Peak
1
Weeks
23
Score
4,611
Chart Year
1980
"Funkytown" has at least two music videos. In one, a black singer mimes the vocals and some women dance in a pub. In another video, Debbie Jenner, who fronted the band in the Netherlands and West Germany, dances while miming the vocals.[9] Johnson says on her website that she "was never asked to perform a video of 'Funkytown'"
The "Funkytown" is New York City. A songwriter and producer named Steven Greenburg wrote the song when he became bored with Minneapolis and wanted to move to New York, which he called "Funkytown." Lipps Inc. (pronounced "Lip Synch") was formed especially for this song. The vocals were by Cynthia Johnson, who was Miss Black Minnesota 1976. The group continued to record until 1985 with a changing lineup, but they failed to see the success they'd had with their first hit. Steven Greenburg became A&R Vice President for Mercury Records, signing Hanson, among other acts. Later he headed the S-Curve Records label, signing the Baha Men and Joss Stone. The Australian pop group Pseudo Echo had a #1 hit in Australia and a Top 10 hit in both the US and UK with their rockier version of this song in 1986. Earlier that year, they made their debut on the US charts at #57 with "Living in a Dream." Their success in the States was short-lived, but the group did continue to impress in other corners of the world. They won the top prize of $10,000 at the 18th World Popular Song Festival (aka Yamaha Music Festival) in Tokyo for their performance of "Take on the World." This song has been used in a number of TV series, including: Everybody Loves Raymond (High School - 1997) Will & Grace (Will Works Out - 1999) Malcolm in the Middle (Rollerskates - 2000) Futurama (Amazon Women in the Mood - 2001) Friends (The One Where the Stripper Cries - 2004) Parenthood (Left Field - 2012) Gotham (Penguin's Umbrella - 2014) It has also featured in these movies: History of the World: Part I (1981) North Shore (1987 - Pseudo Echo version) Selena (1997) Shrek 2 (2004) The Dictator (2012) A cover by Alvin and the Chipmunks returned this song to the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2008, reaching #86. The Chipmunks version featured in the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks. St. Vincent released a cover for the soundtrack of the 2022 animated family movie Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me A town to keep me movin' keep me groovin' with some energy Well I talk about it talk about it talk about it talk about it Well I talk about talk abou talk about movin' Gotta move on Gotta move on Gotta move on Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town [D.C. al fine a.k.a.... Start Over] Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town Won't you take me to funky town I want to go to funky town now I want to go to funky town now I want to go to funky town now I want to go to funky town now
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 29, 1980 | 89 | 37 |
| 2 | Apr 5, 1980 | 79 | 47 |
| 3 | Apr 12, 1980 | 61 | 65 |
| 4 | Apr 19, 1980 | 37 | 89 |
| 5 | Apr 26, 1980 | 29 | 97 |
| 6 | May 3, 1980 | 24 | 102 |
| 7 | May 10, 1980 | 19 | 107 |
| 8 | May 17, 1980 | 4 | 122 |
| 9 | May 24, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 10 | May 31, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 11 | Jun 7, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 12 | Jun 14, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 13 | Jun 21, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 14 | Jun 28, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 15 | Jul 5, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 16 | Jul 12, 1980 | 7 | 119 |
| 17 | Jul 19, 1980 | 20 | 106 |
| 18 | Jul 26, 1980 | 39 | 87 |
| 19 | Aug 2, 1980 | 45 | 81 |
| 20 | Aug 9, 1980 | 59 | 67 |