(Not Just) Knee Deep
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2012) |
| "(Not Just) Knee Deep" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Warner Bros. | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | George Clinton | |||
| Producer(s) | George Clinton | |||
| Funkadelic singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"(Not Just) Knee Deep" is a song by the American funk band Funkadelic written by George Clinton.[1] The song was released as a single for their album Uncle Jam Wants You (1979).[2]
The song is widely regarded as a funk classic, peaking at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the US R&B charts in 1979.[3] An edited version of the song, appearing as Side A on the single release, reached number one on the Billboard Black Singles chart.[2]
Composition
The song was written by
The Funkadelic version is sung by Clinton and several other group members, including Philippé Wynne, who was a former lead singer of the rhythm and blues group, The Spinners, which he left two years earlier.[2]
The lyrics tell of a "girl" who "was a freak of the week" and the man who was dancing with her. He was unimpressed by the
Personnel
- Lead vocals:
- Lead guitar: Michael Hampton,[4] Walter "Junie" Morrison[2]
- Keyboards/Synth Bass : Walter "Junie" Morrison[5]
- Drums: William "Bootsy" Collins[2]
- Percussion: Larry Fratangelo[2]
- Background vocals: Larry Heckstall,[2] Amuka,[2] Sheila Horne, Ron Ford,[2] Jeanette McGruder,[2] Dawn Silva,[2] Mike Payne,[2] Greg Thomas, Ray Davis,[2] Mallia Franklin,[2] Lige Curry,[2] James Wesley Jackson,[2] Greg Boyer,[2] Jerome Rogers,[2] Linda Shider
Sampled in other music
|
The song has been heavily sampled by many artists.
EPMD sampled it in their song "Gold Digger",[2] and Digital Underground used it in two of their songs, "Kiss You Back"[2] and "Bran Nu Swetta".
Rapper
In 1997,
Dr. Dre's song, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" is based on "Knee Deep".[13]
The South Korean girl band Mamamoo song "Um Oh Ah Yeh" from their third mini-album Pink Funky was influenced by it.
Appearances in other media
- Featured in the 1979 episode of Diff'rent Strokes "The Rivals" (Season 2; Episode 10)
- Frequently played by Larry "Bud" Melman argued about who played the guitar solo on the original recording. Melman proves that it was Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton—then robs Dave and Paul at gunpoint.[14]
- In the 1997 insane asylum scene, George Clinton cameos as one of the mental patients who complains about the boring music on the radio, and asks Ed, played by Kel Mitchell, to change the station. Ed finds a station playing this song, and the patients subsequently dance to it.[15]
- Featured in the 2001 movie The Wash.[16]
- Featured in the 2003 video game True Crime: Streets of LA.[17]
- Performed by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars on the FOX television series New York Undercover in 1995.[18]
- Performed by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars on "Late Night with David Letterman" on June 25, 1991.[19]
- Performed by an animated version of George Clinton (played by himself) in When a Man (or a Freight Train) Loves His Cookie."[20]
- Featured in the 2015 Straight Outta Compton.[21]
References
- ^ a b Funkadelic - (Not Just) Knee Deep, 1979, retrieved 2025-01-01
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Funkadelic – (Not Just) Knee Deep, retrieved 2025-01-01
- ISBN 978-0-89820-160-4.
- ^ ""(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic". WEFUNK Radio. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ Songfacts. "(Not Just) Knee Deep by Funkadelic - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Me Myself and I by De La Soul on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- ^ "MC Hammer – Straight To My Feet Samples". Genius. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Swang Your Hips by Mass 187 on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "2Pac feat. George Clinton's 'Can't C Me' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Jessie J feat. De La Soul's 'Seal Me With a Kiss' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Happiness by Vanessa Williams on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "(Not Just) Knee Deep by Funkadelic on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- ^ Letterman (2022-04-08). Fan Request: Larry "Bud" Melman Gives Dave And Paul A Music Lesson They'll Never Forget | Letterman. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via YouTube.
- ^ Good Burger (1997) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ The Wash (2001) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ True Crime: Streets of LA (Video Game 2003) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars - New York Undercover | TVmaze". www.tvmaze.com. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ EP's Vault 2 (2017-02-28). George Clinton - Red Hot Momma/(Not Just) Knee Deep - Late Night. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Tyler (2013-02-17). "George Clinton Appears on FOX's The Cleveland Show". Official Website of George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ Straight Outta Compton (2015) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via www.imdb.com.
