Originally named Project Soul, the group became a backup band for the Stax Records artists The Soul Children in the early 1970s Renaming themselves Confunkshun, the group moved to Memphis, Tennessee and became one of the label's most sought-after studio bands. They supported themselves by performing throughout the mid-South and Japan at clubs and colleges, along with such bands as, Brief Encounter, Chocolate Funk, Brick, The Dazz Band, and The Mighty Majors. They came to the attention of Estelle Axton and recorded an album and several singles on her Fretone Records label.
By 1976, Con Funk Shun, was one of the most popular groups in the South but still had not secured a major recording deal. That all changed in July 1976 when Mercury Records A&R man Jud Phillips finally signed the group to a major recording contract. By that time, drummer Louis McCall's wife, publicist/songwriter Linda Lou McCall, had "tweaked" the spelling of the band's name (originally "Confunkshun"), and their first album, "Con Funk Shun", was released later that year.
The band's second album Secrets was released in 1977 to critical and commercial success. Their first hit single was "Ffun", written by Michael Cooper rose swiftly up the charts and landed at "#1 With A Bullet" on Billboard magazine's Top Soul Singles chart in July 1977. Over the course of 10 years, Con Funk Shun recorded 11 albums with Mercury, with five of them achieving "Gold album" status (selling in excess of 500,000 units). The band performed to sold-out coliseums all over the country. They had numerous Top 40 hits including "Chase Me", "Love's Train", "Straight From The Heart", and "Shake & Dance With Me". They recorded their milestone album, "7" in 1981, the seventh album for seven bandmembers who had been together since their teens. It included "California 1", "Straight From The Heart", "Body Lovers" and the Billboard Top 20 Soul Single, "Bad Lady".
In the early 1980s, sagging sales and poor support from their record company was beginning to cause tension between the boyhood friends. In addition, lead singer/songwriters Michael V. Cooper and Felton Pilate began to try to assert more control over the band. Co-founders McCall and Cooper were often at odds with each other. Cooper, an excellent musician and writer, had always resented McCall's business acumen and negotiating skills (McCall and his wife, Linda Lou McCall, were responsible for booking the band's first major tour in 1977, which resulted in the group's national success and the first of their numerous gold albums). While McCall usually deferred to Cooper on artistic issues, he did not get the same support from Cooper on business decisions. McCall had frequently been voted group leader by the other members, each time causing the chasm between Cooper and the other members to grow wider. Pilate often sided with Cooper but since the band operated on the quorum principle of "participatory democracy", their suggestions were often out-voted by the other members.
"Burning Love", Con Funk Shun's last album with Mercury, was recorded without lead singer/songwriter, Felton Pilate, who left the group in 1986 after a physical altercation with McCall. Melvin Carter, a frequent collaborator of Con Funk Shun, replaced Felton for their final album, "Burning Love". The same year, the original group was essentially disbanded with Michael V. Cooper leaving for a solo career. Louis McCall also left to become a consultant and event producer with clients such as M.C. Hammer, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte, and to join his wife in marketing such contemporary artists as Eminem, Puff Daddy (now "Diddy"), Mya, and the Black Eyed Peas. Con Funk Shun officially disbanded after their last album with Mercury in late 1986. Cooper went on to release a few solo albums with Warner Bros. Sales were disappointing but he did manage to have a few hits with "Prove My Love" and "Shoop Shoop". One of the first musicians ever to have a home studio, Felton Pilate went on to become a successful producer and musical director for rap phenom, M.C. Hammer. He was later nominated in 1991 for a Grammy for co-producing Hammer's hit record "U Can't Touch This" and an Oscar in 1992 for "Addams Groove" on the ""Addams Family"" soundtrack. He, too, made several attempts at solo projects which went nowhere. However, he is still sought out as a producer and consultant.
In the 1990s, lead singers Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate began performing under the group's name with sidemen in place of their former bandmates. They often include original members on brass, Paul Harrell (sax and flute) and Karl Fuller (trumpet). Although missing the tightness of its legendary rhythm section of McCall (drums), Thomas (keyboards), and Martin (bass), the reconstituted group still performs at "old school" concerts and festivals throughout the country under the moniker "Con Funk Shun, featuring Michael Cooper & Felton Pilate", making no mention of long-time bandmates Harrell and Fuller. The original band's music can still be heard in such recent films as "Gone In 60 Seconds", "Next Friday", and "American Pimp", which was featured at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Ironically, one of the memorable characters in "American Pimp" was John "Rosebudd" Dickson, a childhood friend of drummer, Louis A. McCall. They played in the Vallejo High School band together and remained friends for life.
