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100 Greatest Funk Songs |
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Criteria: - The 100 greatest funk records of all time - Songs are based on impact, influence, and popularity.
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| Last Updated 11-16-05 |
Newly added names are in Red |
Edited by: Jeff B. |
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1. Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine) Part I - James Brown
2. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag - James Brown & The Famous Flames
3. Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly & The Family Stone
4. Tear the Roof Off the Sucker/Give Up the Funk - Parliament
5. Theme from "Shaft" - Isaac Hayes
6. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
7. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
8. Cissy Strut - The Meters
9. One Nation Under a Groove - Funkadelic
10. Think (About It) - Lyn Collins (The Female Preacher)
11. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
12. War - Edwin Starr
13. I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
14. More Bounce to the Ounce Part I - Zapp & Roger
15. It's Your Thing - The Isley Brothers
16. Chameleon - Herbie Hancock
17. Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
18. When Doves Cry - Prince
19. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus (with vocals by Chaka Khan)
20. Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
21. Cold Sweat - James Brown & The Famous Flames
22. Out of Sight - James Brown & The Famous Flames
23. Backstabbers - The O'Jays
24. Fire - The Ohio Players
25. Rock Creek Park - The Blackbyrds
26. Give It to Me Baby - Rick James
27. Brick House - The Commodores
28. Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
29. Shining Star - Earth, Wind, & Fire
30. Got To Give It Up Part I - Marvin Gaye
31. Keep on Truckin' Part I - Eddie Kendricks
32. Dazz - Brick
33. Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band
34. Hollywood Singing - Kool & The Gang
35. Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) - B.T. Express
36. Super Freak Part I - Rick James
37. You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
38. Say It Loud-I'm Black and I'm Proud, Part I - James Brown
39. For the Love of Money - The O'Jays
40. Express Yourself - Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
41. Bootzilla - Bootsy's Rubber Band
42. Flash Light - Parliament
43. Car Wash - Rose Royce
44. Play That Funky Music (White Boy) - Wild Cherry
45. Living for the City - Stevie Wonder
46. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
47. Funky Broadway - Dyke & The Blazers/Wilson Pickett
48. God Made Me Funky - The Headhunters (a.k.a. Herbie Hancock et al.)
49. Expensive Shit - Fela Anikulapo Kuti
50. Right Off - Miles Davis
51. Running Away - Roy Ayers
52. Pass the Peas - The JBs
53. Bustin' Loose - Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers
54. Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me?) - The Gap Band
55. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye
56. Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan with Rufus
57. Groove Me - King Floyd
58. Do It, Fluid - The Blackbyrds
59. What is Hip? - Tower of Power
60. Soul Power '74 - Maceo Parker & The Macks
61. I Know You Got Soul - Bobby Byrd
62. The Payback - James Brown
63. In the Bottle - Gil Scott-Heron
64. Little Red Corvette - Prince
65. Expansions - Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes
66. Doing it to Death - Fred Wesley & The JBs
67. (Who's) That Lady Part I? - The Isley Brothers
68. Cloud Nine - The Temptations
69. Freddie's Dead (Theme from "Superfly") - Curtis Mayfield
70. (Not Just) Knee Deep Part I - Funkadelic
71. N.T. Parts I and II - Kool & The Gang
72. Fight the Power, Parts I and II - The Isley Brothers
73. Serpentine Fire - Earth, Wind, & Fire
74. Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
75. Heartbeat - Taana Gardner
76. Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright
77. I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles
78. The Message - Cymande
79. Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
80. Sign O' the Times - Prince
81. You Dropped a Bomb on Me - The Gap Band
82. Low Rider - War
83. Love Rollercoaster - The Ohio Players
84. Slide - Slave
85. Ffun - Con Funk Shun
86. Word Up - Cameo
87. Too Hot to Stop - The Bar-Kays
88. Movin' - Brass Construction
89. I Found Lovin' - The Fatback Band
90. Cutie Pie - One Way
91. Funky Sensation - Gwen McCrae
92. Fencewalk - Mandrill
93. Be Thankful for What You've Got - William DeVaughn
94. Bring Down the Birds - Herbie Hancock
95. Fantastic Voyage - Lakeside
96. I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl) - Instant Funk
97. (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again - LTD
98. Get the Funk Out Ma Face - The Brothers Johnson
99. Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady) - Natalie Cole
100. If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up - Betty Davis
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101. Sing a Simple Song - Sly & The Family Stone
