Due to legal difficulties between Clinton and Revilot, The Parliaments' label, the name was abandoned in favor of Funkadelic, which consisted of the same group of people (that is, both the former Parliaments and their back-up band, now both combined in the name "Funkadelic"). The group signed to Westbound in 1968.
The group's self-titled debut album, Funkadelic, was released in 1970. The credits listed organist Mickey Atkins plus Clinton, Fulwood, Hazel, Nelson and Ross, though the actual recording also included several uncredited sessionmen then employed by Motown, as well as Ray Monette (of Rare Earth) and Bernie Worrell.
Bernie Worrell was officially credited starting with Funkadelic's second album, 1970's Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow, thus beginning a long collaboration between Worrell and Clinton (who had been friends for quite a while). Worrell would go on to produce many Parliament and Funkadelic albums, as well as play keyboard on albums by other members of P Funk.
After the release of Maggot Brain in 1971, Bootsy Collins and Catfish Collins joined the group. The brothers would go on to become major contributors to the P Funk sound. In 1972, this new line-up released America Eats Its Young, but many members left the group after that, due to internal squabbles, plus Hazel spending a year in jail for drug possession and assault and Tawl Ross experiencing a bad LSD trip and/or speed overdose, while Billy Bass quit due to financial concerns. Michael Hampton, a seventeen-year-old guitar prodigy, replaced Hazel.
1975 brought Funkadelic to Warner Brothers, and saw the release of Hardcore Jollies in 1976. The same year, Westbound released a compilation of archived tracks titled Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, which did significantly better than Hardcore Jollies and included "Undisco Kidd", a R&B Top 30 single. In 1977, Westbound capitalized on the success of Tales of Kidd Funkadelic by releasing The Best of the Early Years. Funkadelic recorded and released its magnum opus, One Nation Under a Groove in 1978. The title track spent six weeks at #1 on the R&B charts, while Parliament was enjoying success with "Flash Light" and "Aqua Boogie."
As the 1980s wore on, legal difficulties arising from the multiple names used by multiple groups, as well as a shakeup among Parliament's record label, Parliament and Funkadelic disintegrated. George Clinton recorded several solo albums (sometimes under the name George Clinton & the P-Funk Allstars).
Filmmaker Yvonne Smith of Berkeley, California-based Firelight Media produced Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove, a full-length documentary about the groundbreaking group, which aired on PBS in 2005.
ALSO......
Though it often took a back chair to its sister group Parliament, Funkadelic furthered the notions of black rock begun by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, blending elements of '60s psychedelia and blues plus the deep groove of soul and funk. The band pursued album statements of social/political commentary while Parliament stayed in the funk singles format, but Funkadelic nevertheless paralleled the more commercial artist's success, especially in the late '70s when the interplay between bands moved the Funkadelic sound closer to a unified P-Funk style.
In the grand soul tradition of a backing band playing support before the star takes the stage, Funkadelic began life supporting George Clinton's doo wop group, the Parliaments. After having performed for almost ten years, the Parliaments had added a rhythm section in 1964 -- for tours and background work -- consisting of guitarist Frankie Boyce, his brother Richard on bass, and drummer Langston Booth; two years later, the trio enlisted in the Army. By mid-1967, Clinton had recruited a new backing band, including his old friend Billy "Bass" Nelson (born January 28, 1951, Plainfield, NJ) and guitarist Eddie Hazel (born April 10, 1950, Brooklyn, NY). After several temporary replacements on drums and keyboards, the addition of rhythm guitarist Lucius "Tawl" Ross (born October 5, 1948, Wagram, NC) and drummer Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (born May 23, 1944, Philadelphia, PA) completed the lineup.
The Parliaments recorded several hits during 1967, but trouble with the Revilot label backed Clinton into a corner. He hit upon the idea of deserting the Parliaments' name and instead recording their backing group, with the added vocal "contributions" of the former Parliaments -- same band, different name. Billy Nelson suggested the title Funkadelic, to reflect the members' increased inspiration from LSD and psychedelic culture. Clinton formed the Funkadelic label in mid-1968 but then signed the group to Detroit's Westbound label several months later.
