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.
The Cinderella Theory
GEORGE CLINTON Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You left your wet suit drippin´
On a tree
You were exoteric
It was so esoteric
It just had to be
We spoke of love through our eyes
You smiled at me
I turned my head to see
Still on the tree
It occurred to me
She had nothing on
Oh I, oh no, oh no
Cinderella Theory
Try these on see if they fit
It´s the Cinderella Theory
Try these on see if they fit
If they fit it was you
I´ve been lookin´ for
Oh I, oh no, oh no
Enthusiastically, deperately and eagerly
I searched for you
I´ll be the FBI, the CIA
I´ll even be a bloodhound, too
Sniff, sniff, sniffin´
Cinderella Theory
Try these on see if they fit
It´s the Cinderella Theory
Try these on see if they fit
If they fit it was you
I´ve been lookin´ for
In the song "The Cinderella Theory", George Clinton sings about meeting someone special while skinny dipping. The lyrics describe a romantic encounter that takes place between two people who connect on a deeper level. There is a sense of mystery and intrigue as the singer describes the experience as being both exoteric and esoteric. The use of these words creates a contrast between what is external and easily seen, versus what is internal and hidden.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more enamored with the person they have met. They describe themselves as being willing to go to great lengths to find this person, even as far as becoming an FBI agent, a CIA agent, or a bloodhound. The lyrics suggest that this person is the one the singer has been looking for, using the metaphor of the Cinderella Theory to describe a search for a perfect match.
Overall, the song seems to speak to the idea of finding someone special and feeling a deep connection with them. The use of playful language and imagery adds to the sense of fun and adventure that comes with falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
You went skinny dippin´
You swam in the nude
You left your wet suit drippin´
Your swimsuit was left hanging on a tree, dripping
On a tree
Specifically, the wet swimsuit was hanging on a tree
You were exoteric
You were an extroverted and outgoing type of person
It was so esoteric
The moment was so exclusive and rare
It just had to be
It had a certain inevitability to it
We spoke of love through our eyes
We exchanged a silent conversation about love through eye contact
Attracted, drawn or magnetized
We were strongly drawn to each other
You smiled at me
You expressed affection towards me with a smile
I turned my head to see
I turned my head to make sure that the object hanging on the tree is what I thought it was
Still on the tree
The object was indeed still hanging on the tree
It occurred to me
A realization struck me
She had nothing on
You had not put on any clothes after swimming
Cinderella Theory
A concept centered around finding the perfect match
Try these on see if they fit
Consider this concept and see if it resonates with you
If they fit it was you
If this concept aligns with your personality, then it is likely that you are the one I have been looking for
I´ve been lookin´ for
I have been searching ardently for the perfect match
Enthusiastically, deperately and eagerly
I have been searching with intensity and a sense of urgency
I´ll be the FBI, the CIA
I am willing to go to any lengths to find the perfect match
I´ll even be a bloodhound, too
I am even willing to become a tracking dog to find the right person
Sniff, sniff, sniffin´
I am actively seeking and following tracks to find my match
Contributed by Cooper W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
miked46
I’ve been searching for this album for many years, and now I finally know why it disappeared. Very different from all other P-Funk works, but it works very nice, and has lasting effect on me since first released.
rafael Zi
You have reason, apart COMPUTER GAMES other 80' realese are too much overlooked in my opinion
Jason Budge
When I've felt down in my life, Airbound has always lifted me up. Thanks George
Richard Corona
it is PERFECT! I cry everytime!!
Felix D.R.
How is it possible that everything George ever did is amazing
Eric Thompson
This album helped me thru some of the darkest times of my life and I am grateful for George Clinton's music. I am sad to see George Clinton RETIRING in MAY 2019😧
Stanley Anderson
His music came from and trough James brown and boots was the base player George may have retired but his music will continue and he left a legisy can you get to that?
James Vickers
George said an is a quote..."Fuck retirement"....#funkgitstronger 🤘
JadieB22
He's playing a Funk Festival in May 2020 in the UK. :)
BSS TV
Me to brother. Oh hell yeah.