102. Drop the Bomb - Trouble Funk
103. The Jam - Graham Central Station
104. Just Kissed My Baby - The Meters
105. Lovely Day - Bill Withers
106. Computer Love - Zapp & Roger
107. I Can Understand It - New Birth
108. Shine On - George Duke
109. I Gotcha - Joe Tex
110. I Get Lifted - George McCrae
111. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further? - Lee Dorsey
112. Slippin' Into Darkness - War
113. She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked) - Carl Carlton
114. Funkin' for Jamaica - Tom Browne
115. Juicy Fruit - Mtume
116. All Night Long - Mary Jane Girls
117. We Got the Funk - Positive Force
118. Behind the Groove - Teena Marie
119. It's Just Begun - Jimmy Castor
120. (Fallin' Like) Dominoes - Donald Byrd
121. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life - Indeep
122. Breakdown Part I - Rufus Thomas
123. Let it Whip - The Dazz Band
124. Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
125. No Parking (On the Dancefloor) - Midnight Star
126. Jungle Love - The Time
127. Meeting in the Ladies Room - Klymaxx
128. Nasty Girl - Vanity 6
129. The Ghetto - Donny Hathaway
130. It's My Thing - Marva Whitney
131. Apache - Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band
132. Stretchin' Out (In a Rubber Band) - Bootsy's Rubber Band
133. Let a Woman Be a Woman/Let a Man Be a Man - Dyke & The Blazers
134. Early in the Morning - The Gap Band
135. Kiss - Prince
136. Up for the Down Stroke - Parliament
137. Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop) - Funkadelic
138. Get Down on It - Kool & The Gang
139. Upside Down (Inside Out) - Diana Ross
140. Why Can't We Be Friends? - War
141. White Horse - Laid Back
142. Disco to Go - The Brides of Funkenstein
143. Strawberry Letter 23 - Shuggie Otis/The Brothers Johnson
144. Hangin' on a String (Contemplating) - Loose Ends
145. Backstrokin' - The Fatback Band
146. Hit N Run - The Bar-Kays
147. Too Tight - Con Funk Shun
148. Just a Touch of Love - Slave
149. Candy - Cameo
150. Zoom - Fat Larry's Band
151. Rise - Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass Band
152. I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit, Baby - Barry White
153. Tramp - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
154. The Horse - Cliff Nobles & Co.
155. Memphis Soul Stew - King Curtis & The Kingpins
156. Glamorous Life - Sheila E.
157. Let's Get Serious - Jermaine Jackson
158. Joy and Pain - Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
159. Machine Gun - The Commodores
160. Actions Speak Louder Than Words - Hot Chocolate
161. Pusherman - Curtis Mayfield
162. Nights Over Egypt - The Jones Girls
163. Don't Stop the Music - Yarbrough & Peoples
164. Brother's Gonna Work It Out - Willie Hutch
165. A Night to Remember - Shalamar
166. A Love Bizarre - Sheila E. & Prince
167. Outa-Space - Billy Preston
168. Superman Lover - Johnny "Guitar" Watson
169. Mama Feel Good - Lyn Collins
170. Take Me to the Mardi Gras - Bob James
171. Rockin' Chair - Gwen McCrae
172. Blame it on the Boogie - The Jacksons
173. Can You Help Me? - Jesse Johnson
174. Knock on Wood - Eddie Floyd
175. Is it All Over My Face? - Loose Joint
176. Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack and Peace
177. Woman of the Ghetto - Marlena Shaw
178. Supernatural Thing - Ben E. King
179. I Can't Get Next to You - Al Green
180. Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix/Phil Upchurch
181. Could Heaven Ever Be Like This? - Idris Muhammad
182. Get Up Off of That Thang - James Brown
183. The Funky Worm - The Ohio Players
184. Chicken - The Weather Report
185. Beatmaker - Doris
186. I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky - Ripple
187. Atomic Dog - George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars
188. Funky Drummer, Parts I and II - James Brown
189. Weekend - Class Action
190. Burning Spear - S.O.U.L.
191. Sun is Here - Sun
192. Another Man - Barbara Mason
193. Moody - ESG
194. A Lover's Holiday - Change
195. Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garrett
196. The Message from the Soul Sisters, Parts I and II - Vicki Anderson
197. Who is He and What is He to You? - Creative Source
198. Some Skunk Funk - The Brecker Brothers
199. Get Ready - Rare Earth
200. Just An Illusion - Imagination
*records that influenced funk, are hybrids, or warrant attention
Let's Get it On - Marvin Gaye
Green Onions - Booker T. & The MGs
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown & The Famous Flames
Dance to the Music - Sly & The Family Stone
Soul Man - Sam & Dave
Also Sprach Zarathustra - Eumir Deodato
Theme from SWAT - Rhythm Heritage
Amen, Brother - The Winstons
Rock the Casbah - The Clash
I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan
I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up and Dance (Oops Upside Your Head) - The Gap Band
It's a Trip - The Last Poets
(I Wanna) Testify - The Parliaments
