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.
Bullet Proof
GEORGE CLINTON Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(funk-drop)
All around the world
I'd rather be in a band
PlAYIN' my funky music
LOUD as I can
I ain't bulletproof!
I won't wear the ball and chain
(funk)
(repeat)
I don't want your war
I don't like the boom and bang
(oooh)
I don't want to play
I don't like the songs you sing
(oooh)
The whole world
is on red alert
Believe me when I say
No one has to get hurt
I ain't bulletproof
I won't wear the ball and chain
(oooh)
la la la la
la la la la la la la
(funk)
(repeat)
(funk)
Everyday I read the paper
There's a brand new hot spot
A so-and-so somewhere
wanna take what so-and-so's got
I DON'T WANT YOUR WAR
I don't want your war/
I don't want your war
I don't want your war/
(pause music)
I don't want your war
I don't want your war
(funk)
I DON'T WANT YOUR WAR
I don't want your war/
I don't want your war
III don't want your war!
(funk couple measures)
All in favor say 'aye' (clap)
All in favor say 'AYE' (clap)
All in favor say 'aye' (clap)
AAALL in favor say 'aye' (clap)
I ain't bulletproof
I won't wear the ball and chain!
(not for nobody)
On the subway, everyone's holdin
even' mugger's gettin mugged
With all they're holdin in
there's no room for love.
All around the world
I'd rather be in a band
PlAYIN' my funky music
LOUD as I can
I ain't bulletproof!
I won't wear the ball and chain
(funk)
(repeat)
(funk + refrain + repeat for a while)
The song "Bullet Proof" by George Clinton is a powerful statement against violence and war. The lyrics emphasize the idea that violence only causes harm and destruction, and that music and creativity are a better way to express oneself. The phrase "I ain't bulletproof" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the vulnerability and humanity of individuals regardless of their status or background. The lyrics also touch upon the idea of social inequality and the effects of violence on everyday people, such as subway riders and victims of crime.
The chorus of the song is particularly impactful, stating "I don't want your war, I don't like the boom and bang/I don't want to play, I don't like the songs you sing." This showcases a rejection of violence and the use of violence as a means to an end. The entire song is framed in the context of music, which is seen as a more positive and productive way to express oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
All around the world
No matter where I go, I always see the same thing.
I'd rather be in a band
Playing music with others is where I belong.
PlAYIN' my funky music
I want to express myself with my unique sound.
LOUD as I can
I want the world to hear me.
I ain't bulletproof!
I'm not invincible.
I won't wear the ball and chain
I won't let anyone hold me back or control me.
I don't want your war
I'm tired of all the violence and conflict in the world.
I don't like the boom and bang
I don't enjoy the sound of guns and bombs.
I don't want to play
I won't participate in your violent games.
I don't like the songs you sing
I don't agree with the messages you're spreading through your music.
The whole world is on red alert
Everyone is on edge and feeling threatened.
Believe me when I say
Trust that what I'm saying is true and important.
No one has to get hurt
There's a better way to solve our problems without violence.
Everyday I read the paper
Every day I see news about more conflict and violence.
There's a brand new hot spot
There's always a new area of conflict.
A so-and-so somewhere
I don't care who they are or where they're from.
wanna take what so-and-so's got
They want to take something from someone else through force or violence.
All in favor say 'aye' (clap)
I want to unite people in opposition to violence.
All in favor say 'AYE' (clap)
Let's all make a declaration that we won't participate in violence.
On the subway, everyone's holdin
Even in public places, people feel the need to protect themselves.
even' mugger's gettin mugged
The cycle of violence continues.
With all they're holdin in
Everyone is carrying their fears and anxieties with them.
there's no room for love.
The world is filled with so much fear and anger, there's no space for compassion or understanding.
Contributed by Eli Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Funk A. Teer
Go 4 it, girl.
Quote George Clinton: THINK!IT AIN'T ILLEGAL YET π€πΏ
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π(+ > π€πΏ
GEORGE did work with Prince on several occasions, check him out, pls πππ€πΏ
ted n
Pfunk was great but George Clinton solo of this era was excellent in its own right. George Clintonβs influence on 30 plus years of music is criminally understated.
Wiktor ΕwiΔ tkowski
this funk is just so powerful
Mel Holmes
55 years old and still love this jam.
Ronnie B
I want the instrumental to this so bad!
BlackCat (The Ultimate Moonwalker)
This was Funk at its finest! You go George Clinton!!! βπ½
Andre Thompson
I bought this album, I believe it was released after atomic dog album. Very funky this song is.
Ron Epting
After You shouldnt of Bit Fish
modifiedcontent
Best of his "solo" albums after Computer Games, sadly overlooked.
BusaridingT B.
Still Relevant i dont want your war, love u visionary GEORGE CLINTON
Funk A. Teer
W.E.F.U.N.K. π€πΏ