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.
Way up
GEORGE CLINTON Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
We all need the air
Makes good sense to care
We are family
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
Funky
Touch, way up
Touch, way up
Touch, funky
Funky
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
Touch
Touch
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
Way up
Touch
Way up
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch
Way up
Way up
Way up
Way up
Way up and out and touch everybody
But you got to post bail cuz my man's wholesale
He's the only connect I know
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
Way up and out and touch everybody
Way up and
Way up, touch
Way up, touch
Way up touch, touch, touch
Way up touch
Way up touch, touch, touch
Way up and touch
The lyrics of George Clinton's song "Way Up" express a desire to connect with everyone through an act of reaching way up and out to touch them. The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the intention of the singer to make a significant impact on the lives of those around them. The reference to air and family suggests a sense of community and shared responsibility that motivates the singer to strive for positive change.
At the same time, the presence of the line "But you got to post bail cuz my man's wholesale / He's the only connect I know" complicates the message of the song. It suggests that the singer is involved in illegal activities and has connections that enable them to operate outside of the law. This dual nature of the lyrics reflects the reality of life in urban communities where positive intentions can be undermined by systemic pressures and individuals are forced to make difficult choices.
Overall, "Way Up" is a powerful expression of hope and determination in the face of adversity. The mixture of funk and rap creates a dynamic and energetic soundscape that further emphasizes the message of the lyrics. The repetition of the phrase "way up" creates a sense of upward momentum that inspires the listener to believe in their ability to make a difference.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna reach way up and out and touch everybody
I am going to transcend boundaries and connect with everyone on a higher level.
We all need the air
We all require some communication and connection with each other.
Makes good sense to care
It is logical and necessary to be considerate of others.
We are family
We are all connected and a part of the same human community.
Brothers and sisters of the "P"
As members of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, we are a united group.
But you got to post bail cuz my man's wholesale
To maintain this connection, sometimes we need to help each other out when we face difficulties.
He's the only connect I know
He is the only person I can turn to for assistance.
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marvin Miller
Boy, this is FUNKY! George went back and brought "airbody" with him. And this is at least 10 years later. -Freddy P. Knight
Stanley Cole
man ! I been slippin' on my funktism. this my first time hearing this and I been funkin' since '75 and I mean DEEP FUNK not commercial funk
dell Black
yeah if you didn't catch it in '93, it was easy to miss. it appears Mr. Clinton's Paisley Park output of two albums are the only ones of his that are out of print.
David Holland
They say, is it funk after death, i say is 7-up. George did it again. Funk 4-ever.
Loretta Booker
MY BROTHER GEORGE CLINTON FOREVER
Hemihead 426
Still funking,and not dunking his fans,so we dont have to cold turkey,because I've been hooked for over 40 yrs and still needing my fix. Funkkkkkawayyyyyy!!!!!
Trauma Hawk
Funkier than a sack of grand daddies!!
Loretta Booker
NOTHING BUT 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 D.C LOVE YOU♥️💯🙏
Ernest Butler
This Song Just Screams When Live in Concert Play Me First or at Least right after COSMIC SLOP, But yet I never heard it.😁😎Love&Peace.luv ya byo eJ... hornyrary fonkadelli...party on dudes and dudettes 🤟
Jacob Mac
That's some Stanky Stuff