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.
Kickback
George Clinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wondering rambling strange trip drifting turning shifting
Swerving swinging turn corner bend curve dogleg crook
Hairpin zigzag twist warp swerve veer sheer
Ooga booga
We got the you goin´ for the okey dokey
Eenie meenie kiss a meenie ooh aw oh aw a meenie
Otcha kotcha ggonie watcha ooh aw ooh
Ish kiddily oat in dottin´ bo bo potato tottin´
Why not nottin´ shh
I got the back
Why you wanna sample, say it
I got the bag fellas tell ´em fellas don´t I got the sack
Speaking in tongues
Well I got the bag comin´ out of a sack
Kickback, kickback
Yo word up man, yo check this out
Goin´ under the table
Cuma la da cuma la da cuma la da vista
Oh no no not the vista
Eenie meenie kiss a meenie ooh aw ooh aw a meenie
Otcha kotcha ggonie watcha ooh aw ooh
Ish kiddily oat in dottin´ bo bo potato tottin´
Why knottin´ shh
Somebody said it´s a political favor
Lord
Payback
The big payback, the big payback
Big payback
Speaking in tongues I got your Jack swing swingin´
Ain´t nothin´ but a party y´all (x3)
SNAFU
TV
TV is what they want you to see
Ooga booga
Whose point of view
Ain´t nothin´ but a party y´all (x2)
Ooh censorship, shit
Censor this
Got your Jack swing a swingin´
Swing
Ooga booga (x2)
Jes Grew
Mumbo jumbo
Mumbo jumbo y´all
Mumbo jumbo
Mumbo jumbo y´all
Mumbo jumbo (x2)
Oh what´s your angle, SNAFU
Censorship
Mumbo jumbo
Mumbo jumbo y´all
Media hype
Mumbo jumbo
Mumbo jumbo y´all
Hear what they only want you to see
Said you hear and see what they want to see
And that´s SNAFU
Whose point of view
Whose perspective
Who rejects this
Who selects this
Not me or you and that´s a SNAFU
Beggin´, beggin´, beggin´
Narrating
Trying to agitate me
Whose point of view
It´s like this
Ooga booga
Mumbo jumbo
Oh speakin´ in tongues
Kickback
Skimmin´ off the top
Goin´ under the table
Political favor
Oh kickback
Some of this and of that
One hand washes the other
Scratch mine and I´ll scratch your back
Payback
George these people crazy man
Oh the payback
Ain´t nothin´ but a party y´all (x2)
The lyrics to George Clinton's song "Kickback" are a stream of consciousness that play with language and imagery. The opening lines describe a journey that is "wondering rambling strange trip drifting turning shifting," and the rest of the lyrics follow suit with a series of nonsensical phrases that create a sense of disorientation and confusion. The chorus, "Kickback," is repeated throughout the song as a kind of refrain, and the verses are punctuated with phrases like "Speaking in tongues" and "Ooga booga," which hint at a deeper spiritual or mystical meaning.
However, as the song progresses, it becomes clearer that there is a political message behind the madness. The lines "Somebody said it's a political favor / Payback" suggest that there is an undercurrent of corruption and cronyism that is being exposed. The verses touch on themes of censorship, media manipulation, and the way that those in power shape the narrative to serve their own interests. The repeated refrain of "Ain't nothin' but a party y'all" can be read ironically, as if to suggest that the idea of democracy and fairness has been reduced to a meaningless spectacle.
Overall, "Kickback" is a complex and multi-layered song that requires multiple listens to fully unpack. While the lyrics may seem nonsensical at first, they gradually reveal a deep-seated anger and frustration at the state of politics and the media in the US.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo word up man, yo check this out
Listen up, I have something to tell you
Wondering rambling strange trip drifting turning shifting
Feeling lost, with no direction
Swerving swinging turn corner bend curve dogleg crook
Driving recklessly through twists and turns
Hairpin zigzag twist warp swerve veer sheer
Driving dangerously through extreme and sudden turns
Ooga booga
A nonsense phrase expressing excitement or fear
We got the you goin´ for the okey dokey
We have everything you need
I bet you wanna get some
I bet you want to take advantage of what we have to offer
Eenie meenie kiss a meenie ooh aw oh aw a meenie
Silly rhyming nonsense with no meaning
Otcha kotcha ggonie watcha ooh aw ooh
More nonsense that doesn't mean anything
Ish kiddily oat in dottin´ bo bo potato tottin´
Even more random words with no meaning
Why not nottin´ shh
Why ask why? Just accept it and be quiet
I got the back
I have everything you need
Why you wanna sample, say it
Why waste time questioning what's on offer?
I got the bag fellas tell ´em fellas don´t I got the sack
I have everything you need and then some
Speaking in tongues
Talking in a way that is difficult to understand
Well I got the bag comin´ out of a sack
I have everything you need and lots of it
Kickback, kickback
Relax and enjoy the good life
Goin´ under the table
Dealing with things in secret or dishonestly
Cuma la da cuma la da cuma la da vista
More nonsense words
Oh no no not the vista
A negative reaction to something
Somebody said it´s a political favor
A suggestion that certain things are being done for political gain
Lord
An exclamation expressing strong emotion or surprise
Payback
Getting revenge for something that was done to you
The big payback, the big payback
An emphasis on getting revenge in a big way
Speaking in tongues I got your Jack swing swingin´
Talking in a difficult to understand way, but making it sound good
Ain´t nothin´ but a party y´all (x3)
Life is just one big party, enjoy it
SNAFU
A military acronym meaning, Situation Normal, All Fucked Up
TV is what they want you to see
The media only shows you what they want you to believe
Whose point of view
Asking whose perspective is being presented
Ain´t nothin´ but a party y´all (x2)
Life is just one big party, enjoy it
Ooh censorship, shit
An expression of frustration with censorship
Censor this
An expression of defiance against censorship
Got your Jack swing a swingin´
I am making it sound good, despite not making sense
Swing
An expression of having fun
Jes Grew
A term from the novel 'Mumbo Jumbo' meaning a cultural awakening
Mumbo jumbo
Nonsense or meaningless talk
Mumbo jumbo y´all
More nonsense talk
Oh what´s your angle, SNAFU
What is your motive or intention when things are messed up?
Media hype
The media blows things out of proportion
Hear what they only want you to see
Listen to what the media wants you to hear
Said you hear and see what they want to see
The media only shows you what they want you to see
Narrating
Telling a story or explaining something
Trying to agitate me
Attempting to provoke or irritate me
It´s like this
This is how things are
Kickback
Taking a break and enjoying life
Skimmin´ off the top
Taking a portion of something dishonestly
Political favor
Doing something for someone in exchange for political gain
Some of this and of that
Referring to a variety of things
One hand washes the other
Returning a favor in exchange for a favor
Scratch mine and I´ll scratch your back
An emphasis on returning a favor for a favor
George these people crazy man
A humorous interlude with no deeper meaning
Oh the payback
Getting revenge for something that was done to you
Ain´t nothin´ but a party y´all (x2)
Life is just one big party, enjoy it
Contributed by Skyler M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.