If they were making a Mount Rushmore of the most influential living songwriters, there’s no question that George Clinton’s grinning, bearded face would be up there with the best. His career has spanned eight incredible decades, touching everything from doo-wop to hip-hop along the way.
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As the innovative mastermind behind groups like Parliament and Funkadelic, he created groundbreaking music that somehow managed to be wildly experimental and catchy as hell. That P-Funk collective, as it came to be known, was psychedelic, soulful and simply out of this world. During their most prolific period in the mid ‘70s, his bands were releasing multiple albums each year and parking their UFO in sold-out arenas around the world.
These days, the man is a bonafide pop culture institution. Legendary artists like De La Soul, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have sampled his classics, and you can hear him on newer releases like Kendrick Lamar’s very Funkadelic-influenced To Pimp A Butterfly. He’s even transcended music, appearing in family-friendly movies like Good Burger and Trolls: World Tour.
But, there’s a time for talking about Good Burger and a time for talking about George Clinton’s best songs, and this is the latter.
“Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow” (Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, 1970)
Don’t worry, the pop songs are coming. But, before we get to that, Funkadelic is going to open their second LP with a ten-minute, acid-induced freakout that takes up a third of the album’s runtime. While guitarist Eddie Hazel’s “Maggot Brain” solo is more famous, this is the first time you really hear him making that connection with Bernie Worrell’s organ, an essential part of the P-Funk sound.
“Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” (The Mothership Connection, 1975)
If you know one Parliament song, it’s probably this one. Despite being their highest-charting hit, “Give Up The Funk” doesn’t use a conventional song structure and just kinda ambles on for nearly six minutes. From those slippery Bootsy Collins bass lines to that shout-along chorus, there’s no part of this song that won’t get stuck in your head for days.
“Dr. Funkenstein” (The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, 1976)
He’s the disco fiend with the monster sound. The cool ghoul with the bump transplant. Dr. Funkenstein was one of George Clinton’s most famous alter egos, and he makes several appearances throughout the P-Funk discography. (The character even inspired a short-lived girl group dubbed The Brides of Dr. Funkenstein in the late ‘70s.)
“Flash Light” (Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome, 1977)
Most people assume this one is based around another monster Bootsy Collins bass riff, but that’s actually Bernie Worrell on synths. (Bootsy’s actually drumming on this one!) Uplifting and supremely funky, there’s no question why “Flash Light” became one of Parliament’s biggest, most enduring hits. It’s also believed to be George Clinton’s most-sampled song, appearing in future tracks by Aaliyah, UGK and Digital Underground.
“One Nation Under a Groove” (One Nation Under a Groove, 1978)
The title track to Funkadelic’s tenth studio album, “One Nation Under a Groove” delivers “the funk, the whole funk and nothin’ but the funk.” (Are you noticing a theme here?) 45 years later, it still holds up as an anthem for anyone who just wants to get down, landing at a respectable #210 on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest songs of all time.
“Atomic Dog“ (Computer Games, 1982)
Even though it came out more than 40 years ago, “Atomic Dog” still sounds like the future. Its backwards drum loops and heavily processed vocals were deeply influential on hip-hop and dance music, as Snoop Dogg would surely agree. While it may have been George Clinton’s last true pop hit, he ushered funk into a new decade and cemented his place as the genre’s eternal ambassador. Long live the funk.
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