Living in San Francisco in the 1960s, he performed in a musical production called Women of the Blues, then joined a short-lived group of transvestite performance artists called The Cockettes in the early 70's (famed transvestite Divine was a member of the group as well). Sylvester can be seen in The Cockettes' outrageous short film Tricia's Wedding, lampooning the wedding of President Nixon's daughter Tricia, and in an eponymous 2002 documentary about the group.
In 1972, Sylvester supplied two cuts to Lights Out San Francisco, an album complied by the KSAN radio station and released on the Blue Thumb label. In 1973, Sylvester & his Hot Band released two rock-oriented albums on Blue Thumb (their self-titled debut was also known as "Scratch My Flower," due to a gardenia-shaped scratch-and-sniff sticker adhered to the cover). Signed a solo act to Fantasy Records in 1977, and working with the production talents of legendary Motown producer Harvey Fuqua. Sylvester later alleged that Fuqua cheated him out of millions of dollars.
Sylvester soon met his frequent collaborator Patrick Cowley. Cowley's synthesizer and Sylvester's voice proved to be a magical combination, and pushed Sylvester's sound in an increasingly dance-oriented direction; his second solo album - Step II (1978) - unleashed two disco classics: "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," and "Dance (Disco Heat)." By this time both his live shows and recordings also recognizably featured the back-up vocals of Two Tons O' Fun: future Weather Girls Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes. 1979 brought three Billboard awards and an appearance in the movie, The Rose, starring Bette Midler.
Moving to Megatone Records in 1982, Sylvester quickly landed a Hi-NRG classic with "Do You Wanna Funk." He was close friends with other Megatone artists Linda Imperial and Jeanie Tracy. Sylvester was also very close to the legendary Patti LaBelle.
Later pressure from the label to "butch up" his image would result in him attending meetings in full-on drag. A drag photo shoot, which he staged and presented to label heads as a gag (calling it his "new album cover") would later grace the cover of Immortal after Sylvester died; it was the label's way of paying tribute to his spirit. In 1985, one of his dreams came true as he was summoned to sing back-up for Aretha Franklin on her Who's Zoomin' Who comeback album. His sole Warner Bros. album was Mutual Attraction in 1986; a single from the album, "Someone Like You," featured original cover art by Keith Haring.
Sylvester died of complications from AIDS on December 16, 1988. His good friend Jeanie Tracy took care of Sylvester during his last days.
In the late 1990's, performance artist Djola Branner (co-founder of the highly influential Pomo Afro Homos troupe) created his acclaimed solo piece and CD Mighty Real around the life of Sylvester.
On September 20, 2004 Sylvester's anthem record, You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. A year later, on September 19, 2005, Sylvester himself was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievement as an artist.
In 2005, a biography written by Joshua Gamson and titled The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, The music, The 70s in San Francisco was published.
2. Sylvester (Sylvester Larsen , born 1973) is a danish artist, who has released 4 albums. He is the son of Kim Larsen. See www.sylvesterlarsen.dk
Do You Wanna Funk
Sylvester Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna ask you
There is somethin'
That I want to know
And to this question
you have the answer
So tell me
What I want to know
Do ya wanna funk?
Won't you tell me now
If you wanna funk?
Let me show you how
Do ya wanna funk with me?
Do ya wanna funk with me?
So if I tell you
That you are really somethin', baby
Will you stay
Or will you go away?
(Don't go away)
And when I lay my good
lovin' on you (baby)
What will it cost me (baby)
What will you make me Pay?
Do ya wanna funk
Won't you tell me now
If you wanna funk?
Let me show you how
Do ya wanna funk with me?
Do ya wanna funk with me?
So if I tell you
That you are really somethin', baby
Will you stay or will you go away?
(Don't go away)
And when I lay my good lovin' on you (baby)
What will it cost me (baby)
What will you make me Pay?
Do ya wanna funk
Won't you tell me now
If you wanna funk?
Let me show you how
Do ya wanna funk with me?
Do ya wanna funk with me?
If ya wanna funk
Let me show you how
Do ya wanna funk with me?
Do ya wanna funk with me?
Ooh-wee, baby, oh
You got a match?
Um-hm
You got a match?
