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.
I Just Got Back
Parliament Lyrics
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It was way, way past another side
It was across the mountain
And through the seas
Past the moon, beyond all the things
That we've dreamed about
You never in your life seen such color
Like little things with bells that ring
And budding trees that summer brings back to life again
Whoa, I didn't want to leave
Cause I was having such a good time
But as we go through life
The good times, they seem to end
Wha whoa, wha whoa
Boba dibbidy dib dib dib dib
Bee dee dee da doh
I know I've been gone such such such a long long time
Then I thought about your kids and I changed my mind
I'm glad to come back and help raise your kids
Show you the way, the right way, I feel you gotta live
You'll find all the happiness that mama gave you
That you will have to kill
That's if, if you ever decide you ever want to live
The lyrics of Parliament's song "I Just Got Back" tell the story of a narrator who has returned from a fantastical journey to another world beyond our own. The singer describes this world as being "way, way past another side," situated across a mountain and through the seas, "past the moon, beyond all the things that we've dreamed about." The world is described as being incredibly colorful, and filled with wondrous sights like trees blossoming back to life and small creatures with bells that ring.
Despite the beauty of this other world, the singer ultimately decides to return home, possibly due to the realization that their loved ones back home needed them. The singer suggests that by returning, they can help raise their friend's children and show them the "right way" to live, imparting the happiness that their mother gave them.
Overall, the song seems to be about the importance of returning home and being present for loved ones, despite the allure of adventure and the unknown. It also touches on the idea of passing down wisdom and happiness to future generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey I just got back from another world
I have returned from an extraordinary experience.
It was way, way past another side
The experience was far beyond what I knew before.
It was across the mountain
The experience was on the other side of a great obstacle.
And through the seas
The experience was across vast oceans.
Past the moon, beyond all the things
That we've dreamed about
The experience was beyond our most imaginative dreams and went past the limits of what we thought possible.
You never in your life seen such color
The colors of this experience are indescribably beautiful.
That glows like a twinkle in an eye
The glowing colors shimmer and sparkle like the twinkle in someone's eye.
Like little things with bells that ring
There are small, magical objects that ring like bells.
And budding trees that summer brings back to life again
There are trees that bloom again in the summer and bring the world back to life with their beauty.
Whoa, I didn't want to leave
I had such a wonderful time that I did not want to leave this experience.
Cause I was having such a good time
I was enjoying myself immensely during this experience.
But as we go through life
The good times, they seem to end
As we move through life, good times tend to come to their conclusions, which is unfortunate.
Wha whoa, wha whoa
Boba dibbidy dib dib dib dib
Bee dee dee da doh
These sounds represent an expression of joy that's challenging to put into words.
I know I've been gone such such such a long long time
I have been away for an extended period.
Then I thought about your kids and I changed my mind
I decided to return to help raise your children and help them pave the way for their future.
I'm glad to come back and help raise your kids
Show you the way, the right way, I feel you gotta live
I am pleased to return and guide your children on the path of enlightenment and the pursuit of the best way of life.
You'll find all the happiness that mama gave you
That you will have to kill
That's if, if you ever decide you ever want to live
You will experience great happiness that your mother instilled in you, but you will have to let go of certain negative aspects of yourself to achieve it, and this can only happen if you desire to live a fulfilling life.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bernard Worrell, Cardell Jr Mosson, Edward Hazel, George Jr. Clinton, William Earl Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind