Funk was an R&B sub-genre which emerged in African-American communities in the 1960s and became especially popular in the 1970s. The music was marked by an emphasis on strong, rhythmic grooves supported by bass and drum. It was instrumental in the development of the even more dance-oriented disco music of the 1970s.
19 lists were aggregated to create this list. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.
1. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
2. Parliament “Flashlight” (1977)
3. Funkadelic “One Nation Under a Groove” (1978)
4. Parliament “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)” (1975)
5. Rick James “Super Freak” (1981)
6. Sly & the Family Stone “Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Again” (1969)
7. Zapp “More Bounce to the Ounce” (1980)
8. Kool & the Gang “Jungle Boogie” (1973)
9. Average White Band “Pick Up the Pieces” (1974)
10. George Clinton “Atomic Dog” (1982)
11. The Commodores “Brick House” (1977)
12. Earth, Wind & Fire “Shining Star” (1975)
13. Herbie Hancock “Chameleon” (1973)
14. Curtis Mayfield “Superfly” (1972)
15. Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music” (1976)
16. Marvin Gaye “Got to Give It Up” (1977)
17. Kool & the Gang “Get Down on It” (1982)
18. The Isley Brothers “It’s Your Thing” (1969)
19. War “Low Rider” (1975)
20. The Gap Band “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” (1982)
21. James Brown “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine)” (1970)
22. Funkadelic “Not Just Knee Deep” (1979)
23. Ohio Players “Fire” (1974)
24. Cameo “Word Up!” (1986)
25. The Staple Singers “I’ll Take You There” (1972)
26. Stevie Wonder “Higher Ground” (1973)
27. James Brown “The Payback” (1974)
28. Aretha Franklin “Rock Steady” (1971)
29. Brick “Dazz” (1976)
30. Slave “Slide” (1977)
31. The Brothers Johnson “Get the Funk Out of Ma Face” (1976)
32. Dazz Band “Let It Whip” (1982)
33. James Brown “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)
34. Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979)
35. Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (1980)
36. The Meters “Cissy Strut” (1969)
37. Rufus with Chaka Khan “Tell Me Something Good” (1974)
38. Stevie Wonder “Living for the City” (1973)
39. Jean Knight “Mr. Big Stuff” (1971)
40. Rose Royce “Car Wash” (1976)
41. James Brown “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1968)
42. Ohio Players “Love Rollercoaster” (1975)
43. Kool & the Gang “Funky Stuff” (1973)
44. The Temptations “Cloud Nine” (1968)
45. Rick James “Give It to Me Baby” (1981)
46. Isaac Hayes “Theme from Shaft” (1971)
47. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
48. Prince “Kiss’ (1986)
49. James Brown “Get Up Offa That Thing” (1976)
50. James Brown “Cold Sweat” (1967)
51. Edwin Starr “War” (1970)
52. Sly & the Family Stone “Dance to the Music” (1968)
53. The Isley Brothers “That Lady’ (1973)
54. Mtume “Juicy Fruit” (1982)
55. Prince “Little Red Corvette” (1983)
56. Sly & the Family Stone “(Family Affair” (1971)
57. The Isley Brothers “Fight the Power” (1975)
58. Hot Chocolate “You Sexy Thing” (1975)
59. Carl Carlton “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s a Built, She’s Stacked)” (1981)
60. Tom Browne “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” (1980)
61. Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting” (1974)
62. The O’Jays “For the Love of Money” (1974)
63. Prince “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
64. Ann Peebles “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (1973)
65. Instant Funk “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)” (1978)
66. Kool & the Gang “Hollywood Swinging” (1973)
67. Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers “Bustin’ Loose” (1979)
68. The Gap Band “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)” (1980)
69. The Temptations “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972)
70. Earth, Wind & Fire “Let’s Groove” (1981)
71. The Gap Band “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops, Up Side Your Head)” (1980)
72. B.T. Express “Do It ‘Til You’re Satisfied” (1974)
73. James Brown “Out of Sight” (1964)
74. Con Funk Shun “Ffun” (1977)
75. Lynn Collins “Think About It” (1972)
76. James Brown “Get on the Good Foot” (1972)
77. Eddie Kendricks “Keep on Truckin’” (1973)
78. Rufus with Chaka Khan “Ain’t Nobody” (1983)
79. The Meters “Just Kissed My Baby” (1974)
80. Betty Wright “Clean Up Woman” (1971)
81. The Temptations “Shakey Ground” (1975)
82. Diana Ross “Upside Down” (1980)
83. King Floyd “Groove Me” (1970)
84. The Temptations “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” (1970)
85. Tower of Power “What Is Hip?” (1973)
86. Lakeside “Fantastic Voyage” (1980)
87. Bill Withers “Use Me” (1972)
88. Dr. John “Right Time, Wrong Place” (1973)
89. Taana Gardner “Heartbeat” (1981)
90. Bill Withers “Lovely Day” (1977)
91. KC & the Sunshine Band “Get Down Tonight” (1975)
92. Chic “Good Times” (1979)
93. Mandrill “Fencewalk” (1973)
94. The Commodores “Machine Gun” (1974)
95. Dyke & the Blazers “Funky Broadway” (1967)
96. The Brothers Johnson “Stomp!” (1980)
97. Graham Central Station “The Jam” (1976)
98. Prince “Controversy” (1981)
99. Herbie Hancock “Rock-It” (1983)
100. L.T.D. “Back in Love Again” (1977)
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