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.
Cosmic Slop
GEORGE CLINTON Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh, hear my mother call
I was one of five born to my mother
An older sister and three young brothers
We've seen it hard, we've seen it kind of rough
But always with a smile, she was sure to try to hide
The fact from us that life was really tough
I can hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call (Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Late at night I hear her call
Oh lord, lord I hear her call
She said, "Father, father it's for the kids (Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Any and every thing I did.
Please, please don't judge me too strong.
Lord knows I meant no wrong.
Lord knows I meant no wrong."
Then the devil sang
"Would you like to dance with me? (Ooh-ahh-ooh)
We're doin' the cosmic slop." (Ooh-ahh-ooh)
(x3)
She was well known through the ghetto
Tricks would come and then they'd go
The neighbors would talk and call her Jezebel
But always with a smile, she was sure to try to hide
The fact from us that she was catching hell, hey!
Hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call (Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Late at night I hear her call
Oh lord, lord I hear her call
She says, "Father, father it's for the kids (Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Any and every thing I did.
Please, please don't judge me too strong.
Lord knows I meant no wrong.
Lord knows I meant no wrong."
Lord!
(Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Hear my mother call
(Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Hear my mother call
She says, "Father, father it's for the kids (ooh-ah-ooh)
Any and every thing I did. (ooh-ah-ooh)
Please, please don't judge me too strong.
Hear my mother call (ooh-ah-ooh)
Hear my mother call (Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
I can hear my mother call (Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh)
Heyyyyyyy! Heyyyy!
Mother!
I can hear my mother call (ooh-ah-ooh)
I can hear my mother call (ooh-ah-ooh)
Mother, mother
Late at night
Late at night
Calling me
Mother
I can hear my
I can hear my mother calling me
Late at night I hear my mother
Late at night I hear my mother
Heyyyyyyy!
Heyyyyyy-ayyy!
In George Clinton's song Cosmic Slop, the lyrics describe the struggles and hardships faced by the singer's mother and their family. The singer is one of five siblings born to a mother who always tried to hide the fact that life was tough from her children, always putting on a smile despite the harsh realities of their situation. The mother has been stigmatized by the neighbors who call her Jezebel, suggesting that she is a prostitute. However, the mother's motives are ultimately revealed to be selfless and loving, as she only did what she had to do for her children. The song is ultimately an ode to her and her perseverance.
The chorus is repeated throughout the song, with the singer saying he can hear his mother call, symbolizing that he can feel her presence despite her not being physically present. The devil's voice interjects saying "Would you like to dance with me? We're doin' the cosmic slop" suggesting that the hardships the family has faced are a result of something beyond them, perhaps societal conditions or systemic oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Ahhh, ahh-ah-ahhhhh, hear my mother call
I remember my mother calling out for help when we were young and struggling.
I was one of five born to my mother
My siblings and I come from a humble background.
An older sister and three young brothers
My siblings include my sister and her three younger brothers.
We've seen it hard, we've seen it kind of rough
We've faced difficult times and struggles in life.
But always with a smile, she was sure to try to hide
Despite the hardships, my mother tried to keep a positive attitude for our sake.
The fact from us that life was really tough
She worked hard to shield us from the reality of our situation.
I can hear my mother call
The memory of my mother's voice still echoes in my mind.
Late at night I hear her call
I still recall her voice haunting me at night.
She said, "Father, father it's for the kids
My mother did everything she could to provide for us.
Any and every thing I did.
She sacrificed everything for us.
Please, please don't judge me too strong.
She doesn't want to be misunderstood or misjudged.
Lord knows I meant no wrong.
She did it all for our sake, out of love.
"Would you like to dance with me? (Ooh-ahh-ooh) We're doin' the cosmic slop." (Ooh-ahh-ooh)
Amidst the hardships and struggles, we still found joy and rhythm in the cosmic slop.
She was well known through the ghetto
My mother's love and kindness was recognized and appreciated in our community.
Tricks would come and then they'd go
Despite the judgment and misconceptions people had about her, my mother remained gracious and kind.
The neighbors would talk and call her Jezebel
People often misunderstood her and gave her unfair labels.
She says, "Father, father it's for the kids (ooh-ah-ooh) Any and every thing I did. (ooh-ah-ooh) Please, please don't judge me too strong.
She is still haunted by the judgment of others and wants to be understood and appreciated for her efforts.
Mother!
My mother is my guiding light and inspiration.
Calling me
Her voice still resonates in my soul, calling out to me.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BERNARD G WORRELL, BILL LASWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Limits96
Lyrics
Oh, hear my mother call
Oh, hear my mother call
I was one of five born to my mother
An older sister and three young brothers
We seen it hard
We seen it kinda rough
But always with a smile
She was sure to try to hide
The fact from us that life was really tough
I can hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
And at night I hear her call
All the night I hear her call
She says "Father, Father it's for the kids
Any and everything I did
Please, please don't judge me too strong
Lord knows I meant no wrong...
Lord knows I meant no wrong."
Then the devil sang:
Would you like to dance with me?
We're doing the cosmic slop
Would you like to dance with me?
We're doing the cosmic slop
Would you like to dance with me?
We're doing the cosmic slop
She was well known through the ghettos
Tricks would come and then they go
The neighbors would talk and call her Jezebel
But always with a smile
She was sure to try to hide
The fact from us that she was catching hell
Hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
Late at night I hear her call
To the lord I hear her call
She says "Father, Father it's for the kids
Any and everything I did
Please please don't judge me too strong
Lord knows I meant no wrong..."
Lord
She said "Father, Father it's for the kids
Any and everything I did
Please don't judge me too strong"
Hear my mother call
Hear my mother call
Hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
Hey, alright yeah I hear her man
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hear my mother call
I can hear my mother
Mother, mother, mother
Hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
Late at night, late at night
I hear her call on the Lord
Mother, I can hear my mother call
Hear that brother calling me
Mother, mama, mama, mother
I hear my mother
Hear my mother call
Hear my mother call
Hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
I hear my mother call
Yogsen Forfoth
One of the greatest songs ever written. Absolutely incredible.
Jerrica Whitfield
No lies told!!!
J V ELL
Gary’s opus
Reginald Webster
Starring the incomparable Eddie Hazel ! R.I.P. You will never be forgotten !
Samuel
God this is just too good for human ears... We don't deserve this...
Thomas Harrison
OH YEAH BABY, We deserve this !!!!!!!!
Lilmoe
Samuel We are not worthy !
Crys Stoll
Heaven yeah, we do. Free your mind and...
Mister Webb
Samuel you ain’t lyin!
WILLTILL11
You have no idea!