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.
Wizard Of Finance
Parliament Lyrics
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If I was a wizard of finance
Speculating every day on Wall Street
My dividends would be so tremendous, baby
Even Dow Jones would find it hard to believe
It's your lovin'
Can I kiss you
Can I hug you
Right now baby (it's the squeezing kind)
(x2)
All-right!
If I had plenty of money
I would probably in one year
I'd be busy buying you flowers, girl
Just to show I appreciate your being here
It's your lovin'
Can I kiss you
Can I squeeze you
Can I hug you
Right now, baby
It's the squeezing kind
(x2)
It's the lovin' kind
It's the squeezin' kind
(x2)
It's your lovin'
Can I kiss you
Can I squeeze you
Can I hug you
Can I squeeze you kind, yeah darling
It's the lovin' kind
It's the squeezing kind
(x2)
If I were a wizard of finance
I would probably invest my life in you
My dividend would be so tremendous, baby
Even Dow Jones won't believe it's true
It's the lovin' kind
It's the squeezing kind
(x2)
It's your lovin'
Can I kiss you
Can I squeeze you
Can I hold you
Can I hug you
Can I please you
Can I squeeze you kind, yeah
It's the lovin' kind
It's the squeezing kind
(x3)
The song "Wizard of Finance" by Parliament is all about dreaming of wealth and the things that one could do and buy if they had the financial means to do so. The lyrics speak of imagining oneself as a powerful "wizard of finance," capable of speculating and investing with ease on Wall Street, with the dividends being so tremendous that even the Dow Jones would struggle to believe it. However, among all these grandiose fantasies, the singer also keeps coming back to the idea of demonstrating their appreciation for a loved one, expressing admiration toward them with gifts of flowers and desire to kiss, hug, and squeeze them.
The song's lyrics are a poignant commentary on American culture and its obsession with the accumulation of wealth, as well as the unequal distribution of wealth in society. While the singer talks about the hypothetical power and influence they would have as a "wizard of finance," it is the love and appreciation they feel for their partner that ultimately grounds them in reality. The song highlights the importance of recognizing what truly matters in life, as opposed to blindly chasing wealth and power.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, whoa-whoa-whoa
An expression of excitement and anticipation
If I was a wizard of finance
If I were an expert in financial matters
Speculating every day on Wall Street
Engaging in risky financial investments regularly
My dividends would be so tremendous, baby
My profits would be exceptionally large
Even Dow Jones would find it hard to believe
Even the stock market index would be skeptical of my success
It's your lovin'
Your love and affection
Can I kiss you
Can I express my affection physically
Can I squeeze you
Can I show affection by holding or hugging you closely
Can I hug you
Can I hold you close to show my love and care
Right now baby (it's the squeezing kind)
At this moment, I want to hold you close and show physical affection
If I had plenty of money
If I were wealthy
I would probably in one year
Within a year, I would most likely
I'd be busy buying you flowers, girl
I would spend time and money on gifts to show my love and appreciation
Just to show I appreciate your being here
To demonstrate my gratitude for your presence in my life
It's the lovin' kind
The expression of affection and fondness
It's the squeezin' kind
The physical aspect of expressing love and care
It's your lovin'
Again emphasizing the importance of the affection and closeness in the relationship
Can I hold you
Asking to hold the person close as an expression of love
Can I please you
Asking to please the person by showing love and care
Can I squeeze you kind, yeah darling
Asking to hold and hug the person gently and lovingly
If I were a wizard of finance
Repeating the notion of being successful in financial matters
I would probably invest my life in you
I would make you a priority and invest time, money, and love in you
My dividend would be so tremendous, baby
I would receive an extraordinary return on my investment in the relationship
Even Dow Jones won't believe it's true
The stock market index (representing common sense) would be skeptical of such fantastic returns
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: George Clinton Jr., Glenn La Monte Goins, Ronald Ford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind