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Funkytown

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Funkytown

| image = Funkytown by Lipps Inc US single side A.png

| alt =

| caption = Side A of the US single

| type = Single

| artist = Lipps Inc.

| album = Mouth to Mouth

| B-side = All Night Dancing

| released =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 4:00 (7" single version)
7:50 (album/12" single version)

| label = Casablanca

| writer = Steven Greenberg

| producer = Steven Greenberg

| prev_title = Rock It

| prev_year = 1979

| next_title = Designer Music

| next_year = 1980

| misc =

}}

"'Funkytown'" is a song by American disco act Lipps Inc., released in 1980 as the second single from its debut album, 'Mouth to Mouth' (1979). It was very successful on charts globally, reaching top spots such as the United States, West Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia.

Composition



It was written by musician, composer, and record producer Steven Greenberg and sung by Cynthia Johnson. The lyrics pine for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keep me groovin' with some energy", while the band members were dreaming of relocating from Minneapolis to New York City. It is in the key of C major.

Music videos



"Funkytown" has at least two music videos. In one, a black singer mimes the vocals and some women dance in a pub. In another video, Debbie Jenner, who fronted the band in the Netherlands and West Germany, dances while miming the vocals. Johnson says on her website that she "was never asked to perform a video of 'Funkytown'".

Chart performance



"Funkytown" entered the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 on March 29, 1980, and spent four weeks at number one, from May 31 to June 21, 1980. It hit the number one spot on the disco chart in 1980. It reached no. 2 in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the US soul chart. The song is Lipps Inc's only American Top 40 hit.

Impact and legacy



VH1 ranked the song at number 37 on its list of the '100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s' in 2009.

'Time Out' listed the song number 44 in its list of 'The 100 best party songs' in 2018, adding:

'ThoughtCo' placed the song at number 7 in its list of "25 Best Dance Pop Songs of All Time" in 2018.

Track listings



* '7" single'

#"Funkytown" 4:00

#"All Night Dancing" 3:10

* '12" single'

#"Funkytown" 7:50

#"All Night Dancing" 8:20

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



All-time charts



Certifications and sales



Pseudo Echo version



{{Infobox song

| name = Funkytown

| cover = Funkytown Pseudo Echo.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Pseudo Echo

| album = Love an Adventure

| B-side = Lies Are Nothing

| released = November 17, 1986

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre =

| length =

| label = RCA

| writer = Steven Greenberg

| producer = Brian Canham

| prev_title = Try

| prev_year = 1986

| next_title = Take On the World

| next_year = 1987

| misc =

}}

In 1986, "Funkytown" was covered by Australian band Pseudo Echo in rock form, including a guitar solo in the middle. It reached no. 6 on the US Hot 100 chart and spent seven weeks at no. 1 in Australia. Like Lipps Inc, it is Pseudo Echo's only US Top 40 hit.

Track listings

'7" single' (EMI 1883)

#"Funkytown" 3:40

#"Lies Are Nothing" 3:58

'12" / Maxi' (ED 237) / (RCA 52177)

*Side A: "Funky Town" (Dance Mix) 6:32

*Side B: "Funkytown" 3:40

*Side B: "Lies Are Nothing" 3:58

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



See also



*List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s

*Lists of number-one singles (Austria)

*List of 'Billboard' Hot 100 number-one singles of 1980

*List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1980

*List of number-one singles of 1980 (Canada)

*List of number-one singles of 1987 (Canada)

*List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1980

*List of European number-one hits of 1980

*List of number-one singles of 1980 (France)

*List of number-one hits of 1980 (Germany)

*List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)

*List of number-one songs in Norway

*List of number-one singles of the 1980s (Switzerland)

*List of number-one dance singles of 1980 (U.S.)

References




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