the distance between the two. Maybe it’s because of the world we’re currently living in, but these two seem to be social distancing over thirty years before it was in style.
Another cameo as Jane Curtin is walking out of a theatre. I mostly know of Jane’s work from her days working on SNL, more specifically, playing the role of Prymaat in the Coneheads.
Actress Sally Kirkland is seen exiting a taxi cab, and at this time, I’m beginning to remember how random some of the celebrity’s reactions are. Kirkland, for example, randomly takes her coat off and delivers a saucy pose, which I can’t blame her. She has the courtroom scene from Ghostbusters 2 playing on the wall in front of her. If there’s one scene that makes me feel sexy and wanting to disrobe, it’s that.
Lori Singer is seen playing the cello down a busy New York street, along with supermodel Iman exiting a limousine outside the previously mentioned Plaza Hotel. Joey and Marky Ramone also randomly pop up. In researching this article, I was a bit surprised, as I always thought the two men shown were just street performers dressed as The Ramones.
I also just discovered that the gentleman who witnesses the Ghostbusters 2 logo emerge is Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine. Interesting to note that Forbes died less than a year after the video was shot.
We also apparently see SNL alumni Victoria Jackson appear as the courtroom scene plays behind her. I say “apparently” as I feel like while it looks like Victoria, something is just off. I mean, I watched a ton of UHF as a kid, and I think I know what Victoria Jackson looks, but IMDB is saying it’s her, so we’ll roll with that.
As we are breaking into the “Too hot to handle, too cold to hold” rap, Brown appears with his running mates Doug E. Fresh and Big Daddy Kane on billboard signage. Fans should recall Fresh’s track from the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack entitled Spirit.
With the remaining portion of the video only featuring footage of Brown, his crew, and scenes from Ghostbusters 2, I’d like to bring the focus back to the actual song itself.
I’ve been told several times of the years that “On Our Own” just isn’t that good. That Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” is the better song, and while I absolutely love that tune, to me, Brown’s track is not only my favorite Ghostbusters song but my favorite song. I feel as if since it came from the sequel, the song doesn’t get the love it deserves. To be honest, I have similar feelings about Ghostbusters 2 itself.
What I do find criminal about the music video version of the song, is it runs about 25 seconds shorter than the album version. There’s a portion on the album cut that Brown delivers the “Too hot to handle” rap for the second time, while the chorus continues playing with “On Our Own” continues to play alongside him. There’s so much going on at this point, and it somehow all comes together to cement it as my favorite piece of music ever created. Seriously, listen to the below album version and check out the portion at around 4:12 into the song.
Now that you’ve hopefully watched the video, listened to the song, and read this nostalgic man’s rambling, I want to know what you think of the track. Do you think it doesn’t get the praise it deserves? Maybe you’re a downright horrible person and just think it’s “meh.” Be sure to let me know via the Ghostbusters News Patreon or Facebook pages!