Um-hm, um-hm
It's a forbidden club
Look at all the fabulous people
You wanna dance?
Yes, I'd love to
Let's party a little bit
All right
In the song βDo Ya Wanna Funk,β the artist Sylvester is asking a potential lover if they would like to engage in a physical relationship with him. He is posing the question directly to the person, asking them to tell him if they want to βfunkβ with him. He is also asking them to consider the implications of engaging with him, as he questions whether they will stay or go away after being with him.
The lyrics are straightforward and unambiguous. They suggest that Sylvester is looking for a purely physical relationship, as he does not express any romantic feelings toward the person he is addressing. The repeated refrain of βDo ya wanna funk with me?β emphasizes the sexual nature of the song and underscores the fact that the artist is looking for someone to engage with him on a physical level.
Line by Line Meaning
There is somethin'
There is an important matter I wish to discuss
I wanna ask you
I have a question to pose to you
There is somethin'
I cannot emphasize enough how critical it is that you indulge me
That I want to know
I am desperate to obtain this knowledge
And to this question
There is no doubt in my mind that you have the answer
you have the answer
I am counting on you to provide me with the solution
So tell me
Don't waste any time, supply me with the answer immediately
What I want to know
The information I seek is of utmost importance to me
Do ya wanna funk?
Are you interested in engaging in a lively, carefree activity?
Won't you tell me now
Don't hesitate, please answer me right away
If you wanna funk?
If the idea of having fun is appealing to you
Let me show you how
Allow me to demonstrate how enjoyable it can be
Do ya wanna funk with me?
Would you like to accompany me in this delightful pursuit?
And when I lay my good lovin' on you (baby)
In the event that I demonstrate my affection for you
What will it cost me (baby)
What will I need to provide or sacrifice in order for you to reciprocate my love?
What will you make me Pay?
What are the conditions under which you will return my love?
If ya wanna funk
If you feel like having a good time
Let me show you how
Please let me show you how fun it can be
Ooh-wee, baby, oh
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm
You got a match?
Do you have a cigarette lighter I could use?
It's a forbidden club
This is a club where normal societal rules may not apply
Look at all the fabulous people
Observe how beautiful and alluring the patrons of this establishment are
You wanna dance?
Are you interested in engaging in a social dance activity?
Yes, I'd love to
I am excited and eager to partake in this activity
Let's party a little bit
Let's enjoy ourselves and have fun
All right
An affirmation indicating approval and agreement
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JEFFREY ALLEN, JEFFREY STEPHEN ALLEN, RICKY KINCHEN, KEIRSTON JAMAL LEWIS, HOMER O'DELL, HOMER RODERICK O'DELL, LAWRENCE WADDELL, LAWRENCE EL GRECCO WADDELL, STOKLEY WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Penfold
Ahh, the irrepressible Sylvester... you gotta love him. Danced to this probably a hundred times back then, but first time I've seen him perform it. Cheers for posting.
Jonathan Hart
I met Sylvester at the Red Parrot in NYC in the 80s. I was too young to appreciate the moment then but today this song brings back great memories of people and places long gone
Edward Teach
Did you get slammed
Stan Harry
This is still a great song by Sylvester and it has a great rhythm as well. This past December 16, 2021 he has been gone 33 years and I still listen to his music. Here in San Francisco he is missed very much.. RIP Sylvester and thank you for your music..
Dario Panara
MARCH 2021 and still... THIS ROCKS... LIKE A LOT !!!!
Zoran FilipoviΔ
THE BEST Disco song EVER...2020..STILL
DM Spencer
I soooo LOVE this song, it takes me back to my college days when I would
go to the Gay Clubs with some Girlfriends and dance the night away with
pretty Boys & Gorgeous Drag Queens....we all had such a GREAT
TIME....I never wanted the night to end , but always looked forward to
the next time we could do it again. Oh how I miss the 80's
Steve V
Or without girlfriends
Black Otter
Me too. About 3 or 4 of us would hit the dance floor and get our funk. Other mind blowing songs from then are Swoop, No Parking on the Dance Floor, Double Oh Oh and Let It Whip. YAASSS
Stan Harry
This song is another side that shows Sylvester changing with the times and I remember hearing this when it came out.