Released in 1970, Funkadelic's self-titled debut album listed only producer Clinton and the five members of Funkadelic -- Hazel, Nelson, Fulwood, and Ross plus organist Mickey Atkins -- but also included all the former Parliaments plus several Motown sessionmen and Rare Earth's Ray Monette. Keyboard player Bernie Worrell also appeared on the album uncredited, even though his picture was included on the inner sleeve with the rest of the band.
Worrell (born April 19, 1944, Long Beach, NJ) was finally credited on the second Funkadelic album (1970's Free Your Mind...and Your A** Will Follow). He and Clinton had known each other since the early '60s, and Worrell soon became the most crucial cog in the P-Funk machine, working on arrangements and production for most later Parliament/Funkadelic releases. His strict upbringing and classical training (at the New England Conservatory and Juilliard), as well as the boom in synthesizer technology during the early '70s, gave him the tools to create the horn arrangements and jazz fusion-inspired synth runs that later trademarked the P-Funk sound. Just after the release of their third album, Maggot Brain, P-Funk added yet another big contributor, Bootsy Collins. The throbbing bass line of Collins (born October 26, 1951, Cincinnati, OH) had previously been featured in James Brown's backing band, the J.B.'s (along with his brother, guitarist Catfish Collins). Bootsy and Catfish were playing in a Detroit band in 1972 when George Clinton saw and hired them.
The Clinton/Worrell/Collins lineup premiered on 1972's America Eats Its Young, but soon after its release several original members left the camp. Eddie Hazel spent a year in jail after a combination drug possession/assault conviction, Tawl Ross left the band for medical reasons relating to an overdose of LSD and speed, and Bill Nelson quit after more financial quarrels with Clinton. Funkadelic hired teenaged guitar sensation Michael Hampton as a replacement, but both Hazel and Nelson would return for several later P-Funk releases.
Funkadelic moved to Warner Bros. in 1975 and delivered its major-label debut, Hardcore Jollies, one year later to lackluster sales and reviews. The same year, Westbound raided its vaults and countered with Tales of Kidd Funkadelic. Ironically, the album did better than Hardcore Jollies and included an R&B Top 30 single, "Undisco Kidd." In 1977, Westbound released The Best of the Early Years while Funkadelic recorded what became its masterpiece (and arguably the best P-Funk release ever), 1978's One Nation Under a Groove.
During the most successful year in Parliament/Funkadelic history, Parliament hit the charts first with "Flash Light," P-Funk's first R&B number one. "Aqua Boogie" would hit number one as well late in the year, but Funkadelic's title track to One Nation Under a Groove spent six weeks at the top spot on the R&B charts during the summer. The album, which reflected a growing consistency in styles between Parliament and Funkadelic, became the first Funkadelic LP to reach platinum (the same year that Parliament's Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome did the same). In 1979, Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep" hit number one as well, and its album (Uncle Jam Wants You) reached gold status.
At just the point that Funkadelic appeared to be at the top of its powers, the band began to unravel. As is sometimes the case, commercial success began to dissolve several old friendships. In 1977, original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas had left the P-Funk organization to record on their own. In early 1981, they hit the R&B charts with a single called "Connections and Disconnections," recorded as Funkadelic. To confuse matters more, the original Funkadelic appeared on the charts at the same time, with the title track to The Electric Spanking of War Babies.
