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.
Ain't That Peculiar
George Clinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't that peculiar baby?
Ain't that peculiar?
You, you, you, you, you
You do me wrong but I'm still crazy 'bout you
Stay away too long and I can't do without you
Every chance you get you seem to hurt me more and more
I know flowers grow from rain
But how can love grow from pain baby?
Now ain't that peculiar? Peculiar as can be
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
Ain't that peculiar baby? Peculiarity
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
You tell me lies that should be obvious to me
But I'm so much in love with you baby that I don't wanna see
That the things you do and say are designed to make me blue
Doggone shame my love for you makes all your lies seem true
If truth makes love last longer
Why do lies make mine stronger, oh baby?
Ain't that peculiar? Peculiarity
(Ain't that peculiar, peculiar?)
Ain't that peculiar? Peculiar as can be
(Ain't that peculiar?)
Ain't it peculiar baby? Peculiar as can be
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
Ain't that peculiar?
Ain't that peculiar? Peculiarity
I know love can last through years
But how can my love laugh through tears?
I know love can last through years
But how can love laugh through tears?
Ain't it peculiar baby?
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?
Ain't that peculiar? That's all I can do baby
Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?
Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?
Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?
Ain't that peculiar?
George Clinton's Ain't That Peculiar is an introspective look at a tumultuous relationship where the singer is aware of the pain caused by their partner but still can't help being in love with them. The catchy hook "Ain't that peculiar?" is a rhetorical question that expresses the contradictory nature of the situation, where love seems to flourish in the midst of hurt and pain. The lyrics touch on the theme of emotional resilience and the idea that sometimes love can grow stronger through adversity.
The first verse highlights the singer's willingness to overlook their partner's flaws and the emotional turmoil caused by their actions. The second verse delves deeper into the conflict between truth and lies and how they impact the dynamics of the relationship. The lines "If truth makes love last longer/Why do lies make mine stronger?" show the confusion and frustration felt by the singer in a situation where their perception of reality is being challenged.
The song's bridge section expresses the paradox of love and how it's able to endure through hardships. The lines "I know love can last through years/But how can my love laugh through tears?" reveal the complexity of emotions felt by the singer.
Overall, Ain't That Peculiar is a song about the contradictions of love and how it's able to thrive in the midst of pain and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't that peculiar baby?
Isn't it strange how our love works?
You, you, you, you, you
Addressing the person who is causing the strange love.
You do me wrong but I'm still crazy 'bout you
Even though you hurt me, I'm still in love with you.
Stay away too long and I can't do without you
When you're not around, it's hard for me to function.
Every chance you get you seem to hurt me more and more
You consistently do things that cause me emotional pain.
But each hurt makes my love grow stronger than before
Despite everything, my love for you continues to grow.
I know flowers grow from rain
I understand that beauty can come from difficult situations.
But how can love grow from pain baby?
I don't understand how our love can continue to grow from the hurt you cause me.
Now ain't that peculiar? Peculiar as can be
Isn't it strange and hard to understand?
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
Repeating the same sentiment.
You tell me lies that should be obvious to me
You lie to me blatantly, and I should be able to see the truth.
But I'm so much in love with you baby that I don't wanna see
My love for you is so strong that I choose not to see the truth.
That the things you do and say are designed to make me blue
You intentionally do and say things that make me sad.
Doggone shame my love for you makes all your lies seem true
Unfortunately, my love is so strong that it blinds me to your lies.
If truth makes love last longer
Honesty is key to a lasting relationship.
Why do lies make mine stronger, oh baby?
But for some reason, your lies only seem to make our love stronger.
Ain't that peculiar? Peculiarity
Reiterating the strange nature of our relationship.
(Ain't that peculiar, peculiar?)
Again, expressing the same sentiment.
Ain't it peculiar baby? Peculiar as can be
Our love is incredibly unusual and hard to make sense of.
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
Repeating the same sentiment.
I know love can last through years
I understand that love can survive for a long time.
But how can my love laugh through tears?
How can I continue to love you even when you hurt me?
Ain't it peculiar baby?
Reiterating the strange nature of our love.
(Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?)
Again, expressing the same sentiment.
Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?
Another repetition of the same sentiment.
Ain't that peculiar? Ain't that peculiar?
And one final repetition of the central idea of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WARREN MOORE, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR., ROBERT ROGERS, MARVIN TARPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind