Wild Cherry, 1976: 'Play That Funky Music'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?vZnH2tUIncNU "Play That Funky Music" Hey do it now yeah hey Yeah, there was a funky singer Playin' in a rock and 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 I tried to understand this I thought that they were out of their minds How could I be so foolish (How could I) To not see I was the one behind So still I kept on fighting Well, loosing every step of the way I said, I must go back there (I got to go back) And check to see if things still the same 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 the boogie and play that funky music till you die Till you die, ya Till you die (Gonna play that electified funky music, yeah) (Hey, wait a minute) Now first it wasn't easy Changin' Rock and 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 the 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 (You Gotta keep on playin' funky music) Play that funky music (Play that funky music) Play that funky music (Come and take you higher, ya) Play that funky music white boy Play that funky music right, ya Play that funky music white boy Play that funky music right Play that funky music white boy Play that funky music right Click "Next" to see what song Wild Cherry copied to hit the charts... The frontman of Wild Cherry was Rob Parissi. He really wanted to write a hit song, and his plan was to copy his strategy from the best of the best. He immediately disco'ed down to the store and checked out the Billboard magazine, which weekly charted the hit singles. Rob ended up subscribing to the magazine. When the magazine arrived in his mailbox each week, he would pick out a funky tune or two to replicate the single into his own, making it just unique enough to avoid any potential lawsuits. After a few tries of this activity, he re-wrote a single that would become his own #1 hit in the Billboard magazine. The song that he copied to write this song was "Fire" by The Ohio Players (especially with the bass line and vocal tones). https://www.youtube.com/watch?vY47G-Wa4qfs Fire Fire (it's all about) Fire (woo, woo, woo) Fire The way you walk and talk really sets me off To a fuller love, child, yes, it does, uh The way you squeeze and tease, knocks to me my knees 'Cause I'm smokin', baby, baby The way you swerve and curve, really wrecks my nerves And I'm so excited, child woo, woo The way you push, push let's me know that you're good (You're gonna get your wish) Oh, yeah Fire (What I said, child, ow) Fire (Uh-huh) Got me burnin', burnin', burnin' Got me burnin', burnin', burnin' (Yeah) Got me burnin', burnin', burnin' (Yeah) Woo, hoo, hoo, baby Start burnin, burnin' baby Ooh. Ooh, ooh, ooh Burnin', burnin' baby Oh, baby Throw some water on me When you shake what you got, and girl, you've got a lot You're really somethin', child, yes, you are When you're hot you're hot, you really shoot your shot You're dyn-o-might, child, yeah Well, I can tell by your game You're gonna start a flame Love, baby, baby I'm not gon' choke from the smoke Got me tightenin' up my stroke Do you feel it, girl, yeah Got me burnin', got me burnin' Got me burnin', got me burnin' Got me burnin', got me burnin' (fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (on fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (on fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin'(on fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (on fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (fire) Got me burnin', got me burnin' (on fire) (Source: MetroLyrics) Wild Cherry was essentially more of a hard rock band. They played rotating gigs in Rochester at the 2001 Club, and with disco big at the time, their sound wasn't really taken lightly at this particular club. After one their train wrecks of a show, an African American audience member shouted, "Play some funky music, white boy." With that, Parissi agreed that the band should be playing funkier music. He wrote down the that audience member's phrase on a bar order pad. They recorded the hit in Cleveland, Ohio with more of a disco sound: drum and bass being mixed way up front. The band was kind of iffy about the lyrics, but Parissi insisted that they kept them. Boy, was that a good idea. The famous album cover behind the famous song.i.ytmig.com What was the hit originally a B-side to? Click "Next" to find out! "Play That Funky Music" was supposed to be the B-side of Wild Cherry's tribute to The Commodores' "I Feel Sanctified." The owners of their record label suggested that the B-side become the A-side, upon hearing the song for their first time. The song successfully sold over two million copies, but it was unfortunately Wild Cherry's only hit in their whole career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v4wP3Urq8jAM "I Feel Sanctified" Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctifiedI just left my baby's house And I got the strength I needed Knowing that the beast of man Is very hard to pleaseI'm so glad the sun is shining To brighten up the day Cause behind last night I see things in a different way Ooh yeah now!Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctifiedShe led me to the brink of love No words could ever describe I say Oh!, when you get that kind of loving It's a blessing to be aliveYeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctifiedI just left my baby's house And I got the strength I needed Knowing that the beast of man Is very hard to pleaseI'm so glad the sun is shining To brighten up the day Cause behind last night I see things in a different way Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified She led me to the brink of love And no words could ever describe Oh, when you get that kind of loving It's a blessing to be alive Ooh, the sacred feeling Just blows through my soul Searching for sanctuary To rested my Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified Ooh, the sacred feeling Just blows through my soul Searching for sanctuary To rested my Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified Yeah, I feel sanctified Vanilla Ice came out with a cover of this song (that was nowhere near as good as the original) as the follow-up to his one big hit "Ice, Ice Baby." His adaptation of the song was #4 in the US, but was his last hit (if it was even considered a hit, at all). Vanilla Ice did not credit Robert Parissi for the writing this, so when the lawsuit took place, Parissi received a very big settlement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vzNJ8_Dh3Onk Where did the band originally get their name from? Click "Next" to find out. Rob Parissi was in the hospital, and he was eyeing a box of cough drops. The box read, "Wild Cherry". That was when he got the idea for the band's name. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vm1CM6Mvqb7o Do you know any other fun facts behind this legendary funk classic? Tell us in the comments section below. Related: Bob Seger: A Roots Rocker With A Rockin’ Raspy Voice The Uncovered Stories About The Late, Great, Prince. Billboard’s Top Songs From The 70s

Wild Cherry, 1976: ‘Play That Funky Music’

by Brad Rosenberg
Published May 24, 2017