Parliament is an American funk band formed in the late 1960s by George Clin… Read Full Bio ↴Parliament is an American funk band formed in the late 1960s by George Clinton as part of his Parliament-Funkadelic collective. Less rock-oriented than its sister act Funkadelic, Parliament drew on science-fiction and outlandish performances in their work. The band scored a number of Top 10 hits, including the million-selling 1976 single "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)", and Top 40 albums such as Mothership Connection (1975). Clinton dissolved the band in the early 1980s. 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.
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.
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.
Up For The Down Stroke
Parliament Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
Everybody get up
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
Everybody get up
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
I don't care about the cold, baby
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Look at what you've got
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
The lyrics to Parliament's song Up For The Down Stroke are a call to action to everyone to get up and dance to the beat. The repeated phrase "get up for the down stroke" is a nod to the importance of having a strong, rhythmic foundation in funk music. The lyrics encourage listeners to ignore the cold and focus on what they've got, suggesting that the music and the dance floor are enough to keep them warm.
The song is a classic example of the funk sound that Parliament and their contemporaries helped popularize in the 1970s. The instrumentation features a tight rhythm section, horns, and funky guitar riffs. The vocals are delivered with a sense of urgency and enthusiasm, further emphasizing the song's call to action.
Overall, Up For The Down Stroke is a celebration of music, dance, and community. It encourages listeners to let loose and embrace the joy of funk.
Line by Line Meaning
Get up for the down stroke, everybody get up
Let's dance to the funky beat and enjoy the music together
I don't care about the cold, baby
I am not bothered by the chilly weather
'Cause when you're hot, you're too much
Because when you are good, you are the best
'Cause when you're hot, you're hot
Because when you are on fire, you are on fire
Look at what you've got
Take a moment to appreciate what you have
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Clarence Haskins, George Bernard Worrell, George Jr. Clinton, William Earl Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@stefonjackson2154
Happy 50th year anniversary for this funk classic! Still sounds funky in 2024!!
@thelmajohnson985
My knees were strong could squat to the ground and come back up and continue to shake my ass😂😂😂❤😊
@timothykimbrough6778
ABSOLUTELY, UTTERLY, AWESOME!!!
@MrAntiSellOut
Bernard Worrell, Gary Shider, Ed Hazel, and Glenn Goins: Gone but never forgotten. And may the Funk continue to be with them.
@unique74muzik
maaaaan listen..
@kurtadams3021
I couldn't of said it better
@anthonyweitzer7203
you heard about ms cleo and frankie beverly's throat cancer but not about bernie huh? sad the state we live in.
@dalewimbish1435
Dey not gone dey on the MOTHERSHIP WHERE WE ALL WANT 2 BE
@chrisedwards3214
@@anthonyweitzer7203 Frankie Beverly is more well.known.in the black.coommunity
People outside pfunk circles more hip.tp Bernies keyboard riffs than Bernie himself
@abrahamjackson6019
It's safe to say there will never ever be another P- funk.... I