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
Wake Up
Funkadelic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're in the presence of your future
Wake up
See what you're doing in our sleep
You got to wake up
You're in the presence of your future
Wake up
From time to time we come alive
But not for very long
See what shape the world is in
And wonder what went wrong
Never dreaming, not for a second
That sleeping is the cause
We make solutions in our sleep
It's dangerous for us all
Wake up
You're in the presence of your future
Wake up
See what we're doing in our sleep
Wake up
You're in the presence of your future
Wake up
From the mistakes of our past
In our sleep, we live it up
Just to wake up and find our dead
Change our hair and hairstyles too
But have the same empty heads
Brothers and sisters I'm telling you
This is what we've got to do
Wake up
You got to wake up
Oh, wake up (doo doo doo doo doo, da da da)
Wake up
You got to wake up (they don't have to?)
Oh, wake up
You've got to wake up
Oh, wake up
You've got to wake up
Wake up
You're in the presence of your future
Wake up
See what you're doing in our sleep
Wake up
You're in the presence of your future
Wake up
See what you're doing in our sleep
In our sleep, we change our wife????
We change our suit of clothes
We change our church, we change our god
But have the same funky soul
Never dreaming, not for a second
Sleeping is the cause
Oh, wake up
You've got to wake up
(x27)
The lyrics of Funkadelic's song Wake Up encourage the listener to realize that they have to wake up to the reality of their future and the mistakes of the past. Funkadelic wants us to be conscious of the world's state and not ignore the problems that need to be solved. They suggest that we cannot sleep through life and just wait for solutions to magically appear. We must have the awareness to recognize what needs to be done in our waking hours to make a better future for ourselves and the world.
The song states that sleeping is the cause of our problems. In sleep, we live it up and try to escape reality, but when we wake up, we find that nothing has changed. We change our appearance, our relationships, and our attitudes, but in the end, we still have the same soul. Funkadelic is calling us to wake up from the sleep that makes us blind to the world's problems and start to take responsibility for our future.
Line by Line Meaning
You got to wake up
It is necessary for you to become aware of something important
You're in the presence of your future
You are living in a time that can have a significant impact on what happens later in life
Wake up
Become aware of what's happening around you
See what you're doing in our sleep
Understand the actions you are taking even when you're not fully conscious
From the mistakes of the past
Learn from previous errors
From time to time we come alive
Occasionally we become truly conscious
But not for very long
We often lose our awareness quickly
See what shape the world is in
Understand the current state of society
And wonder what went wrong
Become curious about what caused the current state of things
Never dreaming, not for a second
Without any hint of realization
That sleeping is the cause
The act of being unaware is part of the problem
We make solutions in our sleep
We attempt to solve problems without being fully conscious of them, which can be problematic
It's dangerous for us all
This approach can lead to negative consequences
In our sleep, we live it up
We do things that feel good without realizing the potential consequences
Just to wake up and find our dead
We make choices without considering the long-term impact, which can be damaging
Change our hair and hairstyles too
We may make superficial changes without working on deeper issues
But have the same empty heads
Despite making these changes, we remain fundamentally unaware
Brothers and sisters I'm telling you
The singer is addressing others in the community
This is what we've got to do
We need to take action
Oh, wake up (doo doo doo doo doo, da da da)
Call to action to become more aware
You got to wake up (they don't have to?)
Reinforcement of the need for awareness
You've got to wake up
Must become more conscious of what's happening
Wake up
Call to action to become more aware
In our sleep, we change our wife????
Possible reference to making major changes in life without being fully aware
We change our suit of clothes
Superficial changes that do not address deeper issues
We change our church, we change our god
Religious or philosophical changes that do not address deeper issues
But have the same funky soul
Despite all these changes, we still have the same underlying issues
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mrkjsmooth16
Funkadelic had some of the best drummers
chris edwards
Tyrone lampkin on this cut
Kyler Stevens
perfect song for an alarm clock
Dorothea Ashe
Mine too!!! I'm right witya!! I'm a 58 year old blackwoman and this is my ALLTIME FAVORITE ALBUM!! from my collegedaze!!
Jalilah Nazimah
Dorothea Ashe i goyt you by 3 my husband by 2 this my favorite too he didnt play this much he was more of rhe mothership era i call him youngins😄💝🎹🎶🎵🎼🎺🎻but we all had the best eravof music for sure none like it rhey can just sample away but nothing like being rhete especially at the concerts
TOMDENT
Top 3 bands all time no matter who's playin, Clinton the master mind!
chris edwards
Tyrone lampkin on drums
KING JAMU
Incredible piece of art
chris edwards
Tyrone lsmpkin kills it at the end
chris edwards
Love how tyrone lampkins beating those drums