A demo was produced in 1970 under the label Staehle-Tudor with the A side entitled: You Ain't Got Nobody. Several other records were released under their own label including You Can Be High (But Lay Low), date unknown; Something Special On Your Mind, 1971. The music at this stage was pure rock music, not funk. Wild Cherry eventually gained a record contract with Brown Bag Records. Several demos and singles were produced including and Get Down, 1973 (re-release of earlier self labeled demo); Voodoo Doll, 1975 and Show Me Your Badge, 1973. Voodoo Doll was produced and co-written by the prolific and successful songwriter Jeff Barry (of "The Monkeys" fame). Although Voodoo Doll (AM 45070) received distribution as far afield as Europe through A&M, it did not chart and no album was in sight.
The band broke up when a disillusioned Parissi left the music scene to become the manager of a local steakhouse. Rob quickly realized that the steak house gig was not going to "cut it - too tough." As his enthusiasm for the music eventually returned, Rob decided to give the business one last shot.
Soon after, Parissi re-formed the band with new musicians. The new lineup had Mark Avsec (keyboards), Bryan Bassett (guitar), Allen Wentz (bass guitar) and Ronald Beitle (drums & percussion). As the quintet began to perform publicly in an era dominated by disco, they were repeatedly asked by listeners to "play that funky music." Parissi was inspired to write a song that captured the "funky music-white boy theme." When the band went into the studio to record it, a friend of the studio engineer heard the song, was blown away by the potential hit, and brought the band to the attention of Epic Records, which then immediately signed the group. Epic suggested recording the song as an A-side instead of as the B-side to a cover version of the Commodores' "I Feel Sanctified," as had originally been planned.
"Play That Funky Music" became a huge hit when released in 1976, peaking at number one on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts. Both the single and Wild Cherry's self-titled debut album went platinum. The band was named Best Pop Group of the Year by Billboard, and received an American Music Award for Top R&B Single of the Year, as well as a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo that year, adding to their success. "I Feel Sanctified" was also released as a single form the first album.
Their 1977 album, Electrified Funk and 1978 album I Love My Music did not produce any top 20 hits, While their 1979 album Only the Wild Survive didn't produce a top 100 single.
U.S. billboard chart placements for singles from their 3 other albums:
Baby Don't You Know (1977; peaked at #43)
Hot To Trot (1977; peaked at #95)
Hold On (1977; peaked at #61)
I Love My Music (1978; peaked at #69).
"Hot to Trot" was a minor followup hit in some non U.S. markets.
Although it was never a chart hit, the song "1 2 3 Kind Of Love" had the right feel for the beach music clubs along the North and South Carolina coasts; it continues to be popular there today, and the song is included in the beach music anthology series by Ripete Records.
One musician who played with the band was guitarist/vocalist Donnie Iris (ex-The Jaggerz). Donnie was credited on their fourth and final album. Mark Avsec partnered up with Donnie following the demise of Wild Cherry to form The Cruisers.
Mark Avsec released a solo project under the moniker Cellarful of Noise in 1985.
Guitarist Bryan Bassett went on to a hard rocking career in the 90's with Foghat and Molly Hatchet. He continues to tour with Foghat.
Parissi later became a disk jockey in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Play That Funky Music was covered by The Real Roxanne in 1988 and was sampled by Vanilla Ice in 1990 (for which Parissi was not credited; he later won $500,000 in a copyright infringement lawsuit), and it continues to be a hit in dance clubs to this day. Play that Funky Music is regularly included on funk and disco compilations.
Play That Funky Music
Wild Cherry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once I was a boogie singer
Playin' in a rock and roll band
I never had no problems yeah
Burnin' down the one night stands
Then everything around me, yeah
Got to stop to feelin' so low
To disco down and check out the show
Yeah they were
Dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music white boy
Lay down that boogie and play that funky music 'til you die
'Til you die, oh yeah yeah
Well, I tried to understand this (yeah)
I thought that they were out of their minds
How could I be so foolish (how could I)
To not see I was the one behind
So still I kept on fighting
Well, losing every step of the way
I said, I must go back there (I got to go back)
And check to see if things still the same
Yeah they were dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music white boy
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music till you die
'Til you die, yeah
Oh 'til you die
(Gonna play some electified funky music, yeah)
(Hey, wait a minute)
Now first it wasn't easy
Changin' rock and roll and minds
Yeah, things were getting shaky
I thought I'd have to leave it behind
Oh, but now its so much better (it's so much better)
I'm funking out in every way
But I'll never lose that feelin' (no I won't)
Of how I learned my lesson that day
When they were dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music white boy
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music 'til you die
'Til you die, yeah
Oh 'til you die
They shouted play that funky music
(Play that funky music)
Play that funky music
(You gotta keep on playin' funky music)
Play that funky music
(Play that funky music)
Play that funky music
(Want to take you higher, ya)
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right, yeah
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right, yeah
"Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry is a catchy, upbeat song that has remained a popular classic for generations. The song begins with the singer reminiscing on their past experience as a boogie singer, playing rock and roll music. However, they eventually hit a low point and decide to turn to disco, which leads them to discover a new sound that they describe as funky music. The singer seems to have reservations about this new type of music at first, but they eventually embrace it and never lose the feeling they got from learning that lesson.
