It’s been featured in many movie and television shows and has provided the musical impetus for well-known commercials. And it’s become one of the songs synonymous with the career of Joe Walsh, a song he recorded with a band called the James Gang prior to his solo career, and before he became one of the stalwart members of the Eagles.
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But what exactly is going on in “Funk #49,” besides the obvious instrumental brilliance? Who exactly was The James Gang? Why the title, and were there 48 funky songs that came before it? (Spoiler alert: sort of). All the answers await you as we dive into this enduring classic rock stable.
Beware The James Gang
Because he has become the most famous alumni of the group, many people probably assume that Joe Walsh started the James Gang. In actuality, drummer Jim Fox was the founding member of the band that began in Cleveland, Ohio. But in the first few years of their existence, the James Gang went through multiple permutations, with the band fluctuating to as many as five members.
They were still a five-piece when 20-year-old Joe Walsh, originally from Wichita, Kansas, joined the band in late 1967. The James Gang then dropped to a quartet and then, right before an important gig opening for Cream in Detroit in May 1968, another band member vamoosed. Walsh, Fox, and bassist Tom Kriss played the gig as a trio and liked what they heard. It was this version of the group that hooked up with ABC Records and producer Bill Szymczyk.
In March 1969, the James Gang released their debut Yer’ Album and showed off their impressive instrumental chemistry. The album is noted for elongated cover versions of Stephen Stills’ “Bluebird” and The Yardbirds’ “Lost Woman.” Musically, the trio balanced somewhere between the crunching rock of Cream and the more expansive soundscapes of Traffic. But they also took the time for a rhythm-driven number with minimal lyrics titled “Funk #48.”
When the band reconvened for the 1969 follow-up James Gang Rides Again, the covers were gone and Walsh took on a much larger songwriting role. Side One was filled with hard-driving material, while Side Two featured a song cycle turned in by Walsh that would anticipate the more introspective side of his solo work.
But it was the opening song on the album that would garner James Gang their widest exposure to that point. Credited to all three band members, “Funk #49” was chosen by the band as a single release, and it squeaked into the Top 60, by far their biggest success to that point. But it’s doubtful the trio knew that the song would become a classic rock evergreen in years to come.
The Meaning Behind “Funk #49”
Opening with Walsh’s cackling guitar before Kriss and Fox sink into a sultry groove, “Funk #49” shows the trip at their locked-in best. Walsh’s riffs keep coming and coming, while Kriss and Fox break down the rhythm and build it back up over and over again. There’s also a wild percussion section in the middle for just a little bit more spice on a track already brimming with flavor.
There just weren’t many rock bands at the time who were as concerned with the rhythmic aspect of the music as these three guys. And it’s why “Funk #49” stood out then and still stands out today. Its ability to immediately evoke a mood of fun and funkiness is why it’s become such a go-to for soundtracks and advertisements.
Lyrically, there’s not too much to “Funk #49,” although Walsh sells what there is with his undeniably charismatic vocals, evident even then. The narrator warns a wayward lover that her actions on the side might not be as clandestine as she might think they are. I know where you’re going, he warns. The final words of the song suggest that this girl has crossed a line: If you’re gonna act that way/Think there’s trouble brewing.
Walsh has said that the song simply emanated from one of the band’s typical jamming sections that they used to spice up the cover songs that they played live, and that there wasn’t a ton of thought put into the lyrics. As for the title, he told Rolling Stone the following:
“How’d we get the name? We said, ‘Hey, this is that funk jam we have!’ And it seemed like we were counting how many times we ever played it. We thought it was right around 50. But we were in the studio with Bill Szymczyk, who was our engineer at the time, and he said, ‘It couldn’t have been 50.’ So we said, ‘OK, well, 49 then!’”
The only problem with this recollection is that the band had already released a “Funk #48” on their previous record. (Walsh would even do a “Funk #50” on his 2012 solo album, Analog Man.) Perhaps they had named “Funk #48” based on the story Walsh mentioned, and then had simply added one to the total the following year. In any case, “Funk #49” is the one that gained the trio rock immortality.
Still Funky
After Thirds in 1971(which produced another lasting hit in “Walk Away”) and a live album, Walsh left James Gang to start a solo career. Kriss and Fox hired new members and James Gang released a few more albums but called it quits after Jesse Come Home in 1976, which was the same year Hotel California, Walsh’s first album as a member of the Eagles, became an era-defining smash.
But the good news is that James Gang, with the classic trio lineup, has reunited several times, most recently in 2022 as part of the tribute concerts for Taylor Hawkins, who was a devout fan of the band. Interviews suggest that all three might have an interest in doing even more in the future. Considering how iconic “Funk #49” has become, count us in for “Funk #51” and beyond.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
