Flash Light by Parliament

Album: Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome (1978)

Charted: 16

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Songfacts®:

This funk classic was originally recorded for Parliament bass player Bootsy Collins' spin-off band, Bootsy's Rubber Band. It was intended for their first album, but ended up going to Parliament, where it became the group's first #1 R&B hit and one of their most popular tracks.
The chant in the song: "ha-da-dadee-da da-da hava da da," is based on a Jewish Bar Mitzvah chant.
In the P-Funk universe, Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk is a character who, as the name implies, is devoid of funk. He's too cool for school, and won't dance, putting him at odds with Starchild (George Clinton). Based on the 1977 Bootsy's Rubber Band track "The Pinocchio Theory," where Bootsy asserts, "Don't fake the funk or your nose will grow," Sir Nose shows up earlier in the Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome album on the track "Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk (Pay Attention – B3M)." In "Flash Light," Starchild helps him find the funk, and finally, he dances.
In the '70s, Clinton and other members of the crew would wield giant flashlights when they performed this song, aiming them at Sir Nose (originally played by Larry Heckstall) until he found the funk. The crowd started bringing their own flashlights to the shows, so the band started selling them at the venues.

Sir Nose was later played by Carlos McMurray, who introduced the fuzzy pants, enormous hat, and acrobatic dance moves.
Keyboardist Bernie Worrell provided the bass line after figuring out how to stack bass tones on his Moog synthesizer.
Many movies have used this song over the years. Among them:

Set It Off (1996)
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
How High (2001)
The Cookout (2004)
Roll Bounce (2005)
The Heat (2013)
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
McFarland, USA (2015)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

TV series to use the song include:

Everybody Hates Chris ("Everybody Hates Father's Day" - 2006)
Scandal ("Snake in the Garden" - 2013)
Ray Donovan ("Walk This Way" - 2014)
When Prince inducted Parliament-Funkadelic into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1997, he quoted a line from this song: "Everybody's got a little light under the sun."

"That's really where his music is," he said of George Clinton. "You've got to really get into it and dig it."

Comments: 9

Old Head from Los AngelesRegarding the Jewish Bar Mitzvah "chant" in the song, they are not saying Ha-da-da-dee-dah-da-da......". That is not correct. What they are saying is, "There'll never another album like ours". Listen closely and you can hear it.
Simon from Atlanta, GaThis song was about shining a light on the fact that we were all equal (thus all of the different religious references), and at the same time, exposing the fake people. Yes, I agree, we do need more Parliament songs on here.
John from Nashville, TnThe second of two gold records for Parliament (the first being "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker").
Paul from Cincinnati, OhWe need more Parliament songs on here, by the way.
Paul from Cincinnati, OhEdward Pierce is the man...he seems to know all the info.
Paul from Cincinnati, OhFree your mind and your ass will follow...
Dave from Long Branch, NjGreat song for those funkateers that followed the MOB!
Alan from Silver Lake, Ks1978 . . . senior in high school . . . shy . . . was too self-conscious to dance . . . BUT, this song got my body moving . . . and, like that, I came out of my shell. It helped me, 'find the funk!'
David from Youngstown, OhAs an 11-year-old studying for his Bar Mitzvah two years down the road, my grandfather who was in his 60s at the time and had no interest in pop music, particularly a group as funky as Parliament, loved this song. That was because of the Jewish chant. He's been dead for 13 years but everytime I hear this song, I think of him.

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