‘P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)’ is one of the most dearly loved P-Funk songs and a regular at live shows fifty years later. This track and ‘Mothership Connection (Star Child)’ provide the core concept behind Mothership Connection (1975), one of the albums about “putting black people in situations nobody ever thought they would be in,” in George Clinton’s words.
Clinton’s DJ character Lollipop Man introduces us to ‘We-Funk’, the radio show from space. From the start and throughout, he pours out lines of solid gold:
“Good evening. Do not attempt to adjust your radio. There is nothing wrong. We have taken control as to bring you this special show. We will return it to you as soon as you are grooving”.
Clinton rarely discusses musical specifics away from vocal arrangements, but he has acknowledged one of Bootsy Collins’ major contributions: “And then Bootsy came along and all he added — all we had to add — was the emphasis on the one.” Bootsy had learned of the One from James Brown, before he and his brother Catfish joined Funkadelic in 1972. Bootsy played on Parliament’s first album after Clinton had reclaimed their naming rights (1974’s Up for the Down Stroke). His bass’s emphasis is made all the more dramatic by the sparser sections – it’s 44 seconds until Bootsy plays a note.
By the time of Mothership, two more of Brown’s most important musicians had climbed on board: trombonist Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, one of three saxophonists on the record. The horn section also included The Brecker Brothers, Michael (sax) and Randy (trumpet), and Joe Farrell (sax).
Mothership has some of Parliament’s tightest vocal arrangements. The choruses of this track and ‘(Star Child)’ are a joy to sing, no matter how many hundreds of times you’ve heard them. Mentioning P-Funk by name was part of the mythbuilding:
“Make my funk the P-Fink / I want my funk uncut / Make my funk the P-Fink / I wants to get funked up / I want the bomb, I want the P-Funk / I want my funk uncut / Make my funk the P-Funk / I wants to get funked up”.
After the first chorus, drummer Gary “Mudbone” Cooper plays his kick on the One and two, and then almost exclusively hi-hat, allowing space for Clinton’s vocals. After the second chorus, Bootsy joins those two kicks with staccato bass notes. P-Funk were masters of those little variations.
Clinton said, “we did all these James Brown-type grooves, but with street talk and ghetto slang. Make my funk the P-Funk. It was all kinda like drug talk. We were the first ones to call the music dope”.
Later, the music is again reduced largely to hi-hat and alternately subtle synth lines, keyboard chords (both played by Bernie Worrell), and percussive guitar (Garry Shider). Clinton has space for another DJ rap, and the chance to pronounce David Bowie’s name in spectacular fashion.
From 3:43, the saxophone and trombone solos build anticipation for the next chorus, or rather, the next full-on chorus. There’s a lighter chorus, with no drums bar hi-hat, and most of the horns absent.
The distinction between verses and choruses is one of the main ways in which this song and ‘Star Child’ differed from the Brown grooves Clinton mentioned. That’s in part thanks to the mighty power of the One, with Bootsy playing minimally until the heavy first beat of each chorus. From there, and especially in the last chorus, he unleashes his space bass in all its glory.
Top image from Discogs.