Parliament was originally The Parliaments, a doo-wop group based out of George Clinton's Plainfield, New Jersey barber shop. The name was soon abandoned due to legal issues with Revilot and Atlantic Records, and most of the same people recorded under the name Funkadelic, which consisted of The Parliaments' backing musicians. Billy "Bass" Nelson is credited with creating the name Funkadelic. He also switched from 6-string guitar to bass, creating room for his childhood friend Eddie Hazel to join the group. Soon, Parliament was created in addition to Funkadelic and the two bands consisted of essentially the same people, though both released albums under their respective names.
The legal problems with the name "The Parliaments" were resolved in 1970, and Clinton signed all of Funkadelic to Invictus Records under the name Parliament, releasing Osmium ("The Breakdown" reached #30 on the R&B charts in 1971) but the name Parliament was then abandoned for some time, as Funkadelic was much more successful.
In the early 1970s, Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins and Catfish Collins joined Funkadelic, which released five albums by 1974. With only moderate success, Funkadelic signed with Casablanca Records as Parliament, releasing "Up for the Down Stroke" (off the album of the same name) which reached #10 on the R&B charts but peaked at #63 Pop. The song was the biggest hit of P Funk's career. 1975 saw the release of Chocolate City, which also enjoyed moderate success; the title track reached #24.
With the ensuing albums, Parliament became one of the most respected bands on the 1970s, and are now recognized as one of the forefathers of funk music. Of particular interest are the spacey themes of Starchild, Sir Nose and other recurring characters from multiple albums.
Of particular note is the landmark album Mothership Connection, an amalgam of many '70s themes and the tight "popular" funk sound which was both more commercially viable (particularly in the black community) and more readily emulated by the numerous artists capitalizing on the popularity of funk's mainstream cousin: disco. Artists such as the BeeGees, the Commodores and Kool and the Gang repackaged many of Parliament's innovations into radio-ready pop hits and upon the mass acceptance of disco culture as portrayed in Saturday Night Fever, millions of suburban Americans were able to boogie-oogie-oogie safely protected from exposure to the urban dance scene's multi-ethnic, sexually diverse and cocaine-fueled celebration.
In the early 1980s, with legal difficulties arising from the multiple names used by multiple groups, as well as a shakeup at Casablanca Records, George Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as recording and touring entities. Parliament/Funkadelic morphed into P-Funk. New audiences were fueled in the '90s due to extensive sampling by hip hop DJs and producers, including beats used in The Chronic and Cypress Hill's debut album.
A variety of bands evolved in their own right out of the main two bands - they included Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, Mutiny, The Horny Horns, and Quazar.
George Clinton subsequently worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Reformed in January 2018, the first new Parliament release in 38 years was "I'm Gon Make U Sick O'Me", which features the rapper Scarface. A new Parliament album, Medicaid Fraud Dogg, was released in May 2018.
Big Footin'
Parliament Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let us lay some funk on you
Funk on me?
Funk on you!
Music for the young and old
Music good to your ear hole
Hey, hey! Oh, lord!
I'm gonna be good to you
Big foot music
Good to your mama, too
Big foot music
Music that will blow your mind
Big foot music
Music is right on time
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Funk on me? (hey!)
Funk on you! (oh lord)
Big foot music
Music make you stomp your feet
Big foot music
Say, just a-clap your hands, to the beat
Big foot music
Music gets in your bone
Big foot music
Music turns you on
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Funk on me?
Funk on you!
Lord!
Yes, oh lord
Big foot music
Hey, good to you
Big foot music
Good to your mama, too
Big foot music
Hey, music will blow your mind, lord
Big foot music
Funky music, right on time
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you (oh, lord)
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Get it, get it, lord, lord
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Yeah, hey
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Do right
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Funk on me?
Funk on you!
Music that will blow your mind
Music that is right on time!
Big foot music
Hey, it's good to you
Big foot music
Good to your mama, too, lord
Big foot music
Music make you stomp your feet
Big foot music
Come on and clap your hands to the beat, y'all, lord!
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Good god, yeah, yeah yeah yeah!
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Come and get it, get it get it
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Get it right her
I know! Yeah!
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Get it, right here
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Mama too, and your daddy
Get it right here
Little sister, big brother
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Get it, yeah
Get it right here
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
Lord, please, I got to get rid of some of this here
You got to let me one time,
One time
Hold me, I got to cream y'all
Ow!
Lord, Jesus!
I know what you can do
Let us lay some funk on you
I know, I know I know
The lyrics of Parliament's "Big Footin'" are an invitation to dance and enjoy the funky music. The song begins with the band telling the audience that they can "lay some funk" on them, and the audience responds by asking "Funk on me?" It's clear that everyone is ready to groove to the music, no matter their age, as the lyrics mention "music for the young and old." The chorus introduces the idea of "Big Foot music" being good for, not just the listeners, but their mothers too.
The song's theme is to have a good time and feel the music deep within your soul, as the lyrics say that the music will "blow your mind" and that it's "right on time." The imagery of "Big Foot" signals that the music is strong and impactful akin to the big footsteps of a giant creature. The verse suggests that the music gets inside the listener, making them want to stomp their feet and clap their hands. The song repeatedly emphasizes the power of the music and how it can lead one to lose themselves in it, and "cream" - perhaps scream in excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
I know what you can do
I am aware of your capability in music
Let us lay some funk on you
Allow us to perform funk music for you
Funk on me?
You are offering to play music for me?
Funk on you!
Yes, I would love to hear your music!
Music for the young and old
Our music appeals to people of all ages
Music good to your ear hole
Our music is enjoyable to listen to
Hey, hey! Oh, lord!
An exclamation of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming music
Big foot music
Our style of music is big and exciting
I'm gonna be good to you
Our music will be enjoyable for you
Good to your mama, too
Our music will be enjoyable for your mother as well
Music that will blow your mind
Our music is so powerful that it will amaze you
Music is right on time
Our music is perfectly timed and rhythmic
Music make you stomp your feet
Our music will inspire you to dance and move your feet
Say, just a-clap your hands, to the beat
Just clap your hands to the rhythmic beat of our music
Music gets in your bone
Our music is so powerful that it will get deep into your bones
Music turns you on
Our music is so thrilling that it will excite and inspire you
Lord! Yes, oh lord
An exclamation of excitement and anticipation for the music
Funky music, right on time
Our music is funky and rhythmically perfect
Get it, get it, lord, lord
An enthusiastic call to get into the music and dance
Do right
We want you to enjoy our music to the fullest
Music that is right on time!
Our music is rhythmically perfect and precisely timed
Come on and clap your hands to the beat, y'all, lord!
An enthusiastic call to clap along with the music and get into the groove
Good god, yeah, yeah yeah yeah!
An exclamation of excitement and enjoyment
Come and get it, get it get it
A call to enjoy and dance to the music
Get it right her
Let the music take over and enjoy it
Mama too, and your daddy
Our music will be enjoyed by parents as well as their children
Little sister, big brother
Our music is enjoyed by people of all ages and genders
Lord, please, I got to get rid of some of this here
A plea to let the music take over and get rid of all negative energy
You got to let me one time,
Give us a chance to perform for you
One time
Just once, let us perform for you
Hold me, I got to cream y'all
An expression of excitement and passion for the music
Ow!
An exclamation of excitement and passion
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE HASKINS, GARRY MARSHALL SHIDER, GEORGE S CLINTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind