Editing Funk (section)

===Vocals and lyrics===
In the 1970s, funk used many of the same vocal styles that were used in African-American music in the 1960s, including singing influences from blues, gospel, jazz and doo-wop.<ref name="autogenerated53"/> Like these other African-American styles, funk used "[y]ells, shouts, hollers, moans, humming, and melodic riffs", along with styles such as [[Call and response (music)|call and response]] and narration of stories (like the African oral tradition approach).<ref>Lacy, Travis K., "Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 48</ref> The call and response in funk can be between the lead singer and the band members who act as [[backup vocal]]ists.<ref name="autogenerated75">Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 75</ref>

As funk emerged from soul, the vocals in funk share soul's approach; however, funk vocals tend to be "more punctuated, energetic, rhythmically percussive[,] and less embellished" with ornaments, and the vocal lines tend to resemble horn parts and have "pushed" rhythms.<ref>Harrison, Scott D.; O'Bryan, Jessica. ''Teaching Singing in the 21st Century''. Springer, May 14, 2014. p. 49</ref> Funk bands such as [[Earth, Wind & Fire]] have [[harmony vocal]] parts.<ref name=Himes/> Songs like "[[Super Bad (song)|Super Bad]]" by James Brown included "double-voice" along with "yells, shouts and screams".<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 21</ref> Funk singers used a "black aesthetic" to perform that made use of "colorful and lively exchange of gestures, facial expressions, body posture, and vocal phrases" to create an engaging performance.<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 65</ref>
[[File:Charlie Wilson-photo-by-raymond-boyd.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Singer [[Charlie Wilson (singer)|Charlie Wilson]]]]
The lyrics in funk music addressed issues faced by the African American community in the United States during the 1970s, which arose due to the move away from an industrial, working-class economy to an information economy, which harmed the Black working class.<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for
AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 5</ref> Funk songs by The Ohio Players, Earth, Wind & Fire, and James Brown raised issues faced by lower-income Blacks in their song lyrics, such as poor "economic conditions and themes of poor inner-city life in the black communities".<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for
AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 6</ref>

The Funkadelic song "[[One Nation Under A Groove]]" (1978) is about the challenges that Blacks overcame during the 1960s civil rights movement, and it includes an exhortation for Blacks in the 1970s to capitalize on the new "social and political opportunities" that had become available in the 1970s.<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 26</ref> The [[Isley Brothers]] song "Fight the Power" (1975) has a political message.<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 57</ref> Parliament's song "Chocolate City" (1975) metaphorically refers to Washington, D.C., and other US cities that have a mainly Black population, and it draws attention to the potential power that Black voters wield and suggests that a Black President be considered in the future.<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 29</ref>

The political themes of funk songs and the aiming of the messages to a Black audience echoed the new image of Blacks that was created in [[Blaxploitation]] films, which depicted "African-American men and women standing their ground and fighting for what was right".<ref name="autogenerated36">Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 36</ref> Both funk and Blaxploitation films addressed issues faced by Blacks and told stories from a Black perspective.<ref name="autogenerated36"/> Another link between 1970s funk and Blaxploitation films is that many of these films used funk soundtracks (e.g., [[Curtis Mayfield]] for ''[[Super Fly (1972 film)|Superfly]]''; James Brown and Fred Wesley for ''[[Black Caesar (film)|Black Caesar]]'' and [[War (American band)|War]] for ''[[Youngblood (1978 film)|Youngblood]]'').<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. pp. 55–56</ref>

Funk songs included metaphorical language that was understood best by listeners who were "familiar with the black aesthetic and [black] vernacular".<ref name="autogenerated66">Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 66</ref> For example, funk songs included expressions such as "shake your money maker", "funk yourself right out" and "move your boogie body".<ref>Lacy, Travis K., ""Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 72</ref> Another example is the use of "bad" in the song "Super Bad" (1970), which black listeners knew meant "good" or "great".<ref name="autogenerated75"/>

In the 1970s, to get around radio obscenity restrictions, funk artists would use words that sounded like non-allowed words and [[double entendre]]s to get around these restrictions.<ref name="citypages1">{{cite web |url=http://www.citypages.com/music/funks-five-most-ridiculous-lyrics-6629603 |title=Funk's five most ridiculous lyrics |publisher=City Pages |access-date=20 April 2019 }}</ref> For example, [[The Ohio Players]] had a song entitled "Fopp" which referred to "Fopp me right, don't you fopp me wrong/We'll be foppin' all night long...".<ref name="citypages1"/> Some funk songs used made-up words which suggested that they were "writing lyrics in a constant haze of marijuana smoke", such as Parliament's "[[Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)]]", which includes words such as "bioaquadoloop".<ref name="citypages1" /> The mainstream white listener base was often not able to understand funk's lyrical messages, which contributed to funk's lack of popular music chart success with white audiences during the 1970s.<ref>Lacy, Travis K., "Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s" (2008). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Paper 22. p. 56-57</ref>