# Help me Parliament! How concerned should my funk be regarding this three? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753 "2017-10-13T19:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/1 "2017-10-13T19:38:01Z")
_Well, alright. Hey I was diggin’ on y’all’s funk for awhile Sounds like it got a three on it though, to me_ Parliament, in the song P.Funk, helpfully warns us about the unfortunate and sorrowful condition with which our funk is afflicted… inasmuch as it seems to be have a three upon it. Meaning… what? ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/2 "2017-10-13T20:03:38Z")
3rd-prize ribbon? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/3 "2017-10-13T20:11:58Z")
The only thing that immediately comes to mind is that funk is “on the one” (where the first beat of the measure is heavily emphasized), so perhaps “got a three” implies being off or not quite funkin’ by accenting the third beat? That’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/4 "2017-10-13T20:34:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The only thing that immediately comes to mind is that funk is “on the one” (where the first beat of the measure is heavily emphasized), so perhaps “got a three” implies being off or not quite funkin’ by accenting the third beat? That’s all I got. Exactly what I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/5 "2017-10-13T20:37:48Z")
I find funk confusing. Am I supposed to get on up, or get on down. Or, do I get up with the get down. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/6 "2017-10-13T21:01:52Z")
Just free your mind. Your ass will follow. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/7 "2017-10-13T21:45:51Z")
The [“Get Up” vs. “Get Down” battle](http://www.theonion.com/article/national-funk-congress-deadlocked-on-get-upget-dow-625) may never be resolved. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/8 "2017-10-14T08:21:36Z")
I’m afraid the [story of the funk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN0emKFbs50) is a little more complicated than that, ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-parliament-how-concerned-should-my-funk-be-regarding-this-three/798753/9 "2017-10-14T10:44:28Z")
In all seriousness, a coupla funky observations: - There is a Funk Singularity when Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone innovated popping and slapping. I was watching some interview of a producer who used Bootsy on an album, he asked him not to pop on a song, but instead play the type of bass in did right when he started with James Brown. “Oh, you want the _Tippy-Toe_ Funk!” is what Bootsy said, and delivered. I love that - his fingers tippy-toeing on the strings is a perfect visual. - I think of two major funk groupings: sinewy vs stewy. With James Brown, you hear every part separately, individual lines that work together. The Bach multi-line approach. Then there’s Parliament, a big fuckin gumbo of funk - I couldn’t pick out individual parts, except maybe a Bernie Worrell synth bass hook or two ;). You get my point, it all is fused together in a way that’s so different from James Brown’s funk. I love that.