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- Big Gigantic
- Isaac Hayes – “Theme from ‘Shaft'” Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for two weeks beginning Nov. 20, 1971.
- Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for three weeks beginning Sept. 18, 1976. Listen here.
- Lyn Collins – “Think (About It)” Hot 100 peak: No. 66 for two weeks beginning Sept. 30, 1972. Listen here.
- The Isley Brothers – “It’s Your Thing” Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for one week: May 3, 1969. Listen here.
- Mark Edward Nero
- 1982 - "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton. Why must I feel like that? Why must I chase the cat?... Bow wow wow, yippe yo yippe yay. Unforgettable lyrics from the 1982 George Clinton classic, "Atomic Dog."
- 1980 - "More Bounce to the Ounce" by Zapp. Released in 1980 as the debut single from the group Zapp led by Roger Troutman, "More Bounce To The Ounce" became popular again a decade later due to heavy sampling by numerous rap acts, including EPMD and the Notorious BIG.
- 1969 - "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" by Sly & the Family Stone. From Sly & the Family Stone's 1970 Greatest Hits album, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" was the group's second single to reach the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts.
- 1978 - "Flash Light" by Parliament. From Parliament's 1977 Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome album, "Flashlight" reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart.
- Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine – James Brown
- Theme from Shaft – Isaac Hayes
- War – Edwin Starr
- Car Wash – Rose Royce
- Pick Up The Pieces – Average White Band
- Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly & The Family Stone
- Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) – Parliament
- Cold Sweat – James Brown and The Famous Flames
- Kiss – Prince
- More Bounce to The Ounce – Zapp & Roger
James Brown is the archetypal funk musician and this is one of his most successful songs. It came out as a single in two different parts in 1970. The popularity of the song helped it climb to number two on the R&B charts that year. On top of this, the song also ranked at number 196 on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 500 songs of all time. The hit i...
This movie Shaft is just as well-known for the theme song as it is for the movie itself. The song, composed by Isaac Hayes, is a long-form jam peppered by lines from Hayes’ soothing baritone vocals. It was released in 1971 along with the movie and is one of the best-performing movie theme songs of all time. It even won the Academy Awardfor Best Ori...
Edwin Starr was a Motown artist in the late 60s and 70s and Waris easily his biggest hit. The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1969 for the Motown label. It was later recorded by both Edwin Starr and The Temptations. The Edwin Starr version is much more intense, reflecting the social outlook on the Vietnam War at the time ...
Funk comes in many different forms and one of those forms is disco. The disco era’s success was largely driven by the funk influence and the happy-go-lucky vibes of Car Washby Rose Royce encapsulates this perfectly. This is another Motown hit, released in 1976 as the theme to the film of the same name. The success of the song has far outpaced that ...
When you think of funk music, one of the first things that comes to mind is tight horn sections. Pick Up the Pieces, the instrumental hit Average White Band, is a great song for fans of horn-driven music. The Scottish band released the song in 1974 on their second album and it made them stars in the United States. It was a late bloomer, not chartin...
Sly & The Family Stone took the music world by storm in the mid-70s and Thank You (Fallentinme Be Mice Elf Again) is their biggest hit. This is another song released in the 60s changed into the 70s and reflects the style of that time. It is on Rolling Stone’s top 500 Songs of All Time list. It also reached number one on the charts for 5 weeks in 19...
Parliament, led by funk legend George Clinton, has had one of the longest careers in the genre. In fact, the band just had their farewell tour in 2002 around the United States. This is their breakout song. Instead of just being known by funk-obsessed music fans, it’s a household name. It’s a classic in the Parliament style of a repetitive loop with...
Cold Sweat was James Brown’s coming out party. It was one of his biggest hits and one of the songs that created and inspired funk musicians for generations to come. Brown wrote the song along with his saxophonist and long-time band member, Pee Wee Ellis. Ellis is one of the foremost saxophonists in the funk genre thanks to his association with Jame...
The featured song on Prince and The Revolution’s album, Parade, was Kiss. It’s about time we included some synth-driven 80s funk on this list. The song is actually written in the blues form, just twice as long on each chord. The single certified gold as it shipped more than one million units in 1986. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot ...
Zapp and Roger were an iconic funk duo from Dayton, Ohio, famous for utilizing the Talkbox to get their signature computerized vocal sound. It’s the first track on the band’s debut album and what a perfect way to debut. You still hear this song from time to time used in movie soundtracks. Sadly, they stopped making music in 1999 after the murder of...
- 5 min
- “Jungle Boogie” by Kool & The Gang. The jungle boogie dance is all about having a good time. Just like Kool & The Gang’s 1973 song of the same name. “Get down, get down/Get down, get down/Get down, get down.”
- “Word Up” by Cameo. This is probably the least funky of all the funk songs on our list. But let’s talk about the vocals. When the lyrics are as good as Cameo’s narration in this popular funk song, you should do everything to include it in your dance playlist.
- “Get Down On It” by Kool & The Gang. Kool & The Gang might have made a name for themselves with “Jungle Boogie,” but this hit ranks highly in the band’s most popular songs.
- “Dance To The Music” by Sly & The Family Stone. Any soul music lover from the 60s will agree that this song contributed to Sly and the Family Stone’s meteoric rise to fame.
Apr 19, 2024 · The best funk songs of all time are the tracks with the thickest beats, the stankiest bass, and the most danceable feel. Fantastic funk can have groovy guitar riffs, blaring brass, and brilliant vocals.
From Prince to Parliment-Funkadelic, explore some of the best funk albums of all time. By Brandon Ousley Few words conjure as many meanings and connotations as funk.
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In this article, our team of writers-slash-funk-music-lovers have put together an ultimate list of (what we feel to be) the 50+ best funk bands and artists of all time, including an insight into what makes each one so great. Let’s get started!
