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.
Why Should I Dog U Out?
George Clinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Suckers
I´ve been duped and slimed before
I´ve been walked on like I was a floor
Bent out of shape
Is the shape that I´m in
I´m always glad to see the face of a good friend
Sticks and stones may break my bones
I can grow or I can pass it on
It´s so hard to leave it alone
I´m always glad to see the face of a good friend
Why should I dog u out?
Goofy
Dog u out
Snoopy
Dog u out
Spud
Dog
Marmaduke
Dog u out
Why should I dog u out?
Get a little funk
Then you sell out
Shake a few rumps
Then you sold out
We did all of that
Without selling out
Get a little funk
Then you sell out
Shake a few rumps
Then you sold out
We did all of that
Without chillin´ out
How much is that doggie in the window
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window
I do hope that doggie´s for sale
I´m a blind dog with a seeing eye man
If I mistake you for a fire hydrant I hope you understand
Get a little funk
Then you sell out
Shake a few rumps
Then you sold out
We did all of that
Without selling out
Bulldog
Not to be confused with
Pitbull
Not to be confused with
Hotdog
Not to be confused with
Kosher franks
Not to be confused with
Wieners
Not to be confused with
Police dog
Not to be confused with
Deputy dog
Not to be confused with
Deaf dog
Not to be confused with
Hush puppies
Not to be confused with
Chillin´ out in doghouse
Not to be confused with
Chili dog
Not to be confused with
Boy dog
Not to be confused with
Bitch
I´m a blind dog with a seeing eye man
If I mistake you for a fire hydrant I hope you understand
How much is that doggie in the window
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window
I do hope that doggie´s for sale
Smart dog
Not to be confused with
Go fetch it Fido
Not to be confused with
A pack of wild dogs
Not to be confused with
Pound puppies
Not to be confused with
Pedigree
Not to be confused with
Mutt
Not to be confused with
Underdog
Not to be confused with
Top dog
Not to be confused with
Lab dog
Not to be confused with
Dead dog
Not to be confused with
Man´s best friend
The lyrics to George Clinton's "Why Should I Dog U Out?" touch on the themes of friendship, loyalty and betrayal. The song talks about how Clinton has been betrayed before, and has been treated badly, but he is always happy to see the face of a good friend. The lyrics go on to ask why he should treat his friends badly, and uses the metaphor of dogs to talk about different kinds of people. He questions why he should "dog out" people, which is to say, treat them badly or betray them, and talks about the importance of staying true to himself.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics veer off into a playful riff on different kinds of dogs, using different breeds and types to talk about different kinds of people. The repetition of the phrase "not to be confused with" highlights the differences between these different types of dogs, and by extension, the different kinds of people in the world. The lyrics playfully touch on the idea of identity, and how people identify with different types of dogs. The song ends on a humorous note, with a repetition of the refrain "How much is that doggie in the window", which adds another layer of playfulness to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I´ve been duped and slimed before
I have been tricked and deceived before
I´ve been walked on like I was a floor
I have been treated unfairly and taken advantage of
Bent out of shape
I am upset and stressed
Is the shape that I´m in
Current situation is causing stress
I´m always glad to see the face of a good friend
I appreciate friends and the support they give
Sticks and stones may break my bones
Words cannot hurt me physically
I can grow or I can pass it on
I have the power to let bad things slide or retaliate
It´s so hard to leave it alone
It's difficult to not react to negative comments or actions
Why should I dog u out?
Why should I mistreat you or seek revenge?
Goofy
Silly or foolish
Dog u out
Mistreat or seek revenge
Snoopy
Showing curiosity or prying
Spud
A potato
Dog
Mistreat or seek revenge
Marmaduke
A giant dog breed
Get a little funk
Create and enjoy music with a good vibe and rhythm
Then you sell out
Compromise your musical integrity for profit
Shake a few rumps
Dancing or moving to the beat of the music
Then you sold out
Compromised your musical integrity for profit
We did all of that
We created and enjoyed music with a good vibe and rhythm
Without selling out
Without compromising our musical integrity for profit
How much is that doggie in the window
How much does that dog cost?
The one with the waggly tail
The dog that's wagging its tail
I do hope that doggie´s for sale
I hope the dog is available for purchase
I´m a blind dog with a seeing eye man
I am easily fooled or tricked despite having guidance
If I mistake you for a fire hydrant I hope you understand
If I misinterpret you or your actions, I hope you'll forgive me
Bulldog
A breed of dog with a strong, muscular build
Not to be confused with
Should not be mixed up with
Pitbull
A tenacious dog breed known for its strength
Hotdog
A type of sausage served in a long roll
Kosher franks
A type of hotdog that's kosher or prepared according to jewish dietary laws
Wieners
A type of sausage similar to hotdogs
Police dog
A dog trained to help law enforcement
Deputy dog
A deputy sheriff or law enforcement officer
Deaf dog
A dog with a hearing impairment
Hush puppies
A type of fried cornbread
Chillin´ out in doghouse
Relaxing or taking it easy in a comfortable place
Chili dog
A type of hotdog topped with chili
Boy dog
A male dog
Bitch
A female dog or a derogatory term for a woman
Smart dog
A dog that's intelligent or highly trainable
Go fetch it Fido
A command to retrieve something
A pack of wild dogs
A group of untamed or ferocious dogs
Pound puppies
Dogs that were abandoned and taken to a pound
Pedigree
A purebred dog with a documented lineage
Mutt
A dog of mixed breed or uncertain lineage
Underdog
Someone or something disadvantaged or unlikely to win
Top dog
Someone or something in a position of power or authority
Lab dog
A retriever or other breed of dog used in laboratory research
Dead dog
A dead or lifeless dog
Man´s best friend
A dog, as it is often a loyal and loving companion to humans
Contributed by Joseph Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dwayne Baker
Funkin' hard on this cut!
dwayne baker
I had this 12 inch mega funk mix! Roll a thick joint or blunt and trip day funk out! I think he done 3 or 4 versions of this track.
Basheer Muhammad
Think GC liked The cars that go boom sound, at the time this was done.
D'Artenya Granger
Why Should I Dog U Out (Cars That Go Boom South East Mix).mp4
D'Artenya Granger
Why Should I Dog U Out (Cars That Go Boom South East Mix).mp4
D'Artenya Granger
Why Should I Dog U Out (Cars That Go Boom South East Mix).mp4