Get The Funk Out

Extreme, 1990. Solo by Nuno Bettencourt.

Ultimate Classic Rock's #1 hair metal solo.

The solo is pure Nuno Bettencourt, who wrote the music and played every guitar part on Pornograffitti. It arrives as a sudden burst of speed inside an otherwise groove-driven funk-metal track, trading the clipped rhythm figures for a flood of rapid-fire lead lines. Brian May praised the solo lavishly, and it remains one of the most studied showcase solos of the early 1990s. Its strength is contrast: tight funk rhythm on one side, explosive lead playing on the other. Listen for the moment the funk groove gives way to the solo; the switch from rhythmic precision to rapid runs is thrilling.

Get The Funk Out by Extreme is ranked #91 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Nuno Bettencourt and the song was released in 1990. It appears on 6 lists, placing as high as #1 (Ultimate Classic Rock).

The story of Get The Funk Out

Get the Funk Out began as a piece of music Nuno Bettencourt had worked up on his own, which he then played for singer Gary Cherone while Extreme were out on the road. The two finished it together, and it became one of the clearest statements of the Boston band's plan to mix hard-rock guitar with the tight, syncopated grooves of funk. Cherone later framed the lyric as a cheeky reply to the band's detractors: if you do not like us, get out.

The song landed as the fourth track on Extreme II: Pornograffitti, a loose concept album issued by A&M in August 1990. The record was made at Scream Studios in Studio City, California and Courtlen Recording in Hanson, Massachusetts, with Michael Wagener producing alongside Bettencourt. To thicken the funk side of the arrangement, the band enlisted a brass section arranged by Randy Badazz, credited on the sleeve as the L'il Jack Horn Section, and Canadian guitarist Pat Travers added a gruff counter-vocal against Cherone.

A&M chose it as the album's second single, following Decadence Dance and preceding the acoustic ballad More Than Words. Andy Morahan, whose credits include Guns N' Roses' November Rain, directed a video crowded with oddball characters, and the clip found a home on MTV's Headbangers Ball. Commercially, though, the single was quickly overshadowed: More Than Words went to No. 1 in America and permanently recast the public image of a band that had built its reputation on guitar fireworks.

The solo

The solo is pure Nuno Bettencourt, who wrote the music and handled every guitar part on Pornograffitti. It arrives as a sudden burst of speed inside an otherwise groove-driven funk-metal track, trading the song's clipped rhythm figures for a flood of rapid-fire lead lines from a player who had started out on a red Kramer Pacer bought in tribute to Eddie Van Halen. Bettencourt is closely associated with the stripped, unfinished-looking Washburn N4 he helped develop, though published sources do not pin down exactly which guitar, amp or effects were used in the studio for this take. What they do record is the reaction: Brian May said the solo should move any guitarist to tears and called it a landmark in rock history deserving its own medal. It remains one of the most-studied showcase solos of the early 1990s.

Legacy

Although it was eclipsed on the charts by More Than Words and Hole Hearted, Get the Funk Out became a fan favourite and a fixture of Extreme's live shows. Its reputation rests largely on the guitar break, which earned Brian May's extravagant praise and helped Bettencourt win Guitar World readers' awards for Best New Talent and Most Valuable Player in 1991. Pornograffitti itself went double platinum in the US and was later ranked 13th on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest hair-metal albums, with the song frequently cited as its heaviest showcase.

Top 10 facts about Get The Funk Out

Nuno Bettencourt wrote the music first and brought it to Gary Cherone while the band was on tour; the two share the songwriting credit.
Songfacts
Canadian rock guitarist and singer Pat Travers sings backing vocals as a gravelly foil to Cherone.
Wikipedia
The horns were arranged by Randy Badazz, a nephew of Herb Alpert, and credited to the L'il Jack Horn Section.
Songfacts
Brian May described the solo as a landmark in rock history that deserved its own medal for Bettencourt and Extreme.
Wikipedia
It was the second single from Pornograffitti, released between Decadence Dance and More Than Words.
Wikipedia
The video was directed by Andy Morahan, who also shot Guns N' Roses' November Rain and Pet Shop Boys' West End Girls.
Songfacts
The single's B-sides included Li'l Jack Horny and a remix of Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today).
Wikipedia
The song became a staple of MTV's Headbangers Ball, even as the album's ballads became its biggest hits.
Wikipedia: Extreme II: Pornograffitti
Bettencourt's famous Washburn N4 was pieced together from parts after earlier guitars were destroyed or stolen, giving it its raw, unfinished look.
Marshall University WMUL
A live version recorded at Boston's House of Blues on August 8, 2009 appears on the 2010 album Take Us Alive.
Wikipedia: Take Us Alive

Live versions

Take Us Alive (House of Blues, Boston) (2009) Final show of the East Meets West tour, recorded in the band's hometown and released on CD/DVD in 2010.

In our lists

See Them Live — #29
Deep Cuts — #50
The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #18
The 25 Greatest Funk and Soul Guitar Solos — #11
The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #18
The 1990s — #16

Sources

What guitar was used on the Get The Funk Out solo?

A washburn n4 through a Marshall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Get The Funk Out rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#91 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 6 of them.

Who wrote Get the Funk Out?

Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and singer Gary Cherone of Extreme wrote it; Bettencourt came up with the music first.

What album is Get the Funk Out on?

It is the fourth track on Extreme II: Pornograffitti, released by A&M in 1990.

Who plays the guitar solo on Get the Funk Out?

Nuno Bettencourt plays it. Brian May famously called the solo a landmark in rock history.

Who sings the second voice on Get the Funk Out?

Pat Travers, the Canadian rock guitarist and singer, contributes backing vocals alongside Gary Cherone.

What does Get the Funk Out mean?

Gary Cherone has explained it as a playful message to critics: if you don't like the band, get out.