Released 12 January 1976 Genre Hard rock Label MCA (US)
DJM (UK) | Recorded June-July 1975 Length 4:45 | |
B-side "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" | ||
"Grow Some Funk of Your Own" is a song by Elton John. It was released as a single in 1976 and comes from his album Rock of the Westies. It shared its A-side status with "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)". The song is considered to be one of John's heavier rock songs. The song went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, but in Britain broke a five-year run of successful singles by failing to reach the Top 50 despite extensive radio play. Although the singles chart listed only "Funk" and not "Bullet", the latter song was given equal billing in later Billboard singles chart books.
Contents
Music
This is one of Elton's hard rock songs in the tradition of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", "All the Girls Love Alice" and "The Bitch Is Back". It also appeared on Greatest Hits Volume II in 1977. Like the aforementioned songs, it is riff-driven and features a prevalent guitar lick throughout, in the same manner as "Love Lies Bleeding". Guitarist Davey Johnstone is credited as a co-writer.
Synopsis
The song is about a guy who wakes up after a bad dream entailing an episode set in Mexico, where the protagonist (presumably either John or Taupin) falls for a young lady in a small town but is dismissed by her boyfriend, telling him to return to where he came from (hence the lyric, "Take my advice/take the next flight/and grow your funk/grow your funk at home").