Play That Funky Music

"Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn players Chuck Berginc, Jack Brndiar, Joe Eckert, and Rick Singer hired to play the horn riff that runs throughout the track's verses. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 18, 1976 and was also number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart.^[1] The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over two million records. The song was also the basis of a top five U.S. hit for Vanilla Ice in 1990.

History and description

The autobiographical song was inspired by the times. The song's title (and chorus) came from drummer Ron Beitle's observation during a break between sets at the 2001 Club in Pittsburgh. The group performed mostly hard rock, but disco was popular, and some of the group's loyal followers were asking for more dance songs. While taking a break between sets, Beitle uttered, "play some funky music, white boy". Parissi decided they should, and he wrote down the phrase on a bar order pad. They later recorded it in Cleveland with a funk sound.

Originally, it was planned that the song should be released on the B-side of Wild Cherry's cover of the Commodores' "I Feel Sanctified"; however, when the owners of Sweet City Records heard the song, they suggested that the B-side become the A-side. (Epic Records picked up the record for worldwide distribution.) The song sold over two million copies; it was Wild Cherry's only hit.

The song listed at #73 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time.^[2]

Parissi said he often wrote songs in a similar style as a song he'd pick out from each new week of the Top 40. After writing songs in this manner for some time, one of the songs he wrote was Funky Music. The song that served as inspiration for the hit was Fire by Ohio Players, which features a similar bass line and rhythm guitar part.

Vanilla Ice version

Vanilla Ice later released a song featuring an interpretation of "Play That Funky Music". Songwriter Robert Parissi was not credited. Parissi was later awarded $500,000 in a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Although it did not initially catch on, its B-side, "Ice Ice Baby", gained more success when a disc jockey played that track instead of the single's A-side.^[3]

Following the success of "Ice Ice Baby", "Play That Funky Music" was reissued as its own single (with new lyrics), and peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #10 in the UK.

Chart performance

Other cover versions

• George Michael sang the song on several dates of his FAITH tour.
• A tribute version of the song was arranged and recorded by Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band on their 2006 record The Phat Pack.
• A spoken word version of the song, deliberately done in an unflattering manner, was used in the early 1990s in a Pioneer Electronics commercial for their automobile audio products.
• A cover version in 1988 by the pop-rock group Roxanne peaked at #63 on the American pop charts.
• Bubonique, a musical comedy side project of the Fatima Mansions and Sean Hughes, included a parody entitled "Play That Funky Music Irish Guy" on their 1993 album 20 Golden Showers.
• UK punk-pop band Cranial Screwtop recorded a cover of the song for the 2006 album "Too Fast for Technology".
• Alexei Sayle included a parody, "Play That Funky Music Jewish Boy", on his 1986 album Panic.
• The Leningrad Cowboys issued a cover version on their 2006 album Zombies Paradise.
• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their album Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes.
• Adam Lambert covered the song on March 31, 2009 on the TV show American Idol.
• B*Witched covered the song in 2001 as a US-only release, but it failed to chart. It was their tenth and final single.
• Thunder's cover version appears on their 1999 album Giving The Game Away.
• Paul Di'Anno covered this song on several albums, including Beyond The Maiden.
• Canadian Saxophonist Warren Hill covered the song on his 2005 album PopJazz.^[5][6]
• Extreme performed it live.
• American alternative band Three Penny Ride performed it for their song "R&B Triple Play" in 2010

Usage in other media

This song has been used in the films Evolution (2001), The New Guy (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004).^[7] A rap version is played in the film Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), while an instrumental version of the song is played on bagpipes by Matt Stifler in the direct-to-video movie, American Pie: Band Camp (2005).

The song appears in the video games Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero (as a playable track), Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 (a cover version), Don King Presents: Prizefigher and Shaun White Snowboarding.

In the sitcom Friends, Phoebe, who wants Ross to play his own compositions on his keyboard, encourages him by saying, "Play that funky music, white boy!". The song appeared in "Patch Boomhauer", an episode of the animated TV series King of the Hill. The song is also heard in a Season 3 episode of the US TV sitcom The Office.

Robin Williams has used the song title, delivered in a bad Lawrence Welk impression, as a one-liner.

Intel used the song as part of a 1997 television advertising campaign for their Pentium MMX line of processors.

Duracell used the song during a 1999 television commercial for their batteries. The character's car has a mechanical breakdown and is stranded on the side of the road. Installing batteries into his cell phone, he calls a tow truck company for assistance. The music on hold is Play That Funky Music and the character dances to the music in the middle of the road. As the caller on the phone returns, the character asks to be put back on hold (to listen to more of the song).

On an episode of The Oblongs, Bob Oblong sings the tune " Play that funky music, white boy. 'Till you die!"

In the last episode of Home Improvement (Backstage Pass), there is a montage of the Taylor family dancing to "Play That Funky Music."

References