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
Jimmy's Got A Little Bit Of
Funkadelic Lyrics
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The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
But when he pee, he see
Reality can be a-stiff sometimes
But then again it can be flexible
Depending on the angle of the dangle
Increased by the heat of the meat
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
So why frown?
Yeah, even the sun go down
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
Play on, Jimmy
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
But when he pee, he see
Reality can be a-hard
But then again it can be a-swinging
Like I said, depending on the angle of the dangle
Increased by the heat of the meat
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
So why frown?
Even the sun go down
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
The lyrics to Funkadelic’s “Jimmy’s Got A Little Bit Of…” are cryptic and tough to interpret. Essentially, the song seems to be about the complexity of the human condition and how it can be challenging to reconcile our different facets. The repeating phrase “Jimmy’s got a little bit of bitch in him” suggests that even the most manly, tough guy can have feminine qualities that he may struggle with, and that these contradictions within us can cause inner turmoil. The line “Reality can be a-stiff sometimes / But then again it can be flexible” may be alluding to the idea that reality is divisive and can be interpreted in different ways. The other repeated dialogue about “depending on the angle of the dangle / Increased by the heat of the meat” seems to be suggesting that our realities shift depending on our perspective, and that our sexual drives can have a significant impact on our perception.
Ultimately, this song could be interpreted as a commentary on societal expectations of what it means to be a man. By suggesting that even the strongest or most masculine guys can have feminine qualities, the song is challenging the idea that men should be stoic and unemotional. It may also be a commentary on the difficulties people face when trying to reconcile different aspects of themselves. Overall, the lyrics are poetic and open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
There is a part of Jimmy's personality that displays negative traits associated with the term 'bitch'
The bitch in him
The aspect of Jimmy's personality that exhibits bad behavior that is similar to a 'bitch'
Upsets the Jim
This part of Jimmy's character disturbs his natural balance and causes issues within himself
Outweighs the Jim
The negative part of Jimmy's persona is heavier and more significant than the positive side
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
There is a portion of Jimmy's behavior that seems to be more associated with women than men
But when he pee, he see
Jimmy can see clearly what is happening when things get real or when he is in a physically vulnerable position
Reality can be a-stiff sometimes
The truth can be harsh or difficult to accept under some conditions
But then again it can be flexible
At other times, reality is more fluid and dynamic, and situational or contextual factors play a role in what is perceived as true
Depending on the angle of the dangle
What we believe to be real depends on our individual viewpoints, perceptions, and interpretations
Increased by the heat of the meat
What we believe to be true is influenced by primal urges and impulses
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
Acknowledging that not everyone is the same helps to understand differing perspectives and behaviors
So why frown?
No need to be negative or upset even when things are challenging, because we should try to stay optimistic
Even the sun go down
The cliché acknowledges the universal truth that everything, no matter how good, must eventually end
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
The conflicting feelings and attitudes that the song expresses are complex, and there is no easy answer or explanation
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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