"Funkentelechy" is a song by the funk band Parliament. It is the fourth track on the group's 1977 album Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome and was released as a two-part single in 1978. Part 1 peaked at number 27 on the U.S. R&B Singles chart. The song's title is a play on the philosophical concept of entelechy.

"Funkentelechy"
Single by Parliament
from the album Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
A-side"Funkentelechy"
B-side"Funkentelechy" Pt. 2
Released1978
GenreFunk
Length10:56 (album version)
LabelCasablanca 921
Songwriter(s)George Clinton/Bootsy Collins
Producer(s)George Clinton

Trivia

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  • The phrase "Urge Overkill" from George Clinton's radio announcer-style patter on the song later became the name of an alternative rock band.
  • One of Clinton's quips during the song, "Like a woodpecker with a headache," resembles the mood indication on a piano piece by the eccentric composer Erik Satie: "Like a nightingale with a toothache."
  • This song was sampled by Ice Cube for his song "Doing Dumb Shit" on his album Death Certificate.
  • The repeated phrase "You deserve a break today - Have it your way" is a reference to McDonald's "You Deserve a Break Today" and Burger King's "Have it Your Way" ad campaigns of the time.
  • The repeated references to "The Pleasure Principle" are a nod to Sigmund Freud's Pleasure Principle theory in psychology.

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1978) Peak
position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[1] 27

References

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