During 1980, Clinton began to be weighed down by legal difficulties arising from Polygram's acquisition of Parliament's label, Casablanca. Jettisoning both the Parliament and Funkadelic names (but not the musicians), Clinton began his solo career with 1982's Computer Games. He and many former Parliament/Funkadelic members continued to tour and record throughout the '80s as the P-Funk All Stars, but the decade's disdain of everything to do with the '70s resulted in critical and commercial neglect for the world's biggest funk band, especially one which in part had spawned the sound of disco. During the early '90s, the rise of funk-inspired rap (courtesy of Digital Underground, Dr. Dre, and Warren G.) and funk rock (Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers) re-established the status of Clinton & co., one of the most important forces in the recent history of black music. ~ John Bush, Rovi
Come Back
Funkadelic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come back, come back
It's just another rainy day
Since my woman walked away
And now I'm left all alone
And I'm crying
But sometimes the mind won't listen to the heart
If she's anywhere within the sound of my voice
I want her to hear my special choice
Rainy days can't cloud my mind
From the sunshine she left behind her
Come back, come back
Come back, come back
It's just another lonely night
And in the darkness
I can't find your light
As passion's faces turn a sadder blue
But through the tears
My heart keeps searching for you
If she's anywhere
Within the sound of my voice
I want her to hear
My special voice
Rainy days can't cloud my mind
From the sunshine she left behind her
As passion's faces turn a sadder blue
But through the tears
My heart keeps searching for you
It was a cold and winter day
When she just turned and walked away
If she would come back
And share the desire
I could hold her again
And we could feel the fire
If she's anywhere
Within the sound of my voice
I want her to hear
My special choice
Rainy days can't cloud my mind
From the sunshine she left behind her
The lyrics of the song "Come Back" by Funkadelic express the heartache and longing of the singer who has been left alone by his woman. The song starts with the repetition of "Come back" which shows the desperation of the singer to have his lover back. The chorus serves as a plea to his lover to hear his voice and make a return. The first verse talks about the aftermath of the separation and how the singer is left alone on a rainy day crying. He apologizes for the change that has led them to grow apart but acknowledges that sometimes the mind won't listen to the heart.
The second verse expresses the singer's despair and loneliness as his heart keeps searching for his lover in the darkness of the night. Once again, he pleads to his lover to hear his voice, expressing that even on rainy days, the sunshine she left behind still remains with him. The third verse talks about the winter day when his lover left him and expresses his desire to hold her once again and feel the fire between them.
The lyrics of the song are a poignant and honest representation of the pain that comes with lost love. The pleading and raw emotions expressed in the words of the song resonate with anyone who has experienced heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Come back, come back
The singer is pleading for his lost love to return to him.
Come back, come back
He continues to plead for her to come back.
It's just another rainy day
The weather reflects the singer's sadness and loneliness.
Since my woman walked away
The singer's sadness is the result of his woman leaving him.
And now I'm left all alone
The singer is now alone without his love.
And I'm crying
He is experiencing deep emotional pain and can't help but cry.
I'm sorry for the change that made us grow apart
The singer regrets the choices that led to the end of their relationship.
But sometimes the mind won't listen to the heart
Despite his heart's desire for his love to return, he may not be able to make it happen.
If she's anywhere within the sound of my voice
He hopes that his love can hear his plea.
I want her to hear my special choice
He wants his love to understand how important she is to him and how much he wants her back.
Rainy days can't cloud my mind
Even though he feels melancholy, he won't let it affect his memories and feelings for his love.
From the sunshine she left behind her
He holds onto the positive memories of his love and wants to keep those memories alive.
It's just another lonely night
The singer is experiencing another night without his love.
And in the darkness
The darkness represents the emptiness he experiences without his love.
I can't find your light
The singer can't find the positivity that his love brought into his life.
As passion's faces turn a sadder blue
The realization of how he lost his love only adds to his current sadness.
But through the tears
Despite his constant sadness, he keeps hope for her return.
My heart keeps searching for you
His heart wants his love to come back to him.
It was a cold and winter day
The day his love left him was cold and depressing.
When she just turned and walked away
His love left him without giving him a chance to keep her in his life.
If she would come back
He thinks that if she returns, they could rekindle their relationship.
And share the desire
The singer hopes that his love still has strong feelings for him.
I could hold her again
He longs to be with his love again and feel her in his arms.
And we could feel the fire
He wants to reignite the passion they once shared.
Contributed by Emma P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MarcelvanLuijn
Finally, finally, finally! Been looking for this, the original Come Back song off the vinyl I once owned! Thanks a bunch!
@hankhammer81
I tryd to find this jam a long time
@mothershiphip
my favorite on the album too.....thank you for uploading!
@bassplayer418
thanx who ever you are, man i been looking for song far so long , man you just made my day....
@TheRealTommyRock
best song on the album!
@TheRealTommyRock
TheRealTommyRock a perfect mix of a funky beat, thumpin' bass, awesome guits, and great vox AND good lyrics
@uranusking
This album is not really a Funkadelic album per se, but it's still funky and very listenable. Why isn't this song on the CD? I agree, best song on the album. The others aren't bad though.