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.
It's All Love
George Clinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh-oh-oh oh, oh-oh-oh oh (hey, yeah)
Oh-oh-oh oh, oh-oh-oh oh (yes Lord)
Yeah, uh
We started off a team
Party 'til we fall asleep
Even on the street, when we disagreed
Respect the unique (right), anything less if it's was weak
The music of the strings made life complete (facts)
'Til that one day that changed everything
The Pop Trolls started snatchin' up all of the strings (oh no)
Put the melodies on top of poppy lil' beats
They cut us out of the scene
And then forgot what it really means (not even publish us)
Shoulda seen between all of the scheming
It seems like the Trolls they stole from were meaningless
Walkin' around like they were the geniuses
But it's only samples, autotune and remixes (no, Lord)
I'm a vegan, I don't have no beef with them (no, Lord)
Gotta protect my kingdom
But the dream is to sing again (yes, yes)
Being friends, seamless blend
Harmony ain't hard when the keys within you win
First, it was all love (at first, it was all love)
Hands up, superstar love (stars up)
That you can have it, you can have it all, love (and you can get it how you want)
But then you took it, took it all, love, all, love (they took it all)
Turn it up louder (turn the music up louder)
Sing along, get the crowd up (get the crowd up, come on)
But then you took it all, love (took it all, love)
Then forgot all about us (oh), but it's all love
I feel you
Sounds good in my ear when I hear it like that
I feel you
I say I look good to the mirror and it says it right back
I feel you
A little love wouldn't kill you
You really did me wrong, it was real cruel (it was real cruel)
Had a lot of love and I still do, 'cause I feel you
Next morning, the elders were on me (man)
They saw the warning signs, couldn't ignore it (look)
Had to figure out how to save the way of life they had made
So they made a play
The Pop Trolls were comin' for it all
All for one and one for all
So the only way we saw, how we saw it
It was one thing left to be done (what?)
Each leader grabbed a single string and said, "Run!"
The lyrics of "Funk" by George Clinton and the Parliament describe the feeling of helplessness in a relationship. The song talks about a situation where the singer knows that they love their partner but can't do anything to stop them from leaving. The singer accepts that it's too late to change the situation and tries to come to terms with the fact that they have to learn to live without the love of their life. They know they could beg, plead, or get down on their knees but it's useless. The singer is left with a heavy heart and has to deal with the pain of losing their partner.
The song is an emotional ballad that expresses vulnerability and heartache. The lyrics are relatable and evoke a sense of helplessness that many people feel in a failed relationship. The chorus repeats the line "It's just one of those things that I can't do nothing about" to emphasize the fact that the singer is powerless in this situation.
Overall, "Funk" is a soulful track that showcases the emotional depth of George Clinton's songwriting. The song's simple chord progression and slow tempo add to the somber mood of the track, and the use of horns and keyboards add a touch of funk that is characteristic of Parliament's music.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no mistakin' what's takin' place here
It's clear that our relationship is ending
I can't pretend anymore
I can't fake my feelings or deny the truth anymore
You know that I love you, but it's not enough to
Despite my love for you, it can't prevent you from leaving
Keep you away from that door
Stop you from leaving
Now it's too late to wonder, what's left to be tried
It's pointless to speculate about other ways to save our relationship
Your mind is made up, and my hands are tied
You have already decided to leave, and I can't change your decision
Chorus:
It's just one of those things that I can't do nothing about
I have no control over this situation
Your love is something that I'm going to have
I need to learn to live without your love
To learn to live without
Accept the fact that I won't have your love anymore
I could beg, I could plead, and get down on my knees
I could try to convince you to stay by pleading and begging
But I think I finally figured it out
But I know that it won't change anything
So bring on the tears, and bring on the heartaches
I'm ready to face the sadness and pain of your leaving
Let me get on with my pain
I need to deal with my emotions
If this is goodbye then let's get it over
If you have decided to leave, let's get it done soon
There's nothing left to explain
There's no need to discuss the reasons behind your decision
Now God knows I've tried, I've tried for so long
I have done everything I could to save our relationship
What's left of my heart will have to be strong
I need to be strong enough to deal with the pain of your leaving
Well it's all I can stand, but it's out of my hands
I'm at my limit, but I can't control your decision to leave
Your leaving is leaving more room for doubt
Your departure is making me question our whole relationship
It's just one of those things, I can't do nothing about
I have no power over your leaving
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: James Fauntleroy, Ludwig Goransson, Joseph Shirley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind