"Do Ya Wanna Funk" is a 1982
dance song recorded by American recording artists
Sylvester and
Patrick Cowley. It was produced by Cowley, who incidentally died the same year. The song was mostly successful in Europe, especially in Belgium, Finland and Norway, where it became a top-10 hit. It also reached the top 20 in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and made it to the top 30 in West Germany and Australia, and the top 40 in the United Kingdom.
The song was inspired by "I'm Your Jeanie", a single by
Jeanie Tracy
Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as a background singer of Sylvester, an American disco singer. Her first album, '' Me and You'' (1982), featured post-disco hits "I'm ...
, who was a background vocalist for Sylvester. It was also featured in the film ''Trading Places'' (1983). In 2022, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' ranked "Do Ya Wanna Funk" number 179 in their list of ''200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time''.
Track listing
* 12", US'
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" - ''6:47''
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" (instrumental) - ''6:47''
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" (radio version) - ''3:29''
* 12", UK
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" - ''6:47''
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" (instrumental) - ''6:47''
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" (radio version) - ''3:29''
* 12", Lebanon
# "Do Ya Wanna Funk" - ''5:30'' remixed By Dj petro 1994
Charts
Personnel
*Sylvester - voices
*Patrick Cowley - synthesizers and sequencer
*James Wirrick - synthesizers and drum machine
Appearances in film
The song is heard throughout the entire scene where Billy Ray Valentine hosts a party in ''
Trading Places
''Trading Places'' is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis, with a screenplay by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the ...
'', a comedy movie starring
Eddie Murphy as Billy Ray Valentine and
Dan Aykroyd as Louis Winthorp III.
The song also appears in the
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
AIDS drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
''
Longtime Companion
''Longtime Companion'' is a 1989 American romantic drama film directed by Norman René and starring Bruce Davison, Campbell Scott, Patrick Cassidy, and Mary-Louise Parker. The first wide-release theatrical film to deal with the subject of AIDS, ...
'', as well as the 2001 TV miniseries ''
Further Tales of the City'', and in both cases its use is an
anachronism, being heard in scenes set a year before the song was even released. The song was also featured in the 1984 Oscar-winning documentary ''
The Times of Harvey Milk
''The Times of Harvey Milk'' is a 1984 American documentary film that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and then on November 1, 1984, at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. The film was directed by Rob Epstein, ...
''. The song is covered by
Sandra Bernhard in the 1990 film version of her stage show, ''
Without You I'm Nothing''. It is also featured in the 2021 Channel 4 TV series “It’s a Sin” during a club scene whilst Richie explains the various theories around the origins of HIV.
References
{{authority control
1982 singles
Sylvester (singer) songs
Songs written by Patrick Cowley
London Records singles
1982 songs