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Origins Of The Word Funky

RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
edited June 2006 in Strut Central
Came across an LP yesterday on Imperial from 1958 titled "Funky Piano Of New Orleans" and got to thinking when was this term was first used and what did it originally mean??I've always thought of it as a 60's term?

  Comments

  • motown67motown67 4,513 Posts
    I think it was applied to music far earlier than the 1960s by Blues musicians.
  • Dabney_SoulmanDabney_Soulman 890 Posts
    I remember some publication that came out in the mid-90's tracing the meaning of certain words in hip-hop & black american music.

    Funky came from a western african language (I forget which) the original word was something like defunki which meant odor. funk then came to be associated with getting down and dirty and then somehow evolved into its current meaning. I'm @ work now, I'll do more research once I get back home.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    1902 - Funky Butt
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    What they said. Old African word. Means smelly. Used to describe music that makes you sweat.

    MMMMMMMMmmm MMMMmm
    HmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmmm
    Daaaaaiiiiaaaaaaaaa-
    aaAAHHHAAAAAh

    Hiii hiii HuH! Hiiiii!!!!!
    Hyeien!! Hyuiieh hi HIGH!

    OOH!


    Ooo uh OW!

    TOO FUNKY IN HE'E!!!
    ow!
    GIMME SOME AIR!

    too-wooooooo funky in he'e!
    gimme some AAAAAAAAIR!!
    open up the WINDOW, MAN!

    TOO FUN-KAY!




    toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun-kay



    .....in he'e!



    Hwahh!!!
    GIMME SOME AIR!
    it too funky in he'e!
    Gimme some Air!
    oo woo WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO woo
    too FUN-KAY, OW!
    gimme some AIR... ow, nyow!




    Bass needs... a little wat'rin' down.
    a-hoo HAH!
    Guitar could use... a little cool-uh sound-hyuh!
    uh!
    I need a little air-fresh'ne'... under the drums-uh!
    Open up the window, y'all!
    Let out some!
    too funky in he'e!
    WOOW!!
    Say it again!
    Whajoo say?!
    WATCHOO!
    watcha-watcha-watcha!
    Wooow!!!
    gimme some ai'!




    Geeya dah-ya maaain ain't leavin' no slack-uh! ha!
    Horns ain't holdin'... nothin' back!
    OOo, UH!
    Whole band knows that they gittin' down!
    The air's polluted with a fun-kay, fun-kay sound,
    now say it a-gaiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!
    Whoooooooooaaaaaoeoeoeoeooooeoooooeeeeoooeee!

    OOdl-uh HYUH! HA!

    Bleeg-kay DEEK, Bleeg-KAY DEEK!
    Say it AGAIN!
    Can't tell ya!
    Open tha doo' HA!
    Gimme some!
    OOH!



    In the BRIDGE, y'all!

    Hooow, wow wow!



    Guitar man!! Put it in yo' funky hand
    and PLAY!
    Gettin' down tha's right!
    My name James Brown is gyown!
    uh!
    too fun-kay!
    too fun-kay in he'e!
    SAAAAAAAAY it!
    Gimme some air!
  • JustAliceJustAlice 1,308 Posts

    It was my understanding that the word Funk is actually derived from the German language. I cant remember off the top of my head, but I think the meaning had something to do with a kind of dance or way to describe music. Any german strutters that can help me out on this?

    I will check my resources and see if I can come back with something more solid. If anything perhaps it is a little bit of both?? I dunno, I just read somewhere that the word Funk and Funky were infact used to describe the smell of Sex way back in the day. But with so many languages and dialects it wouldnt be suprising if there were german and african words that were similar in sound and different in meaning.
  • Dabney_SoulmanDabney_Soulman 890 Posts
    http://www.feedback.nildram.co.uk/richardebbs/essays/loanword.htm

    Funky[/b] (West African Ki-Kongo) good, rhythmic music -originally 'lu-fuki' meaning 'positive sweat' and used by the Bakongo people of West Africa to convey praise for the integrity of an artist.
  • MondeyanoMondeyano Reykjavik 863 Posts
    from etymonline.com

    funk (1)[/b]
    "depression, ill-humor," 1743, probably originally Scottish and northern English, earlier as a verb, "panic, fail through panic," (1737), said to be 17c. Oxford University slang, perhaps from Flem. fonck "perturbation, agitation, distress," possibly related to O.Fr. funicle "wild, mad."

    funk (2)[/b]
    "bad smell," 1623, from dial. Fr. funki??re "smoke," from O.Fr. fungier "give off smoke," from L. fumigare "to smoke." In reference to a style of music, it is first attested 1959, a back formation of funky. Funky was originally "old, musty" (1784), in reference to cheeses, then "repulsive," but began to develop an approving sense in jazz slang c.1900, probably on the notion of "earthy, strong, deeply felt." Funky also was used early 20c. by white writers in ref. to body odor allegedly peculiar to blacks. The word reached wider popularity c.1954 (e.g. definition in "Time" magazine, Nov. 8, 1954) and in the 1960s acquired a broad slang sense of "fine, stylish, excellent."
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    funk (2)
    "bad smell," 1623, from dial. Fr. funki??re "smoke," from O.Fr. fungier "give off smoke," from L. fumigare "to smoke." In reference to a style of music, it is first attested 1959, a back formation of funky. Funky was originally "old, musty" (1784), in reference to cheeses, then "repulsive," but began to develop an approving sense in jazz slang c.1900, probably on the notion of "earthy, strong, deeply felt." Funky also was used early 20c. by white writers in ref. to body odor allegedly peculiar to blacks. The word reached wider popularity c.1954 (e.g. definition in "Time" magazine, Nov. 8, 1954) and in the 1960s acquired a broad slang sense of "fine, stylish, excellent."


