Krikorian is a singer/songwriter, whose songs have been recorded by Charlie Sexton, Bette Midler, Peter Case, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Vanessa Williams, Bonnie Raitt and others. He is most commonly regarded as a Christian artist, and has released several albums of Christian songs starting with Romeo Unchained (1986); prior to that, he was decidedly a secular artist.
Krikorian and Alan Shapazian (rhythm guitar) formed a band called The Raik's Progress which recorded one single for Liberty Records, released in 1967. In 1973, he appeared as a member of the former Buddy Holly backing band the Crickets on their album "Remnants".
By 1978, Krikorian went solo, adopting the name of Tonio K, possibly a reference to the Thomas Mann novel Tonio Kröger, with Life In The Foodchain.
Krikorian is featured as lead vocalist on the song "Don't Fade Away." from the Crickets & Their Buddies album, released in the summer of 2004.
The Funky Western Civilization
Tonio K. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get on your feet
Get with the beat
There's a brand new dance craze
Sweeping the nation
And it's called the Funky
Western civilization
There's a fire in the street
There's a sinner bein' trampled
By a thousand pious feet
There's a baby every minute
Bein' born without a chance
Now don't that make you want
To jump right up and start to dance?
Let's do the Funky
The Funky Western Civilization
It's really spunky
It's just like summertime vacation
You just grab your partner by the hair
Throw her down and leave her there
They put Jesus on a cross
They put a hole in J.F.K.
They put Hitler in the driver's seat
And looked the other way
Now they've got poison in the water
And the whole world in a trance
But just because we're hypnotized
That don't mean we can't dance
We've got the Funky
The Funky Western Civilization
Oh get down
Get funky
Get Western
(Own up to it boys and girls)
And if you try real hard
Maybe you can even get
Civilized ...
Here, following, L'Inspiré Poulet Solitaire, your
friend Tonio launches into an obscure monologue
about Joan of Arc and Saturday nite. Or is it a
transdimensional soliloquy by Joan herself? Or is
it Myel reading a hastily prepared script? And what
does this mean:
You can bullshit the baker and get the buns
You can back out of every deal except one.
Tonio K.'s song "The Funky Western Civilization" provides a satirical commentary on the societal and political issues present in the Western world during the late 1970s. The song invites listeners to join a new dance craze called the "Funky Western Civilization," which is meant to symbolize the chaotic and destructive nature of the current state of society.
The lyrics make references to several current events at the time, such as riots in courthouses and streets, religious hypocrisy, government corruption, and environmental issues. Tonio K. highlights the irony of people being hypnotized by these problems but still being able to dance and celebrate.
The chorus encourages listeners to embrace the Funky Western Civilization by dancing and getting "civilized" through their actions. The final verse provides a wry commentary on the concept of power, suggesting that individuals can negotiate and manipulate their way through life, but there is always one deal that cannot be avoided.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on everybody
Tonio K. is encouraging everyone to participate in something new and exciting.
Get on your feet
He wants you to stand up and pay attention.
Get with the beat
He wants you to listen to the rhythm and feel the groove of the music.
There's a brand new dance craze
Tonio K. is introducing a new dance style that has become very popular.
Sweeping the nation
This dance craze is spreading across the country.
And it's called the Funky Western civilization
The name of the new dance craze is the Funky Western civilization.
Well there's a riot in the courthouse
There is chaos and unrest in the legal system.
There's a fire in the street
There is a dangerous situation happening in a public area.
There's a sinner bein' trampled
Someone who has done wrong is being treated unfairly.
By a thousand pious feet
Religious people are treating the sinner harshly.
There's a baby every minute
A lot of babies are being born.
Bein' born without a chance
These babies are being born into difficult circumstances.
Now don't that make you want
This situation should inspire you to do something positive.
To jump right up and start to dance?
Tonio K. is encouraging people to channel their energy into dancing.
Let's do the Funky
The new dance craze is called the Funky.
The Funky Western Civilization
This dance craze is linked to Western civilization.
It's really spunky
This dance style is energetic and exciting.
It's just like summertime vacation
This dance craze is reminiscent of carefree summertime activities.
You just grab your partner by the hair
This line may be a joke about how rowdy the dance is, with partners grabbing each other roughly.
Throw her down and leave her there
This continues the joke about roughhousing in the dance, recommending throwing your partner to the ground and leaving them there.
They put Jesus on a cross
A reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
They put a hole in J.F.K.
A reference to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
They put Hitler in the driver's seat
This line references Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler being in control of Germany prior to and during WWII.
And looked the other way
The people in power did nothing to stop these events from happening.
Now they've got poison in the water
There is a problem with the water supply.
And the whole world in a trance
Despite the problems in the world, many people are not doing anything about it.
But just because we're hypnotized
Even though people are not taking action, they are still moving through life as if they are unconscious.
That don't mean we can't dance
Tonio K. is encouraging people to find happiness and dance even though things are difficult.
Oh get down
He's encouraging the audience to let loose and have fun.
Get funky
He wants everyone to get into the rhythm and music of the Funky Western Civilization dance.
Get Western
This likely means to embrace Western style, which is associated with this new dance craze.
(Own up to it boys and girls)
Tonio K. is calling out for the audience to really commit to dancing and let go of inhibitions.
And if you try real hard
Though dancing is lighthearted, there is effort required to enjoy it fully.
Maybe you can even get
If you give it your best effort...
Civilized ...
...you can become more cultured and appreciate this new dance craze.
Here, following, L'Inspiré Poulet Solitaire, your
friend Tonio launches into an obscure monologue
about Joan of Arc and Saturday nite.
This line may refer to the inclusion of a spoken segment, unrelated to the song, that Tonio K. is including, possibly as an additional performance piece.
Or is it a
transdimensional soliloquy by Joan herself? Or is
it Myel reading a hastily prepared script?
Tonio K. is being deliberately obtuse about what this monologue really means, or if it has any real meaning.
And what
does this mean:
Tonio K. is introducing a line that may have additional significance or require interpretation.
You can bullshit the baker and get the buns
It's possible to deceive someone and still get what you want or need from them.
You can back out of every deal except one.
Despite making a lot of agreements, there is one thing that you cannot avoid or get out of.
Contributed by Madelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.