| "Atomic Dog" | ||||
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 US picture sleeve | ||||
| Single byGeorge Clinton | ||||
| from the albumComputer Games | ||||
| B-side | "Loopzilla", "Man's Best Friend" | |||
| Released | December 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| George Clinton singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Atomic Dog" onYouTube | ||||
"Atomic Dog" is a song byGeorge Clinton, released byCapitol Records in December 1982, as the second and final single from his studio album,Computer Games (1982). It became theP-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S.R&B Chart. The single failed to chart on theBillboard Hot 100 although it has attained a level of stature since then, partly due to having been sampled in severalhip hop songs.
George Clinton'sP-Funk reached its commercial and conceptual height during the late 1970s after the release ofMothership Connection in 1975 and a series of spectacular concert tours. Each of these concerts ended with a climactic descent of a giant spaceship from the rafters. However, as the band and their concept of funk grew, the organization became entangled in internal dissension, legal disputes, and creative exhaustion.[1] "Atomic Dog" was the P-Funk collective's last single to reach #1 on the U.S.R&B chart.
According to Clinton, most of the song's lyrics were ad-libbed during the recording process.[2]
"Atomic Dog" is regarded a classic in black popular music.[3] The song's music video was nominated for twoBillboard Video Music Awards, one for best special effects, and another for best art direction.[4] However, the video lost toBilly Joel's "Pressure" andHerbie Hancock's "Rockit", respectively.[5]
| Chart (1983)[6] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 94 |
| U.S.BillboardHot Black Singles | 1 |
| U.S.BillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 | 1 |
“When I created Atomic Dog in 1982, I had no idea how it would’ve connected toOmega Psi Phi. Now that I’m a part of this iconic brotherhood, it is only right to celebrate the only funkin’ way I know how.”
"Atomic Dog" is considered the unofficial theme song of the fraternityOmega Psi Phi. Fraternity brothers are "known to take over any space, anytime, anywhere when 'Atomic Dog' is being played."[8]
The song has been included in trailers and TV spots for many films (many dog-related), including101 Dalmatians,102 Dalmatians,Rugrats Go Wild,Hotel for Dogs,The Shaggy Dog,Finn on the Fly,Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,Boomerang,Scooby-Doo,Menace II Society,Trolls World Tour,Turner & Hooch, andJoe Dirt. The song also appears in a2019TV commercial forEtrade[9] and briefly in the 2001 filmSee Spot Run.
"Atomic Dog" was the subject ofBridgeport Music, Inc. v. UMG, Inc., et al. (Case No. 07-5596, 6th Cir. 2009),[10] a lawsuit filed in 2007 byBridgeport Music, the holders of the composition rights to "Atomic Dog" againstUniversal Music Group and the producers of "D.O.G. in Me", a song recorded by theR&B andhip-hop groupPublic Announcement and included on their 1998 album,All Work, No Play. In its complaint, Bridgeport claimed that "D.O.G. in Me" infringed itscopyright by repeating the phrase, "Bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yea" and the sound of rhythmic panting throughout the song, and by repeating the word "dog" in a low tone of voice at regular intervals as a form of musical punctuation. A jury found that the defendants had willfully infringed Bridgeport's rights and awardedstatutory damages of $88,980. In a November 2009 decision affirming the lower court ruling, Circuit JudgeMartha Craig Daughtrey of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit described the circumstances surrounding the creation of "Atomic Dog":
The court further described the "Bow Wow refrain" as the best-known aspect of the song – "in terms of iconology, perhaps the functional equivalent of 'E.T. phone home'" – and held that the jury did not act unreasonably in concluding that there was substantial similarity between the two works.