    There are so many things untrue or just sad about this
    definition that it is almost laughable.

    In other words, GTFOOHWTB.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    from etymonline.com

    funk (1)[/b]
    "depression, ill-humor," 1743, probably originally Scottish and northern English, earlier as a verb, "panic, fail through panic," (1737), said to be 17c. Oxford University slang, perhaps from Flem. fonck "perturbation, agitation, distress," possibly related to O.Fr. funicle "wild, mad."

    funk (2)[/b]
    "bad smell," 1623, from dial. Fr. funki??re "smoke," from O.Fr. fungier "give off smoke," from L. fumigare "to smoke." In reference to a style of music, it is first attested 1959, a back formation of funky. Funky was originally "old, musty" (1784), in reference to cheeses, then "repulsive," but began to develop an approving sense in jazz slang c.1900, probably on the notion of "earthy, strong, deeply felt." Funky also was used early 20c. by white writers in ref. to body odor allegedly peculiar to blacks. The word reached wider popularity c.1954 (e.g. definition in "Time" magazine, Nov. 8, 1954) and in the 1960s acquired a broad slang sense of "fine, stylish, excellent."



    I thought a '58 reference in music was pretty early.....but as Motown points out, it was probably used by blues musicians in relation to "down and dirty" or "funky" blues earlier.....by the time something makes it to the mainstream ala Imperial Records, it's been going on in the streets months/years earlier..

    Thanks for the info!
  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts

    It was my understanding that the word Funk is actually derived from the German language. I cant remember off the top of my head, but I think the meaning had something to do with a kind of dance or way to describe music. Any german strutters that can help me out on this?

    There is the German word "Funk" (which means radio communication in the technical sense) and that derives from the German "Funke" (which means spark). However, it has nothing to do with "funk" in the music context as far as I know.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    funk (2)
    "bad smell," 1623, from dial. Fr. funki??re "smoke," from O.Fr. fungier "give off smoke," from L. fumigare "to smoke." In reference to a style of music, it is first attested 1959, a back formation of funky. Funky was originally "old, musty" (1784), in reference to cheeses, then "repulsive," but began to develop an approving sense in jazz slang c.1900, probably on the notion of "earthy, strong, deeply felt." Funky also was used early 20c. by white writers in ref. to body odor allegedly peculiar to blacks. The word reached wider popularity c.1954 (e.g. definition in "Time" magazine, Nov. 8, 1954) and in the 1960s acquired a broad slang sense of "fine, stylish, excellent."


    There are so many things untrue or just sad about this
    definition that it is almost laughable.

    In other words, GTFOOHWTB.

    Heh, well the first part is more or less right and although the usage is correct not sure about the provenance they give it - I once worked on a French-English dictionary and had to translate funk and until the later 20th century funk was generally held to mean a bad mood, a depression or a bad smell. You can still use it like that. Not sure where the rest of that bullshit comes from.
  • noznoz 3,625 Posts
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts

    If ever a clip begged to be made into graemlins...........

    Disco Mac is the dude.
  • Danno3000Danno3000 2,851 Posts
    <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value=""></param><embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

    If ever a clip begged to be made into graemlins...........

    Disco Mac is the dude.

    Funky funky funky funky GROOVIN!
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    I thought a '58 reference in music (to funk)[/b]was pretty early.....but as Motown points out, it was probably used by blues musicians in relation to "down and dirty" or "funky" blues earlier.....by the time something makes it to the mainstream ala Imperial Records, it's been going on in the streets months/years earlier..

    Even though Imperial was releasing million-sellers by Fats Domino back then, in 1958 they were hardly "mainstream."
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    I thought a '58 reference in music (to funk)[/b]was pretty early.....but as Motown points out, it was probably used by blues musicians in relation to "down and dirty" or "funky" blues earlier.....by the time something makes it to the mainstream ala Imperial Records, it's been going on in the streets months/years earlier..

    Even though Imperial was releasing million-sellers by Fats Domino back then, in 1958 they were hardly "mainstream."

    Totally disagree...they released tons of Dinner Jazz, Big Band and Slim Whitman was their #1 Country act. Imperial was a MAJOR label and was just a hair less mainstream than Mitch Miller's Columbia label.....especially on the LP front.
  • funky16cornersfunky16corners 7,175 Posts
    I thought a '58 reference in music (to funk)[/b]was pretty early.....but as Motown points out, it was probably used by blues musicians in relation to "down and dirty" or "funky" blues earlier.....by the time something makes it to the mainstream ala Imperial Records, it's been going on in the streets months/years earlier..

    Even though Imperial was releasing million-sellers by Fats Domino back then, in 1958 they were hardly "mainstream."

    Totally disagree...they released tons of Dinner Jazz, Big Band and Slim Whitman was their #1 Country act. Imperial was a MAJOR label and was just a hair less mainstream than Mitch Miller's Columbia label.....especially on the LP front.


    Don't forget this guy...




    ...also selling millions for Imperial
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