Songfacts®:

• Funkadelic evolved out of The Parliaments, George Clinton's group from Plainfield, New Jersey. On this song, they get off the Turnpike and head to Keeprunnin', Mississippi for a trip into psychedelic blues. The singer is on the run, hearing chants (possibly made by a chain gang - perhaps one he escaped from) along the way. He pulls out a harmonica and plays some "Way-back yonder funk."
• Released as a single in 1969, this song was included on the first Funkadelic album in 1970. It marked a new direction for the band, setting them on a course of groundbreaking psychedelic funk. In a Songfacts interview with George Clinton, he cited it as the most important P-Funk song to him. "That was the beginning of the notion that we were going to do a funky band, as opposed to a doo-wop group/singing group like the Temptations," he said. "'Music For My Mother' was my thought of being able to do blues and R&B and keeping it that way, without it trying to cross over. To just do whatever I felt like. 'Music For My Mother' was the first song that I did that with."
• Sax player Herb Sparkman did the lead vocal on this track. Other musicians include Eddie Hazel on guitar, Billy Nelson on bass and Brad Innis on drums. Clinton was the producer. Hazel, Nelson and Clinton are the credited writers.