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.
Deep
Parliament Lyrics
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Hell yeah, uhh ay-yay, allright!
Yay-yeah, whoa, whoa, yeah
Yay-yeah
You know I love you baba, because I'm being you every week
(by the way it seem that everybody...)
Just a just a how you want to meet
(you know this judge, I don't want to meet, he's...)
Deep! (i swear he's as deep as the deep blue seas)
The boy is deep!
The girl is deep!
Iiiiiit's got to be deep!
Deep!
(i saw you only Friday, joe, and just let me say, )
The boy is deep!
(...tried to take me through a thousand confessions , you know there's billy,)
The girl is deep!
(you know there's bennie the rest of the days, )
Iiiiiiit's got to be deep!
(besides -- it helps me with my problem complexion)
(oh shut your garbage mouth woman!)
I saw you only Friday, joe, and just let me say
You tried to take me through a thousand confessions
You know there's billy and bennie on the rest of the days
Besides they help me with my problem complexion
Deep, deep
(i must say girl your deep. deep!)
We need to raise atlantis from the bottom of the sea
(dancing 'til we bring it to the top)
We're going to search
Searching like you're never gonna see
That's what the searching through is bound to be
Girl you're deep! deep!
You can tune a piano, but you can't tune-a fish
Deep!
Oh ohh (ohh ohh)
You got to be deep (so deep)
You know (ya know)
So deep (so deep)
Your so deep (your so deep)
I'm so deep
I'm so deep, you're so deep
Everybody is deep
(x2)
Deeeeeeeeep, deeeeeeeeep
Yeah man, yeah man that honky's got his nerve alright, man
I take my piece along for my protection you know
A man's got a right to be on top (you know a man's got a right)
....you know, I don't throw down with no fight, man
If you worry about it I'ma have to bust ya, kid
(knock me out, knock me out)
Not here
Deep
(got to be deep...i was...)
The honkie's deep!
(...a little bit unsure before but now I'm)
The nig-ga's deep!
(oh)
Caaaannn't help but be deep!
Deep!
(i really do believe I gotta to be...)
The honkie's deep!
(...i mean I just couldn't understand whatever)
The nig-ga's deep!
(...these, I've got to say these -?- )
Caaaannn't help but be deep!
Ok got your pad and pencil handy? uh
Li.....listen, there's niggers in our neighborhood, and I had to hire a spy!
I didn't know what to do, since then....since then...
(....the kids, I need some, I need some food, my kids are starving)
We've got to raise atlantis from the bottom of the sea
(dancing 'til we bring it to the top)
Dancing till we bring it to the top
We've got to keep on searching 'til we're totally free
But in the meantime let's say that we're deep
Deep I swear,
You if you don't give, you can't tell, you ain't there
Deep!
Deep!
Yeah, yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah
Allright, yeah yeah yeah yeah
(x2)
We've got to raise atlantis (got to be deep)
It's the only thing that matters
(-------------?-------------)
(yes sir, I understand)
Ok let's try it here we go!
(ok)
And if you'll stand behind me...
(uh uuummm, and if you'll stand behind me...)
We're going to make it right.
(we're going to make it right)
(we're going to make it right -- I mean that!)
Be sure to get your votes in
(but be sure to pay your money...)
Before 12 o'clock tonight
(...for your dinner here tonight. ha-ha, vote for me!)
Deep!
The leaders are deep!
The unions are deep!
Juuuust seem to be deep!
(ok, let's hear it for bill, yeah!!! tell 'em about it bill!)
Hey good. our union is the strongest in the nation's ???
(three cheers for bill. hip hip hurray!)
...help replace all of the biggies so that we can
(yeah all the biggies)
Seig heil! (x3)
You know, it's got to be deep
Can't help, it's got to be deep
Didn't I play deep, deep
( got me any candy mister?)
( which way to the men's room little girl, can you tell me?)
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top
(my goodness...)
With the bump and the bop
( (-?????-) in here...)
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top
(my little fish-a-dees)
With the bump and the bop
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top
(you can lead a horse to water)
With the bump and the bop
(but you can't make him backstroke)
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top
(might make him snort coke)
With the bump and the bop
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top
(o.d.'s)
With the bump and the bop
(o.d.'s fish)
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top
(oh my....)
With the bump and the bop
(we're going to raise...)
To the top!
...with the bop!
Ok that was it, let's pack it up
(excuse me sir...)
What?
(excuse me, would you happen to be George Clinton?)
Can I get some security over here!
(excuse me, but would you happen to be George Clinton
Could you point George Clinton out to me?)
It's just got to be deep!
"Deep" by Parliament is a funky, groovy song that is ripe for interpretation. In it, we hear the singer express their love for someone or something, and they describe this love as being "deep." They talk about the things they're willing to endure or deal with for this love, and they talk about how they see others who are also "deep." The song jumps around a bit, and it's challenging to pin down exactly what the singer is talking about, but one interpretation is that they're talking about a deep love of music or a particular genre, and how this love unites people and can even bring about change.
The song begins with the repeated phrase "Hell yeah!" which is a common phrase used to express enthusiasm or agreement. This could be interpreted as the singer getting pumped up or excited about the topic of their love. The repetition of the phrase "deep" throughout the song could also be seen as a way of building up the intensity and depth of this love.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about how they "grit [their] teeth and bare it" for this love, and how they endure the difficult parts of it because they value it so much. They also talk about how others are "deep" and how this makes them feel connected and united in their love. The repetition of the phrase "we're going to raise Atlantis to the top" at the end of the song could be interpreted as a call to action or an expression of hope for what could be possible if everyone shared this deep love.
Overall, "Deep" is a complex and multifaceted song that could be interpreted in a variety of ways. It's a testament to the power of love (of music or anything else) to bind people together and inspire them to make positive changes.
Line by Line Meaning
Hell yeah! yay-yay yay-yay yeah!
Excitement and agreement
You know I love you baba, because I'm being you every week (by the way it seem that everybody...)
Everyone tries to be like the one they love
I grit my teeth and bare it (you know this judge? he carries a grudge!) Just a just a how you want to meet (you know this judge, I don't want to meet, he's...)
Acknowledging the difficulty of meeting expectations
Deep! (i swear he's as deep as the deep blue seas) The boy is deep! The girl is deep! Iiiiiit's got to be deep! Deep!
Everything must be deep and meaningful
I saw you only Friday, joe, and just let me say You tried to take me through a thousand confessions You know there's billy and bennie on the rest of the days Besides they help me with my problem complexion Deep, deep (i must say girl your deep. deep!)
The struggle of constantly confessing and relying on others
We need to raise atlantis from the bottom of the sea (dancing 'til we bring it to the top) We're going to search Searching like you're never gonna see That's what the searching through is bound to be Girl you're deep! deep!
Striving for something unattainable and deep
You can tune a piano, but you can't tune-a fish Oh ohh (ohh ohh) You got to be deep (so deep) You know (ya know) So deep (so deep) Your so deep (your so deep) I'm so deep I'm so deep, you're so deep Everybody is deep (x2) Deeeeeeeeep, deeeeeeeeep
Everything has a limit and everyone has depth
The honkie's deep! (...a little bit unsure before but now I'm) The nig-ga's deep! (oh) Caaaannn't help but be deep! (i really do believe I gotta to be...)
Acknowledging how race impacts depth
We've got to raise atlantis (got to be deep) It's the only thing that matters (-------------?-------------) (yes sir, I understand)
Raising atlantis is the only important thing to do
The leaders are deep! The unions are deep! Juuuust seem to be deep! (ok, let's hear it for bill, yeah!!! tell 'em about it bill!) Hey good. our union is the strongest in the nation's ??? (three cheers for bill. hip hip hurray!)
Institutions are seen as deep
Seig heil! (x3)
A rejection of Nazi ideology
Can't help, it's got to be deep
Deepness cannot be avoided
Didn't I play deep, deep
An affirmation of deepness in one's own work
We're going to raise Atlantis to the top (my goodness...) With the bump and the bop
Excited about raising atlantis
Ok that was it, let's pack it up
Time to finish
It's just got to be deep!
Emphasis on depth
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: George Clinton, J. S. Theracon, William Bootsy Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind