(Not Just) Knee Deep
Encyclopedia
" Knee Deep" is a funk
song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic
's 1979
album Uncle Jam Wants You
.
Black Singles chart. The song was written by George Clinton
and Walter "Junie" Morrison
but the songwriting credit is listed as "George Clinton, Jr." on the album pressing as a gift to Clinton's son. The songwriting credit on the single, however, is listed as George Clinton. The song also features vocals from Philippé Wynne
, who was a former lead of the soul band, The Spinners which he left a year earlier.
The song is about a girl who is the, "freak of the week" and dances "never missing a beat." It is widely seen as a funk
classic, peaking at number seventy-seven on the Hot 100, and topping the US R&B charts. in 1979 in heavily edited form. The lyrics deal with a man meeting a woman, presumably at a party; she dances for him. He is unimpressed by the Jerk
, the Monkey
, the Moose and the Chicken, but is blown away by the Freak.
group De La Soul
sampled the intro to the song in their hit "Me, Myself, and I", which reached #34 on the Billboard Pop Charts and #1 on the R&B Charts.
Also LL Cool J
("Nitro"), Above The Law
("Never Missin A Beat"), Tone Loc
("Funky Cold Medina
"), MC Hammer
& Deion Sanders
("Straight to My Feet") and Snoop Dogg
("Who Am I (What's My Name)?"), G-Funk Intro & his unreleased track "Do U Remember". Geto Boys
sampled the intro for "Homie Don't Play That". The Black Eyed Peas
also used the beat behind it to remix their hit single "Shut Up". X-Clan
sampled the song in Funkin' Lesson. It was also interpolated in the song "Get Away" by Bobby Brown
.
EPMD
sampled it in their song "Gold Digger", and Digital Underground
used it in two of their songs, "Kiss You Back" and "Bran Nu Swetta".
Rapper Tupac Shakur
sampled the song for his "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)".
In 1996, Vanessa Williams
sampled "Knee Deep" for her song "Happiness
".
Dr. Dre's song, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')
", is based on "Knee Deep".
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
's 1979
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
album Uncle Jam Wants You
Uncle Jam Wants You
Uncle Jam Wants You is the eleventh studio album by American funk band Funkadelic. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Records on September 21, 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Charly Groove Records and Priority Records. It was produced by George Clinton under the alias Dr. Funkenstein...
.
Song information
An edited version of the song, appearing as Side A on the single release, reached number one on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Black Singles chart. The song was written by George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
and Walter "Junie" Morrison
Walter Morrison
Walter "Junie" Morrison is a musician and producer born in Dayton, Ohio. Morrison was a producer, writer, keyboardist and vocalist for the funk band the Ohio Players in the early 70s, where he wrote and produced their first major hit, "Funky Worm"...
but the songwriting credit is listed as "George Clinton, Jr." on the album pressing as a gift to Clinton's son. The songwriting credit on the single, however, is listed as George Clinton. The song also features vocals from Philippé Wynne
Philippe Wynne
Philippé Wynne , born Phillip Walker, was an American R&B singer. Best known for his role as the lead singer of The Spinners , Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man",and "One of a Kind ",...
, who was a former lead of the soul band, The Spinners which he left a year earlier.
The song is about a girl who is the, "freak of the week" and dances "never missing a beat." It is widely seen as a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
classic, peaking at number seventy-seven on the Hot 100, and topping the US R&B charts. in 1979 in heavily edited form. The lyrics deal with a man meeting a woman, presumably at a party; she dances for him. He is unimpressed by the Jerk
The Jerk (dance)
The Jerk was a popular dance in the 1960s. The song You're a Jerk written by Nathan Diaz inspired the jerk to become popular.-Description:...
, the Monkey
Monkey (dance)
The Monkey is a novelty dance, most popular in 1963. The dance was popularized by two R&B records: Major Lance's "The Monkey Time", and The Miracles' "Mickey's Monkey" both Top 10 Pop hits released during the summer of 1963....
, the Moose and the Chicken, but is blown away by the Freak.
Personnel
- Lead vocals: George ClintonGeorge Clinton (musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, Garry ShiderGarry ShiderGarry Marshall Shider was an American musician and guitarist. He was musical director of the P-Funk All-Stars for much of their history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.-Early life:Shider was born in Plainfield, New...
, Walter MorrisonWalter MorrisonWalter "Junie" Morrison is a musician and producer born in Dayton, Ohio. Morrison was a producer, writer, keyboardist and vocalist for the funk band the Ohio Players in the early 70s, where he wrote and produced their first major hit, "Funky Worm"...
, Jessica CleavesJessica CleavesJessica Cleaves was lead singer for Friends of Distinction in the 1960s. Founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, the Friends of Distinction also comprised Barbara Jean Love .Cleaves also performed and recorded with Earth, Wind & Fire, and for a brief time performed with...
, Philippé WynnePhilippe WynnePhilippé Wynne , born Phillip Walker, was an American R&B singer. Best known for his role as the lead singer of The Spinners , Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man",and "One of a Kind ",... - Lead guitar: Michael HamptonMichael HamptonMichael Hampton is a funk/rock guitarist. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....
, Garry ShiderGarry ShiderGarry Marshall Shider was an American musician and guitarist. He was musical director of the P-Funk All-Stars for much of their history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.-Early life:Shider was born in Plainfield, New... - Keyboards: Walter "Junie" Morrison
- Drums: William "Bootsy" Collins
- Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
- Background vocals:Larry Heckstall, Sheila HorneSheila HorneBrides of Funkenstein member Sheila Horne was hired as a back-up singer for original Brides Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva in 1978. She became a main singer with Silva and Jeanette McGruder in 1979 for the second Brides album Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy and joined Rick James on tour in 1981 as an...
, Ron Ford, Jeanette McGruder, Dawn Silva, Mike Payne, Greg Thomas, Ray Davis, Mallia Franklin, Lige Curry, James Wesley Jackson, Greg Boyer, Jerome Rogers, Linda Shider
Sampled in other music
The song is considered a classic and has been heavily sampled by many artists. Hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
sampled the intro to the song in their hit "Me, Myself, and I", which reached #34 on the Billboard Pop Charts and #1 on the R&B Charts.
Also LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
("Nitro"), Above The Law
Above the Law
Above the Law may refer to:*legibus solutus, doctrine of Roman Law*Above the Law , a law blog*Righting Wrongs, a 1986 Hong Kong film titled "Above the Law" for international release...
("Never Missin A Beat"), Tone Loc
Tone Loc
Anthony Terrell Smith , better known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor.-Early life and career:...
("Funky Cold Medina
Funky Cold Medina
"Funky Cold Medina" is a hip hop song written by Young MC, Michael L. Ross and Matt Dike, and first performed by Tone Lōc. It was the second single from Lōc's debut album Lōc-ed After Dark . The single was released on March 18, 1989, and rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following month...
"), MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
& Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
("Straight to My Feet") and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
("Who Am I (What's My Name)?"), G-Funk Intro & his unreleased track "Do U Remember". Geto Boys
Geto Boys
Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its lyrics which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia...
sampled the intro for "Homie Don't Play That". The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
also used the beat behind it to remix their hit single "Shut Up". X-Clan
X-Clan
X-Clan is a hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York, originally consisting of Grand Verbalizer Funkin' Lesson Brother J, Professor X The Overseer, Paradise the Architect, and Sugar Shaft the Rhythm Provider...
sampled the song in Funkin' Lesson. It was also interpolated in the song "Get Away" by Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
.
EPMD
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members, emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith...
sampled it in their song "Gold Digger", and Digital Underground
Digital Underground
Digital Underground was an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. It could have been considered a music "family" rather than a group, as its personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour....
used it in two of their songs, "Kiss You Back" and "Bran Nu Swetta".
Rapper Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
sampled the song for his "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)".
In 1996, Vanessa Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
sampled "Knee Deep" for her song "Happiness
Happiness (Vanessa Williams song)
Happiness was the first single from Vanessa Williams' album Next. It was released on June 24, 1997. Williams withdrew the video immediately after her divorce from husband Ramon Hervey...
".
Dr. Dre's song, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')
Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')
"Fuck wit Dre Day " is a hip-hop single by Dr. Dre, with a guest appearance by Snoop Doggy Dogg, from the 1992 album The Chronic on Death Row Records...
", is based on "Knee Deep".
Appearances in other media
- Featured in the 1997 movie Good BurgerGood BurgerGood Burger is a 1997 American comedy film by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Nickelodeon Movies, released by Paramount Pictures, directed by Brian Robbins, and starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell...
during the insane asylum scene (which featured George Clinton as one of the mental patients who complained about the music and asks Ed [Kel Mitchell] to change the song on the radio) - Featured in the 2001 movie The Wash.
- Featured in the 2003 video game True Crime: Streets of LATrue Crime: Streets of LATrue Crime: Streets of LA is an action-adventure video game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube in November 2003 and the first game in the True Crime series...
. - Performed by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars on the FOX television series "New York UndercoverNew York UndercoverNew York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
in 1995. - Performed by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars on "Late Night With David LettermanLate Night with David LettermanLate Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
" on June 25, 1991.
External links
- [ Song Review] at Allmusic