Loopzilla

Album: Computer Games (1982)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song takes a swipe at the unimaginative radio stations that play the same songs over and over, as if on a loop. A big song at the time was "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force, which repeats the line, "We gotta rock it, don't stop it." Clinton invokes that track in the lyrics:

    Like "Planet Rock," we just don't stop
    We're gonna drive you nuts
  • The song is a pastiche of interpolations from hit songs over the years, including a few Clinton creations:

    "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops
    "Dancing in the Street" by Martha & the Vandellas
    "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" by The Marvelettes
    "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic
    "One Nation Under A Groove" by Funkadelic
    "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp
    "Flash Light" by Parliament
    "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" by Parliament
    "Don't Touch That Dial" by Captain Sky

    The single states that the song "contains excerpts" from "Dancing in the Street" and "I Can't Help Myself," but the other tracks are not credited. A few years later, when sampling became rampant, Clinton's catalog was pillaged by rappers looking for beats, usually without crediting him.
  • Released ahead of "Atomic Dog," this was Clinton's first single to chart as a solo artist, reaching #19 R&B. After leading the conterminious groups Funkadelic and Parliament throughout the '70s, he got bogged down in legal issues that kept those outfits from recording, which is why he made Computer Games a solo album, his first. Many of his P-funk musicians played on the album, including Bernie Worrell, Garry Shider and Bootsy Collins.
  • On the album, this flows from the track "Man's Best Friend," establishing a dog theme. "Loopzilla" takes up 8:46 on the album; the single was cut to 5:58.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.