"Funk #49" is a song written by

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

, Jim Fox, and Dale Peters, and recorded by American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

band

James Gang James Gang was an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass) a ...

. The song featured as the first single off the group's second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

James Gang Rides Again ''James Gang Rides Again'' (alternatively known as simply ''Rides Again'') is the second studio album by American rock band James Gang. The album was released on the label ABC Records. It is the James Gang's first album to feature bassist Dale Pe ...

'' (1970). The song was a moderate success upon release, peaking at #59 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.James Gang Funk # 49 Chart History , Billboard
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Composition

"Funk #49" is 3:54 in length, though it only has two verses. Much of the song is instrumental, drawing from

's guitar, Dale Peters' bass work, and Jim Fox's

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

ming. The lyrics focus on a wild girlfriend the singer cannot tame. Most of the song is a vehicle for Walsh's guitar performance. The song got its title as a sequel to "Funk #48", a song from ''

Yer' Album ''Yer' Album'' is the debut studio album by American rock band James Gang. The album was released in early 1969 on the Bluesway label. This is the James Gang's only album to feature their bassist Tom Kriss. He was replaced by Dale Peters for thei ...

'', their debut studio album. Walsh explained the writing of the song, "I came up with the basic guitar lick, and the words never really impressed me intellectually, but they seemed to fit somehow. It was a real good example of how we put things together, bearing in mind that it was a three piece group, and I don't think that there was any overdubbing. The only thing we really added was the percussion middle part, which the three of us actually played, putting some parts on top of the drums, but that's the three piece James Gang, and that's the energy and kind of the symmetry we were all about." Walsh would later record a "Funk #50", which was included on his eleventh and latest solo studio album, '' Analog Man'' (2012).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Funk 49 Songs written by Joe Walsh 1971 singles 1970 songs ABC Records singles James Gang songs