The Foote Files: Lipps, Inc. And Funkytown

(CBS 11) - Lipps, Inc. was a funk-dance "project" from Minneapolis, Minnesota formed by producer/songwriter Steven Greenberg with vocals by Cynthia Johnson. Other members included Margie Cox, Melanie Rosales, Tom Riopelle, Terry Grant and David Rivkin. The group's name is actually pronounced "lip-synch."

They are what some music historians would refer to as a "one and done" group: either a one hit wonder group or a one-#1 hit and done. Yet during the summer of 1980, you heard them on the radio with "Funkytown." A LOT!

Written and produced by Greenberg, it hit #1 in the U.S., Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands and Australia, to name a few. It stayed #1 in the U.S. for four weeks in May/June 1980. It was a platinum selling record. Running 4:00 on the Casablanca Records label, the lyrics go like this:

Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me
Town to keep me movin'
Keep me groovin' with some energy

Well, I talk about it, talk about it
Talk about it, talk about it
Talk about, talk about
Talk about movin'

Gotta move on
Gotta move on
Gotta move on

Won't you take me to
Funkytown?
Won't you take me to
Funkytown?
Won't you take me to
Funkytown?
Won't you take me to
Funkytown?

You can hear this song on classic hits radio stations and on SIRIUS XM 80's On 8.