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.
Into You
Parliament Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(x3)
Into you, my people
I can't get into the neutron bomb
I can't get into something that will do me some harm
I can't get into a drug addict principle
I can't get into something that would close the door
If it's right, it's all right for you now
If it's right, it's all right for me now, yo-ho
Any night you'll be uptight until you find
That the wrong and the right are within your mind
Into you now
(x4)
Into you, my people
Into you now
Imagine me
Into you now
Into you
Into you now
My heart
Into you, my people
I can't get into the poisoned land
I can't get into something I don't understand
I can't into a bad romance
I can't get into a love that ends in a chance
If it's right, it's all right with you now
If it's right, it's all right for me now, yo-ho
Any night you'll be uptight until you find
That the wrong and the right are within your mind
(repeat)
Into you now
(x3)
Into you, my people
And you into me
The lyrics to Parliament - Funkadelic's song Into You are about being hesitant towards things that can do harm. The singer cannot get into a neutron bomb, a drug addict principle or a love that ends in a chance. The song encourages listeners to embrace what is right for them and to recognize that the wrong and the right are within their own minds. Ultimately, it is about being into one's self and one's community.
The repetition of "into you now" and "into you, my people" in the chorus is a call to action to embrace oneself and one's community. The verses focus on the things that the singer cannot get into, highlighting the importance of being careful and selective about the things one chooses to embrace. The song urges listeners to prioritize their wellbeing and avoid things that can be harmful.
Line by Line Meaning
Into you now
Emphasizing the desire to connect with the people
I can't get into the neutron bomb
I cannot accept something that brings harm
I can't get into something that will do me some harm
Refusing to entertain anything that brings chaos
I can't get into a drug addict principle
Unwillingness to associate with something that does not align with values
I can't get into something that would close the door
Not willing to accept anything that blocks future opportunities
If it's right, it's all right for you now
Accepting of anything that aligns with one's beliefs
If it's right, it's all right for me now, yo-ho
One's willingness to welcome and embrace what is right
Any night you'll be uptight until you find
Underlining the struggle to find what is truly right
That the wrong and the right are within your mind
Converting the internal dialogue to finding out what is right
Into you now
Reiteration of the desire to connect with people
Imagine me
Request for the listener's imagination to picture profound ideas
Into you now
Reiteration of the desire to connect with people
Into you now
Reiteration of the desire to connect with people
My heart
Inviting people into the heart, showing vulnerability
Into you, my people
Finalizing the connection with the people
I can't get into the poisoned land
Unyielding in its refusal of anything toxic or harmful
I can't get into something I don't understand
Difficulties in accepting anything that challenges basic human understanding
I can't into a bad romance
Unwilling to embrace anything that equates to a sickly romance
I can't get into a love that ends in a chance
Refusal to accept any love that ends on a mere suggestion of a possibility
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: O'SHEA JACKSON, DARRELL L. JOHNSON, GEORGE CLINTON, JR., WILLIAM EARL COLLINS, WALTER MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thomasminarchickjr.7355
Ray Davis, Ron “the Prophet” Ford and Junie kill it on this one.
@blewfootblewfoot5300
They All Flew Away on The Mothership,. From Blewfoot 🤘
@demitrinorris5871
My God! I am painting them to this song
@matthewr7593
It never ceases to blow my mind that they lost Glen Goins, one of the greatest voices in music history, and managed to add Junie Morrison, and release two of the best albums they’ve ever made (One Nation and Motor Booty Affair) the following year.
@alfredhaymond7002
One of favorite jams from the One Nation Under a Groove album. Ray Davis is bananas! These dudes could have given just about any R&B signing group a real run for the money back in the day. I wonder if there are any unreleased studio sessions somewhere in a vault.
@thomasminarchickjr.7355
Alfred Haymond search YouTube for 1973 Funkadelic outtakes and demos. Also, Rest in P by Eddie Hazel is made of outtakes with classic P-Funk members
@HypnoticHollywood
Could have given them a run? lol, P Funk was the best R&B group of their era.
@gway3079
@Pop Whirl TV one of the best groups in music period.
@geoorobo1549
One of my favorite tracks. Don't know why Funkadelic didn't use Sting Ray Davis voice more as a lead vocal on other songs!!!
@agustinlautarotollo6393
This voice is incredible, the bass of that voice mmmmmmm funk funkkkkkkk