Funkytown

"Funkytown" is a song by American disco act Lipps Inc. from their debut album "Mouth to Mouth" (1979). It was released as the album's lead single in 1980. It has also been heard in DreamWorks's 2004 hit sequel "Shrek 2".
"Funkytown" reached the top spot in the United States, West Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia, among many others.
Background and composition.
Written by musician, composer, and record producer Steven Greenberg and sung by Cynthia Johnson, the song expresses the singer's pining for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keep me groovin' with some energy". Steven wrote the song while the band was living in Minneapolis with dreams of moving to New York.
Music videos.
At least two music videos exist for "Funkytown". In one, a black singer miming Johnson's vocals and some women dance in a pub. In another, Debbie Jenner, who served as the face of Lipps Inc. in the Netherlands and West Germany, dances while miming Johnson's vocals. Johnson says on her website she "was never asked to perform a video of 'Funkytown.'"
Chart performance.
"Funkytown" entered the US "Billboard" Hot 100 on March 29, 1980 and spent four weeks at number one, from May 31 to June 21, 1980. It also hit the number one spot on the disco chart in 1980. It also reached no. 2 in the United Kingdom, and Sweden, as well as on the U.S. soul chart. The song was Lipps Inc's only American Top 40 hit.
Impact and legacy.
VH1 ranked the song at number 36 in their list of the "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s" in 2009.
"Time Out" listed the song number 44 in their list of "The 100 best party songs" in 2018, adding:
(…) 'Funkytown' expresses a simple, repetitive yearning for the pulse of a bigger city, goosed by a killer ten-note synth riff. 'Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me,' sings Cynthia Johnson in a robotic, vocoderized voice (a precursor to the Auto-Tune sound) before busting out an unmodified, soulful wail, pleading for a trip to the party destination of her dreams. Released in 1980, 'Funkytown' came late to the disco party, but gave it a jolt of electricity.
"ThoughtCo" placed the song at number 7 in their list of "25 Best Dance Pop Songs of All Time" in 2018.
Track listings.
7" single
12" single
Pseudo Echo version.
In 1986, "Funkytown" was covered by Australian band Pseudo Echo as a rock song, which included a guitar solo in the middle. Pseudo Echo's version reached no. 6 on the US Hot 100 chart and spent seven weeks at no. 1 in Australia. Mirroring Lipps Inc's experience, Pseudo Echo's version was that group's only US Top 40 hit.
Track listings.
7" single (EMI 1883)
12" / Maxi (ED 237) / (RCA 5217-7)