Get the Funk Out of My Head
News-cycle funk as depression: NYT apocalypse in 4K, no mental health days for hourly workers: and the relationship split where you want to go out while I stay in, anything for you anyway.
Listen: Spotify·Apple Music
ISRC QZES82288270 (soundexchange)
Track twenty-two on KŌAN, LP-only (fourth movement with September, 1101, 4:20 pm, Miss Disinformation, to everyone who had a good pandemic). Not on the KŌAN A/B/C chapters. Luke solo. The drums come from a cleared Clyde Stubblefield sample pack, James Brown’s Funky Drummer lineage made literal, while the lyric uses funk to mean the bad thought stuck on loop.
The chorus is obligation pop: depression as an earworm (do what I got to do / for me to get through) that you serve someone else through anyway. The verse is couple mismatch after lockdown, you want to go out / I want to stay in, social energy against collapse, the same tension as Creature Comfort in relationship pronouns.
Two bridges supply the funk. One is notification dread, the good morning ruined by a New York Times notification and getting kind of used to apocalyptic situations, living through history / shot in 4k, the same media vertigo as I See the Moment on Big Hug. The other is wage-labor mental health: hourly employees like me don’t get mental health days, so buy more coffee / it helps with anxiety. No HR, just caffeine. The outro doubles down down down and lets the funk win the last bar. Pairs with No Worries, Yes Worries (title-track anxiety flip) and the KŌAN C internet cluster.
Written, performed, and mixed by Luke Francis Walton. Mastered by Riley Knapp. Drums: Clyde Stubblefield sample pack (cleared).
Lyrics
Got to get the funk out of my head Do what I got to do For me to get through Anything for you I got to get the funk out of my head Might be hard to do But we will make it through Do it all for you Yeah, you want to go out And I want to stay in again And you want to get down And I don't want to stay up again Yeah, the funk got me Down down down down down down down I wake up I think today Is gonna be a good day But then I get a New York Times notification Getting kind of used to Apocalyptic situations Every day another Breaking news saturation Why do we got to be Living through history Shot in 4k Another bad day Got to get the funk out of my head Do what I got to do For me to get through Anything for you I got to get the funk out of my head Might be hard to do But we will make it through Do it all for you Yeah, you want to go out And I want to stay in again And you want to get down And I don't want to stay up again Yeah, the funk got me Down down down down down down down I need to lay down I think today Is probably gonna end me But hourly employees Like me they Don't get mental health days No way If you wanna get paid Then shake it off Buy more coffee It helps with anxiety Got to get the funk out of my head Do what I got to do For me to get through Anything for you I got to get the funk out of my head Might be hard to do But we will make it through Do it all for you Yeah, you want to go out And I want to stay in again And you want to get down And I don't want to stay up again Yeah, the funk got me Down down down down down down down Down down down down down down down