He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida. In Plainfield, he ran a barber salon, where he straightened hair, and soon formed a doo wop group, inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, called The Parliaments. Despite initial commercial failures, The Parliaments eventually found success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic in the seventies (see also P-Funk). This article focuses on Clinton's solo efforts after 1981.
Beginning in the early 1980's, Clinton recorded several nominal "solo" albums, although all of these records featured contributions from P-Funk's core musicians. The primary reason for recording under his own name was legal difficulties, due to the complex copyright and trademark issues surrounding the name "Parliament" (primarily) and Polygram's purchase of his former label (as part of Parliament), Casablanca Records. In 1982, Clinton signed to Capitol Records as a solo artist and as the P-Funk All-Stars, releasing Computer Games that same year. "Loopzilla" hit the Top 20 R&B charts, followed by "Atomic Dog," which reached #1 R&B, but peaked at #101 on the pop chart. In the next four years, Clinton released three more studio albums (You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish, Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends and R&B Skeletons in the Closet) as well as a live album, Mothership Connection (Live from the Summit, Houston, Texas) and charting three singles in the R&B Top 30, "Nubian Nut," "Last Dance," and "Do Fries Go with that Shake." This period of Clinton's career was marred by multiple legal problems (resulting in financial difficulties) due to complex royalty and copyright issues. In 1985 he was recruited by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to produce their album Freaky Styley, because the bandmembers were huge fans of George Clinton and Funk in general. Though Clinton's popularity had waned by the mid 1980s, he experienced something of a resurgence in the early 1990s, as many rappers cited him as an influence and began sampling his songs. Alongside James Brown, George Clinton is considered to be one of the most sampled musicians ever.
In 1989, Clinton released The Cinderella Theory on Paisley Park, Prince's record label. This was followed by Hey Man... Smell my Finger. Clinton then signed with Sony 550 and released T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mothership) in 1996, having reunited with several old members of Parliament and Funkadelic.
In the 1990s, Clinton appeared in films such as Graffiti Bridge (1990), Good Burger (1997) and PCU (1994). Most recently he appeared as the voice of The Funktipus, the DJ of the Bounce FM station in the 2004 video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Rapper Dr. Dre sampled most of his beats to create his G-Funk music era.
"You're Thinking Right" - the theme song for The Tracey Ullman Show, was written by Clinton.
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This is not the soundtrack composer George S. Clinton who did Mortal Kombat etc.
Atomic Dog (Original Extended
GEORGE CLINTON Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the dog that chases its tail will be dizzy
These are clapping dogs, rhythmic dogs
Harmonic dogs, house dogs, street dogs
Dog of the world unite
Dancin' dogs
Yeah
Countin' dogs, funky dogs
Atomic dog
Atomic dog
Like the boys
When they're out there walkin' the streets
May compete
Nothin' but the dog in ya
Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Like the boys
When they're out there walkin' the streets
May compete
Nothin' but the dog in ya
Why must I feel like that
Oh, why must I chase the cat
Like the boys
When they're out there walkin' the streets
May compete
Nothin' but the dog in ya
Ruff
Ruff
Ruff
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Nothin' but the dog in me
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Nothin' but the dog in me
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Nothin' but the dog in me
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Nothin' but the dog in me
Do the dogcatcher, dogcatcher
Do the dogcatcher
Do the dogcatcher, dogcatcher
Do the dogcatcher
Do the dogcatcher, baby, do the dogcatcher
Ooh
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Nothin' but the dog in me
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Nothin' but the dog in me
Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Just walkin' the dog
Oh, atomic dog
Futuristic bow-wow
Ruff
Leader of the pack
Wild dog
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Just the dog in me
Nothin' but the dog in me
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
Just the dog in me
Nothin' but the dog in me
Why must I feel like that
Why must I chase the cat
The dog in me (Dog in me)
The dog is in me (Dog in me)
Do the dogcatcher, dogcatcher
Do the dogcatcher
Do you want to do the dogcatcher
Well, baby, why don't you do it again for me
Dogcatcher, dogcatcher
Do the dogcatcher
House-trained dogs
Wild dogs
Say it again
Why must I feel like that
The lyrics of Atomic Dog by George Clinton & The P-Funk All-Stars are filled with references to dogs and their behavior. The song begins as a story of a famous dog and warns that a dog that chases its tail will become dizzy. The lyrics then mention different types of dogs, including rhythmic, harmonic, house, and street dogs, and urge them to unite. The chorus of the song declares the dog as an atomic one, which is powerful, fierce, and dominant.
The second verse compares the boys to dogs when they are out walking the streets, saying that they may compete with each other. The chorus then repeats, emphasizing the dominance and power of the dog. The lyrics then question why the singer feels the need to chase after the cat, alluding to the desire for power and dominance. The song closes with an invitation to do the dogcatcher dance and a final assertion that the dog is in the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, this is a story of a famous dog
Let me tell you about a well-known dog
For the dog that chases its tail will be dizzy
A dog that chases its tail will get confused
These are clapping dogs, rhythmic dogs
There are dogs that clap and dance to the beat
Harmonic dogs, house dogs, street dogs
There are dogs that sing together, dogs that live at home, and dogs that roam the streets
Dog of the world unite
All dogs should come together
Dancin' dogs
Dogs that love to dance
Yeah
You know what I mean
Countin' dogs, funky dogs
There are dogs that like to count and dogs that are cool and groovy
Nasty dogs (Dog)
Some dogs are naughty or wild (Dog)
Atomic dog
A powerful, explosive dog
Like the boys
Similar to young men
When they're out there walkin' the streets
When they roam around outside
May compete
They might try to outdo each other
Nothin' but the dog in ya
You're just being yourself, like a dog
Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Woof woof, let's have some fun
Why must I feel like that
Why do I feel this way
Oh, why must I chase the cat
Why do I have the urge to chase cats
Ruff
Woof
Do the dogcatcher, dogcatcher
Dance the dogcatcher, a move that imitates catching a dog
Do the dogcatcher
Let's keep dancing the dogcatcher
Do you want to do the dogcatcher
Would you like to dance the dogcatcher
Well, baby, why don't you do it again for me
Go ahead and do the dogcatcher move one more time
House-trained dogs
Dogs that have been trained to live inside the house
Wild dogs
Untamed, wild dogs
Say it again
Repeat what you said
Just walkin' the dog
Just taking the dog for a walk
Futuristic bow-wow
Innovative, modern dog
Leader of the pack
The top dog, in charge
The dog in me (Dog in me)
The dog that's a part of me
The dog is in me (Dog in me)
I have a strong inner dog
Lyrics © YELDARPS MUSIC
Written by: George Clinton, Garry Shider, David Spradley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind