Flash Light (song)

Did You Know?

• Clinton recorded a duet version called "Flashlight (Spaceflight)" for the 1999 film Muppets from Space along with Bill Barretta as Pepe the King Prawn.
• The song was used in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 credits and was included in the film's soundtrack.
• In 2010, it was rated No. 75 in Tablets list of 100 Best Jewish Songs.

Background

The bass line that defines this track is frequently linked to Bootsy Collins, for whom it was initially intended. Collins turned it down, so Bernie Worrell crafted the part using at least three, and possibly four, interconnected Minimoog synthesizers. Worrell performed every keyboard element on the song. Collins took on drumming responsibilities, and his older brother Catfish Collins played rhythm guitar. Bandleader George Clinton sang lead. Clinton said Worrell suggested building the song around a single motif. What began as a jam saw Clinton recording numerous tracks, stacking up to fifty vocal layers to create an inclusive love song. The recurring "Da da da dee da da da" chant came from a Hebrew melody Clinton remembered hearing in sixth grade when a Jewish friend was studying for his bar mitzvah.

Impact and legacy

"Flash Light" was part of the ongoing "Fake the Funk/Your nose will grow/Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk" storyline that Bootsy's Rubber Band kicked off with "The Pinocchio Theory." The track's impact stretched beyond funk, shaping new wave and hip-hop as well. The Houston Press called it Clinton's most sampled song in 2013, counting over sixty instances, including Aaliyah's "Back and Forth" and UGK's "Protect and Serve." Rolling Stone placed it at number 202 on its 2011 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and later ranked it twenty-fifth on its 2022 list of the 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time.