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| Funk music is music is sometimes (or often) overlooked and usually lumped with disco music. However, funk music has its own style and culture and was here before disco's birth (disco music primarily grew out of funk music as well as soul). It is characterized by its syncopated "on the one" rhythms, horn/percussive sections, and the guitar. Although the two genres share many similarities, one must note the striking difference between George Clinton and Donna Summer, James Brown from The Bee Gees. |
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The music was pioneered by artists such as James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, The Meters, The Isley Brothers, and Dyke & The Blazers. Some funk artists eventually became disco artists, and many songs between what was funk and soul were often blurred (e.g. "Superfreak" to "Heartbeat" to "Good Times"). Artists such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Gil Scott-Heron, and Fela Kuti took funk into new directions, and even soul artists dabbled into funk to create important recordings. Funk music is also known for its breaks and obscure classics (or rare groove) such as in the classic example "Jungle Fever" by the Chakachas.
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Funk music has also influenced rock artists such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie, Robert Palmer, and The Rolling Stones.
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| This list includes soul artists instrumental in funk music's development such as Marvin Gaye and The Staple Singers who had a few funk hits. Also included is the jazz funk of Roy Ayers, the p-funk of George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, the Afrobeat funk of Fela Kuti, the go-go of Trouble Funk, and the hybrid disco-funk acts such as The Commodores, Kool & The Gang, and The Ohio Players (although their songs here tend to be more funk-oriented). |
| The later subgenres that spawned from funk in the 80s and 90s (e.g. electro funk, G-funk, etc.) are given their own sidebar lists with the exclusion the new wave funk (e.g. Prince, Zapp & Roger). |
| Speaking of Jimi Hendrix, his 1968 track "Crosstown Traffic" was psychedelic-soul-funk that would give Phil Upchurch a 1969 classic off Upchurch and be covered once again by funk-rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers. |
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1. Double Dutch Bus
- Frankie Smith
2. Candy Girl
- New Edition
3. In My House
- Mary Jane Girls
4. Rumours
- Timex Social Club
5. Pull Up to the Bumper
- Grace Jones
6. Jump to It
- Aretha Franklin
7. Somebody Else's Guy
- Jocelyn Brown
8. When I Think of You
- Janet Jackson
9. Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll
- Vaughn Mason & Crew
10. Get Down Saturday Night
- Oliver Cheatham
1. King Tim III (Personality Jock)
- The Fatback Band
2. The Breaks Part I
- Kurtis Blow
3. Push It
- Salt N Pepa
4. The Humpty Dance
- Digital Underground
5. Da Butt
- E.U.
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(early 90s gangster West Coast Hip Hop)
1. Ain't Nuthin' But a G-Thang
- Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre
2. California Love
- 2Pac and Dr. Dre
3. Regulate
- Warren G. and Nate Dogg
4. It was a Good Day
- Ice Cube
5. Gin and Juice
- Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre
6. Keep Ya Head Up
- 2Pac
7. What's My Name? (Snoop Dogg)
- Snoop Dogg
8. Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')
- Dr. Dre
9. Thuggish Ruggish Bone
- Bone Thugs N Harmony
10. Funkdafied
- Da Brat
11. Me Against the World
- 2Pac
12. Let Me Ride
- Dr. Dre
13. Deep Cover
- Dr. Dre with Snoop Dogg
14. This DJ
- Warren G.
15. Black Superman
- Above the Law
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(ranked in terms of influence on funk music as a whole)
1. Planet Rock
- Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
2. White Lines (Don't Do It)
- Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel
3. Looking for the Perfect Beat
- Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
4. You're the One for Me
- D-Train
5. Jam On It
- Newcleus
1. Billie Jean
2. Thriller
3. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
4. Wanna Be Startin' Something
5. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
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1. Get Off
- Prince & The New Power Generation
3. Around the World/Give It Away
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Freddie's Dead
- Fishbone
4. Epic
- Faith No More
5. Renegades of Funk
- Rage Against the Machine
6. Cult of Personality
- Living Colour
7. Let Love Rule
- Lenny Kravitz
8. Light Years Away
- Jamiroquai
9. If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)
- Me'Shell Ndegeocello
10. Fire on the Bayou
- The Neville Brothers
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Disclaimer: There is nothing 'Official' about these lists. They are compiled by the 'editor' using the
stated criteria, and revised considering the competent suggestions of visitors to this website only.
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