Play that Funky Music...

[robeiae]

...White Boy.

It strikes me that this song may very well be the perfect commentary on the traditional view of society that pervades must elements, from all socio-economic stratum. Moreover, the song was somewhat of a death knell--albeit premature--for the disco genre, yet simultaneously a herald for a freer and more open expression of musical stylings.

Look at the lyrics:


Hey do it now
yeah hey

Yeah,
There was a funky singer
Playin' in a rock & Roll Band
And never had no problems yeah
Burnin' down one night stands
And everything around me,
yeah
Got to stop to feelin' so low
And I decided quickly,
Yes I did
To disco down and check out the show
Yeah they was

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 till you die
Till you die ,
oh till you die

Gonna play that electified funky music, yeah

Hey wait a minute
Now first it wasn't easy
Changin' Rock & Roll and minds
And things were getting shaky
I thought I'd have to leave it behind
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 that boogie and play that funky music till you die
Till you die,
oh till you die

They shouted play that funky music
Play that funky music
Play that funky music
Gotta keep on playin'
funky music
Play that funky music

Not just "movin," but "movin to the groovin." Striking.

One of the most important songs of the past century, or pop fluff? What do you think?

[dolores haze]

Pop fluff? Absolutely, but it's also one of THE most danceable disco tracks ever. I've been in plenty of clubs and at parties, where the building is groaning with all the people who are "movin to the groovin" when this one is on the turntable. I love this song. In fact, I'm gonna go play it right now, and get my groove on. Wanna dance, Rob?

[C.bronco]

KC and the Sunshine Band, right?

[robeiae]

No, Wild Cherry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Cherry_(band)). KC did a cover version.

[robeiae]

Wanna dance, Rob?
I don't dance. I boogie.

[ChunkyC]

I was the pro shop manager and head rink guard1 at a roller rink for about a year in the latter half of the 70s. Same thing as dolores said -- when that song came on, every person there crammed onto the rink. Definitely a signature tune of the era.

1 like a lifeguard at a pool, but way more fun.

[sunna]

I knew a guy at my first job that made up all sorts of stories about his participation in various bands: he insisted that he ended up filling in as bass guitarist for this song when it was recorded, and that they changed the words from "play that funky music bad boy" to "play that funky music white boy" at the last minute, all because he was the only white person in the studio. *snort*

That story always made me laugh (though I tried to nod and look appropriately awed). So does this song: I just love the non-sung commentary and the general weirdness. We have a solstice party every year in a big old barn, and we always get a cover band that plays funk: thus far this has been the opening song for 4 bands out of 6. :e2headban:

[robeiae]

I knew a guy at my first job that made up all sorts of stories about his participation in various bands: he insisted that he ended up filling in as bass guitarist for this song when it was recorded, and that they changed the words from "play that funky music bad boy" to "play that funky music white boy" at the last minute, all because he was the only white person in the studio. *snort*

That story always made me laugh (though I tried to nod and look appropriately awed).
You never pointed out to him that the entire band was, in fact, white?

[sunna]

You never pointed out to him that the entire band was, in fact, white?

Nah. It was too much fun to listen to him go on about it. :D


Also I didn't know that until I first heard him tell me that story and looked Wild Cherry up....

[Shadow_Ferret]

One of the most important songs of the past century, or pop fluff? What do you think?
In my mind, worse than pop fluff. DISCO fluff. *shudders*

You're bringing back bad memories, rob. Disco was the dark ages of pop music. In fact, disco precipitated the splintering that was popular music. Prior to disco radio Top 40 was a mixture of nearly all genres of music, adult contempory, rock, easy listening, Motown, and even country. Disco was so horrid it drove everyone away to form their own radio stations.

[KTC]

I was in Wild Cherry...back when I was black. I move on to white and started KC and the Sunshine band and did a cover of the song.

I also spent most of the late 70s in a roller rink. I was the White Male Tootie.

[KTC]

http://photos11.flickr.com/12221274_94ecba3989.jpg

[KTC]

http://www.superseventies.com/3_76.gif

[sunna]

I was in Wild Cherry...back when I was black. I move on to white and started KC and the Sunshine band and did a cover of the song.

I also spent most of the late 70s in a roller rink. I was the White Male Tootie.


**nods and looks appropriately awed**


I got this down. :)

[blacbird]

I always took this song, from the first time I heard it, as satire. As that, it works damn well. But irony is a hard thing to carry off in music, as well as in writing, and is commonly lost on the unalert. Consider Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", which routinely gets regarded by nitwits fond of Ted Nugent hunting shows and Chuck Norris flicks as a patriotic anthem.

Oh, yeah, and now, damn you, Robsie, I'm trying to go to sleep and can't get the thing out of my head.

caw