Tragically, co-founder/drummer McCall was murdered on June 25, 1997 in Stone Mountain, Georgia in a home invasion robbery. The case is still unsolved. With the exception of Felton, all of the other members of Con Funk Shun still reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.
So Easy
Con Funk Shun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Morning, noon and evening
Your kisses wet and wild, a radiating smile
Makes loving you so easy
I think of you and me on a sandy beach
Making love and sleeping, oh, yeah
Girl, you got me treed
And loving you is so easy
I wanna build you up
Never let you down
Take my hand and you'll see
I wanna love you and hug you
There's nothing above you
And, honey, don't you worry 'bout me
Oh, well, well
Oh, sugar, lovin' you is all I want to do
Morning, noon and evening
(Oh, yeah, well)
Your kisses wet and wild, a radiating smile
Makes loving you so easy
Oh, baby, baby
Well, well, baby
Oh, sugar, lovin' you is all I want to do
Morning, noon and evening
(Yeah, well, yeah, well)
Girl, you got me treed
You're all the love I need
And loving you is so easy
I think of you and me on a sandy beach
Making love and sleeping
Your lips so ruby red
I think enough's been said
Loving you is so easy
(Yeah, well, well)
The lyrics to Con Funk Shun's "So Easy" express the singer's deep love for the person he is addressing. He claims that loving them is all he wants to do, from morning to night, and that he finds it incredibly easy to love them because of their radiating smile and their kisses that are "wet and wild." He imagines a romantic getaway with them, where they can make love and sleep on a sandy beach, and he promises to build them up and never let them down. He insists that there is nothing above them and asks them not to worry about him.
The lyrics of this song are straightforward and simple, expressing the singer's deep love and devotion for the person they are addressing. Through their romantic visions of a sandy beach and their promise to always love and support the person, the singer cements their feelings of adoration completely. The repetition of the line "loving you is so easy" reiterates just how much the singer values and treasures their relationship, making it clear that they want to spend the rest of their life with the person.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, sugar, lovin' you is all I want to do
I desire nothing but to love you endlessly, my sweet
Morning, noon and evening
Every moment of the day, without pause or hesitation
Your kisses wet and wild, a radiating smile
Your passionate kisses and beaming smile continuously excite and invigorate me
Makes loving you so easy
You make it effortless to love you with all my heart
I think of you and me on a sandy beach
I envision us together on a beach, where we can enjoy each other's company
Making love and sleeping, oh, yeah
Sharing intimate moments with each other and dozing off in each other's arms
Girl, you got me treed
You have captured my heart and ensnared me in your love
You're all the love I need
Your love is the only thing that I require to be happy and content
And loving you is so easy
Loving you is natural and uncomplicated because of how perfect we are together
I wanna build you up
I want to support and encourage you in everything you do
Never let you down
I vow to never disappoint or fail you
Take my hand and you'll see
Trust me and I will show you the world and every form of happiness
I wanna love you and hug you
I want to shower you with endless love and comforting embraces
There's nothing above you
My love for you has no equal or superior
And, honey, don't you worry 'bout me
I don't want you to fret about my well-being, as long as we have each other
Your lips so ruby red
Your enticing and enchanting lips are like precious rubies
I think enough's been said
I have expressed my love and admiration for you sufficiently
Loving you is so easy
Again, loving you effortless because of how perfect we are together
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeffery Simmons
In the late 70s and early 80s there were certain things you could count on at the start of the summer: Hot weather, hot girls, hot parties, and a hot Confunkshun album.
rafa antonio
I remember man like your yesterday ☺️
Gary Smith
I saw them do this In concert and they were BRILLIANT !!!!!!
Gary Smith
When I saw them in concert the first time . THEY WERE AMAZING !!!!!!!
Gary Smith
Saw them do this in concert . They were Awsome!!!!!
Terrence Morris
The baddest band ever Michael Cooper one of the best performers ever very underated.
Greg Battles
Must black music is
Ron DayVoo
I agree but I wonder why his solo records flopped?
AntMan
Maze,EWF then CONFUNKSHUN MY FAVORITES IN THAT ORDER THEN ISLEY BROTHERS IN 4th place
tubagee
Saw them do this live . AMAZING !!!!!