Play That Funky Music (1976) 10/14/20

Today, we highlight the first of TWO somewhat “Politically Incorrect Songs of the '70s”—but they were both HUGE hits!

Wild Cherry was a hard rock band from Ohio, but in 1975, they were booked to play at the 2001 Club—a hardcore DISCO nightclub—in Pittsburgh.

Personal note: For a short time, I spun records at the 2001 club in Toledo (at Secor and Dorr). Both clubs were part of a larger chain.

Anyway, things were NOT going well. The clientele did not appreciate the music, and after one song, someone shouted “Play some FUNKY music, white boy!”

Not only did Rob Parissi, lead singer of Wild Cherry, think that had the makings of a great song title...he thought if he could write something around it that was both hard rock AND funky, he might end up with a “Great Song,” along the lines of what artists like KC & The Sunshine Band, The Ohio Players, and The Commodores were already doing. And, it would legitimize Wild Cherry at the discos. (More on the Commodores tomorrow!)

Rob was right....but his song was met with some hesitation from the record company (Epic). They worried that radio stations would refuse to play it because of the racial implications of the words “white boy.” In the end, however, it didn't seem to matter. Stations played it, and people of all races loved it!

The proof?

In 1976, “Play That Funky Music” became a Top 10 hit in 7 countries, including the US, where it topped the Hot 100 AND the Soul Charts. It also reached #12 on the Disco Chart. In Canada, it peaked at #2 on the Top 40. Very few, if any, complaints were heard.

Unfortunately, Wild Cherry turned out to be a one-hit wonder.

You might think that in 2020, those worries might resurface, but a quick check with a few channels on Sirius/XM (especially '70s on '7 and some of the dance music formats), indicates the song is alive and well---and being played almost every day.

I guess it proves that that old adage—which I just coined—is true: Once a “Great Song,” always a “Great Song!”

Wild Cherry: