Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)

Album: Motor Booty Affair (1978)
Charted: 89
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Songfacts®:

  • This was written by Parliament frontman George Clinton, along with bassist Bootsy Collins and keyboardist Bernie Worrell. The "psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop" chant that makes up most of the chorus was Clinton's attempt to create his own "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," as heard in Mary Poppins.
  • Many listeners thought that this song was about having a party or dancing under water. It isn't. The water imagery is a metaphor for how people had to bend and jump through hoops to deal with life in America at the time.

    Pay attention to the line, "With the rhythm it takes to dance to what we have to live through, you can dance under water and not get wet!" If you listen, you'll hear a "fish" saying, "It's deep!" in the background. They also change up the chorus to say, "Starring most of you loops," saying this life is like a movie and you're starring in it. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Simon - Atlanta, GA
  • Asked during a Reddit AMA to explain the 'dooloop' part of the song title, George Clinton replied: "Dooloop is that looping of the concept around and around jumping in and out of water. You can't swim but you do it again over and over again."
  • Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha
    I am Sir Nose Devoid Of Funk
    I can't swim
    I never could swim
    I never will swim
    Oh, put me down


    Asked how Sir Nose feels about water nowadays, Clinton replied: "Sir Nose don't have no sense in his brain. Its snot logical. The membranes in your nose don't have any sense. So he keeps jumping in the water not realizing that he can't swim til he's in there."
  • With their famous Mothership, P-Funk used a space motif on tours from 1975-1978. For Motor Booty Affair, the theme was water, with George Clinton starting the show as Mr. Wiggles The Worm. The visual water effects, with lots of flowing cellophane, were a lot less striking than the spaceship. The band found that creating an underwater universe on stage was quite a challenge.
  • When Jason Momoa, star of the film Aquaman, hosted Saturday Night Live in 2018, the cast suggested he use "Aqua Boogie" as the movie's theme song. Momoa pointed out that in the song, Sir Nose can't swim, but he eventually comes around to the idea and sings along.

Comments: 2

  • AnonymousSome whites people must’ve interpreted the lyrics. Y’all got a lot of them wrong. SMH
  • Bill from UsAnyone here see George Clinton live remember what Sir Nose's snout really was?
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