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.
----
This is not the soundtrack composer George S. Clinton who did Mortal Kombat etc.
Get Dressed
George Clinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can't come back
You gets no more
We gets no encore
[Repeat 2X]
GET DRESSED! Time to go
Don't wanna close the show
I'm dressin! Undress
Gimme the flo'
I got somethin to show
Close your eyes, he's undressin!
We're the opening act
We can't come back
You gets no more
We gets no encore
High {?} through the door but I can't undress
{*knock knock knock*}
What the hell's going on in here?
You're under arrest, get dressed
Say what?
It's time to put the show on the road
(Time to put the show on the road!)
I'm dressin!
Well alright now
Meanwhile we find our opening act
Back in the dressing room
Discussing their room on the show when someone says
GET DRESSED! I want y'all
And then the drummer says uhh
A good show, starts in the dressing room
And work its way to the stage
Will someone give this young lady a backstage pass
While I work my way to the stage?
GET DRESSED! Time to go
Gotta start doin the show
Close the do' I'm DRESSIN!
Yeah I'm dressed to get down
Are y'all gonna throw down tonight?!
Yeah, well alright then!
[Repeat 2X]
We got to get the show on the road
It's time to get the show on the road
We're the opening act
We can't come back
You gets no more
We gets no encore
Got to get it while you can get it
Ay well alright y'all
GET DRESSED! Are y'all ready to throw down?
What goes around funks around
We're the opening act
We can't come back
You gets no more
We gets no encore... GET DRESSED!
A good show starts in the dressing room y'all
And work its way to the stage
Show me the stage, HOWWW!
And as sure as land don't shrink and money don't grow
You gets no mo', you gets no enco'
GET DRESSED!
We the opening act
We can't come back
You gets no more
We gets no encore
[Repeat 2X]
We got to get the show on the road
It's time to get the show on the road
GET DRESSED!
{*knock knock knock*}
What the hell's going on in here?
Get dressed, you're under arrest
The show is closed
Get ready, ooh-wooo
Woo-wooo
I'm ready, woo-woo
One minute, woo-woo
GET DRESSED!
Close the do', I'm dressin!
We got to get the show on the road
It's time to get the show on the road
We got to get the show on the road
GET DRESSED, I'm DRESSIN
We have to get the show on the road {*fades out*}
The lyrics of George Clinton's "Get Dressed" represent a command to the opening act of a show, signaling them that it's time to go and start the performance. The song is full of energy and funk, and it urges everybody to get their act together and make the most of the moment. The lines "We're the opening act, We can't come back, You get no more, We get no encore," suggest that the performers have a single chance to make a positive impression on the audience, and they have to do it right from the start.
The song's protagonist asks for a spotlight by saying "Gimme the flo', I got somethin to show," and then he undresses himself, addressing someone from behind closed doors to close their eyes, he's undressing. There's a sense of urgency, of pushing forward, and of not wasting any time, as "the good show starts in the dressing room and works its way to the stage."
Overall, "Get Dressed" is a celebration of live performances, urging performers to give it their all and create a memorable experience for the audience.
Line by Line Meaning
We're the opening act
We are the act that goes on stage first
We can't come back
We won't have another chance to perform
You gets no more
The audience won't get to see us again
We gets no encore
We won't get to perform again in front of the audience
GET DRESSED! Time to go
It's time to get ready to leave
Don't wanna close the show
We don't want to be the final act
Close the do', I'm dressin!
Please close the door, I am getting dressed
I'm dressin! Undress
I am getting dressed, while you should undress
Gimme the flo'
Give me the floor
I got somethin to show
I have something to display
Close your eyes, he's undressin!
Please close your eyes, he is getting undressed
High {?} through the door but I can't undress
I am high and want to come through the door, but I am unable to undress
{*knock knock knock*}
What the hell's going on in here?
You're under arrest, get dressed
Someone knocked on the door and announced that they are under arrest and should be dressed
Say what?
An exclamation of surprise or disbelief
It's time to put the show on the road
It is time to start the show and leave
Well alright now
An exclamation of approval
Meanwhile we find our opening act
At the same time, we locate our opening act
Back in the dressing room
Going back to the dressing room
Discussing their room on the show when someone says
While discussing the details of the show, somebody suggests
GET DRESSED! I want y'all
Get ready, I want everyone to be prepared
And then the drummer says uhh
The drummer interjects into the conversation
A good show, starts in the dressing room
A great performance begins with preparation backstage
And work its way to the stage
And then it moves to the stage for the live show
Will someone give this young lady a backstage pass
Can someone provide this young woman access to the backstage area
While I work my way to the stage?
Can I move towards the stage while she is given the pass
Yeah I'm dressed to get down
Yes, I am ready to party or dance
Are y'all gonna throw down tonight?!
Is everyone going to party hard tonight?
We got to get the show on the road
We must start performing and leave
It's time to get the show on the road
It is time to begin the performance and depart
Got to get it while you can get it
You should make the most of your opportunity
Ay well alright y'all
An expression of approval or agreement
What goes around funks around
A play on words of the phrase, 'what goes around comes around' meaning karma
GET DRESSED! Are y'all ready to throw down?
Get ready to perform and enjoy the show
We have to get the show on the road {*fades out*}
It is time to get on stage and start the performance
The show is closed
The performance has finished and the venue is closed
Get ready, ooh-wooo
Woo-wooo
I'm ready, woo-woo
One minute, woo-woo
GET DRESSED!
An encouragement to prepare for the upcoming performance
Contributed by Ryan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.