The 10 Best Funk Soul Music Songs of All Time

We all know that feeling when a certain song comes on and we can’t help but get up and groove. That’s the power of funk and soul music. It’s catchy, it’s fun, and it always gets us moving.

So, what are the best funk and soul songs of all time? We’ve compiled a list of the 10 absolute classics that you need to have in your collection. From James Brown to Marvin Gaye, these are the tunes that will get you

Introduction

Funk soul is a subgenre of soul music that combines elements of funk and soul. Soul music became popular in the 1960s, and funk soon followed. Funk soul is a blend of the two genres that emerged in the 1970s. The best funk songs have a hypnotic groove that will make you want to get up and dance.

Here are 10 of the best funk songs of all time:

1. “Super Freak” by Rick James
2. “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
3. ” dancers.” George Clinton’s song has been sampled by many artists, including Missy Elliott, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West.
7. ” Jungle Love” The Time
8. ” Ladies Night” by Kool & The Gang
9. ” Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” Parliament Funkadelic
10. Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)” by Betty Wright

“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder

There are many great funk soul songs out there, but “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder is definitely one of the best. The song was released in 1972 and has been a favorite of funk and soul fans ever since. The song is about a superstitious woman who is afraid of everything, but it also has a great groove that will make you want to dance.

“Can’t Get Next to You” by The Temptations

While they are often overshadowed by their Motown contemporaries, the Temptations were one of the greatest and most influential vocal groups of all time. “Can’t Get Next to You” is a perfect example of their timeless sound, and is often cited as one of the best funk songs ever recorded.

The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and was originally released in 1969 on the group’s album “Cloud Nine.” It was later released as a single, and became a huge hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song features a simple, yet effective funk groove that is anchored by a catchy bassline. The vocals are outstanding, as each member of the group takes turns singing lead. The result is a fun and soulful track that remains timeless after all these years.

“I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5

“I Want You Back” is a song by The Jackson 5, released as a single in 1969. It was the first track on their debut album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. Written by the group’s Motown producers, The Corporation (a Willie Hutch-led songwriting team which also included Alphonzo Mizell, Berry Gordy and Freddie Perren), “I Want You Back” was the J5’s first number-one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart and the Cash Box Rhythm and Blues chart. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed “I Want You Back” at number 74 on their list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations

“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” is a song recorded by the Temptations for Motown Records’ Gordy label in 1972. The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1972, spending seven weeks atop the chart in early 1973. It peaked at number one on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart in February 1973. It was one of six number-one singles for the Temptations on the Hot 100 chart; it was their sixth and final such hit as a quintet featuring original members Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams, both of whom left the group before its release as a single, although they are included during the end of its promotional video. By , “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies in the United States.

With Whitfield’s production, it also marked one of his first departures from using an orchestra as accompaniment for the Temptations; instead he used studio musicians from Motown’s “Funk Brothers” stable including James Jamerson on bass, Earl Van Dyke on keyboards, Jack Ashford on percussion, and Bob Babbitt on drums—and with string and horn overdubs to give it a fuller sound.

“What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye

“What’s Going On” is a song by American singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye, released in 1971 on the Motown label. The song is credited as being written by Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Al Cleveland and Gaye himself. This marked the first socially conscious work by Motown’s main producing team of Holland–Dozier–Holland after their profanity-laced composition “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5; it has been claimed that the group was inspired to write a more thoughtful piece by an officer during the Detroit riots of 1967. The lyrics deal with injustice, poverty and police brutality.

The song was recorded in March 1970, which makes it one of the earliest recordings by Gaye during his “What’s Going On” period. The song was fully conceived while on tour with Four Tops in Cleveland, Ohio. Songwriter Obie Benson was brought in to further develop the concept and lyrics after hearing a rough version of the song that Gaye had composed. Benson came up with the opening line “Mother, mother”, inspired by his own mother’s frequent inquiries about what he had been doing with his life; this led Marvin to take a more personal approach to writing the remainder of the song himself, which resulted in one of his most personal compositions. The finished product was recorded at Hitsville USA on March 16–17, 1970 and tryouts were made on March 18 for Motown CEO Berry Gordy and other label executives who were impressed with its socially conscious lyrics particularly addressing police brutality during inner city riots earlier that year in several major U.S cities including New York City and Chicago as well as Marvin’s own Detroit which saw several deaths including those of several children

“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers

“Ain’t No Sunshine” is a song by singer-songwriter Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just As I Am. The song was produced by Booker T. Jones, and features saxophone player Lew Tabackin and SteveCropper on guitar. The song is notable for its opening drum break, which was performed by Bernard Purdie.

The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1971, and topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aaron Neville, and Sheryl Crow.

“I’ll Take You There” by The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul and R&B group who rose to prominence in the early 1970s with their hit songs “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There”. The group, led by family patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples on guitar and including his children Cleotha, Mavis, Pervis and Yvonne, became an influential part of the Black Power movement with their socially conscious lyrics. The Staple Singers signed to Epic Records in 1972 and released a series of hits including “This World”, “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)” and their signature song “I’ll Take You There”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

“Lean on Me” by Bill Withers

“Lean on Me” is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the first single from his second album, Still Bill. It was produced by Booker T. Jones and written by Withers. The song has been covered by many artists, including Michael Jackson, who made it a number-one hit in 1989, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

“Respect” by Aretha Franklin

The song Respect was released by Aretha Franklin in 1967. The song quickly became a hit and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is a standard in the R&B, soul, and pop genres, and has been covered by many artists. “Respect” is considered one of the greatest songs of all time.