The song is characterized by its funky guitar riffs, driving bassline, and high-pitched vocals. Throughout the song, the repetition of the chorus serves as a command to the listener to play that funky music, creating a powerful call and response effect. The use of "white boy" in the chorus has been a source of controversy, with some arguing that it perpetuates racial stereotypes. Still, others defend the song, pointing out that it is meant to empower all people to embrace funky music, regardless of racial identity.
Overall, "Play That Funky Music" is a song about the power of music to bring people together and the importance of embracing new sounds and experiences. It is a fun and infectious song that is sure to get people up and dancing.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey do it now, yeah hey
Encouragement to begin playing the funky music
Once I was a boogie singer
The singer used to sing boogie music
Playin' in a rock and roll band
The singer was performing in a rock band
I never had no problems yeah
The singer thought he was doing fine
Burnin' down the one night stands
Performing with energy and passion
Then everything around me, yeah
The singer's surroundings began to change
Got to stop to feelin' so low
The singer started feeling down
And I decided quickly, yes I did
The singer made a fast decision
To disco down and check out the show
The singer decided to change his style and play disco
Yeah they were
The crowd was enjoying the disco music
Dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
The crowd was dancing and having fun
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted
The singer was surprised when someone shouted something
Play that funky music white boy
The crowd wanted the singer to play funky music
Play that funky music right
The crowd wanted the singer to play funky music correctly
Lay down that boogie and play that funky music 'til you die
The crowd wanted the singer to play funky music until he stopped playing
'Til you die, oh yeah yeah
The crowd wanted the singer to continue playing funky music
Well, I tried to understand this (yeah)
The singer tried to understand why the crowd was enjoying funky music
I thought that they were out of their minds
The singer thought the crowd was crazy
How could I be so foolish (how could I)
The singer realized he was wrong
To not see I was the one behind
The singer knew he was responsible for not understanding the crowd's taste
So still I kept on fighting
The singer kept struggling to understand the crowd's taste
Well, losing every step of the way
The singer kept struggling to understand the crowd's taste and was failing
I said, I must go back there (I got to go back)
The singer realized he needed to go back and try to understand the crowd's taste
And check to see if things still the same
The singer wanted to see if the crowd was still into funky music
They shouted play that funky music
The crowd shouted for the singer to play funky music
(Play that funky music)
The crowd kept shouting for the singer to play funky music
(You gotta keep on playin' funky music)
The crowd wanted the singer to keep playing funky music
(Want to take you higher, ya)
The crowd was inspired and wanted more funky music
Now first it wasn't easy
At first, the singer struggled to adapt to the new style of music
Changin' rock and roll and minds
The singer had to change the crowd's taste and perception of music
Yeah, things were getting shaky
The singer was encountering some difficulties adapting to the new style
I thought I'd have to leave it behind
The singer considered giving up on the new style
Oh, but now its so much better (it's so much better)
The singer realized how much more fun this new style is
I'm funking out in every way
The singer enjoys every aspect of the funky music
But I'll never lose that feelin' (no I won't)
The singer will always remember this new and exciting feeling
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert W. Parissi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RewindMusicGroup
Hey Guys be sure to check out this Awesome Remix Now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jyEXPkjy5g
@Damyn0
K bro
@anthonyxavierbrown6331
Amanda Pulver is still my Wild Cherry!!!!!!!
@loriannrichardsshinn6714
Good times and I won a disco contest sponsored by WHAR LEE CARTER WTF R U? HEY KURT FRESA HOW DO U LIKE ME NOW? 😂 LMAO MISS U CUTIE BPORT INDIANS RULE
@stevesears2697
Man brings back memories bring them days back
@wolf_2379
Me toooooo
@cynthiahawkins2389
I am a 73 year old geezer gal....This was our go-to....pull up to a traffic light....roll down the windows of the car, crank the music and sing along loud with THIS one. People in the other cars would ALWAYS join in...groovy 70's memory time!!!!
@anushkamargaj2322
I know this might come off as quite weird, but madam, you are so very beautiful!
@andreaetheridge8892
LOVE this! ❤✌😎
@guts343
This is what my dad would do, with me in a car seat in the back of his cobra 😂