4 Classic Funk Hits From 1976 That Sounded Like the Future

When we hear modern music echoing the 1970s, we often describe it as retro. But pulling classic sounds into a new era is easier when the music you borrow from is groundbreaking funk. Funk and soul music were transforming rapidly in the 1970s, and by 1976, many hits already felt timeless because they sounded like the future, as you’ll hear with these classic hits below.

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“Sweet Thing” by Rufus feat. Chaka Khan

Released in late 1975, “Sweet Thing” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. With Rufus, Chaka Khan croons one of the greatest slow jams of the decade. It became a funk and soul standard, later covered by Mary J. Blige in 1993. Khan co-wrote the song with Tony Maiden, and the smooth track offers a blueprint for Blige and other early 90s R&B legends. Meanwhile, you can hear Maiden’s intricate chords echo in Prince’s guitar playing, as well as 90s neo-soul.

“Just To Be Close To You” by The Commodores

Not all funk tunes are uptempo. And writing a slow jam that’s deeply funky isn’t easy. Before he was dancing on the ceiling, Lionel Richie wrote “Just To Be Close To You”, which became The Commodores’ second Top-10 hit. The track is buoyed by strings, but you can also hear futuristic keys peaking through the orchestral swells—connecting classic Motown soul to the groundbreaking funk of the 1970s.

“Get Up Offa That Thing” by James Brown

Enough slow funk. Here’s a hypnotic banger from James Brown that wouldn’t have been out of place on Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The repeated groove evokes Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, which in turn drew inspiration from American funk and jazz. It’s hard not to hear Brown’s influence on nearly every funk icon that followed him, from Prince to D’Angelo to Janelle Monáe.

“You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate

“You Sexy Thing” became a hit in the United States in 1976, with a London group’s take on American soul music. Hot Chocolate released a string of hits between 1970 and 1984, but Errol Brown and Tony Wilson’s defining song continued to chart well into the 1990s. It combines the orchestral drama of disco with a funk and soul groove and one of the most ubiquitous vocal hooks of all time.

I believe in miracles
Where’re you from?
You sexy thing.

Photo by Mike Prior/Redferns