Chicken Strut

The Meters Lay Down the Groove on "Chicken Strut"

Travel back to 1970, to the steamy, rhythm-soaked streets of New Orleans, where a distinctive brand of funk was being forged that would influence music for generations. The city had always been a wellspring of rhythm, and at the dawn of the new decade a group of musicians was distilling that heritage into something lean, syncopated, and endlessly funky. At the center of it all stood The Meters, the legendary New Orleans funk band whose tight, infectious grooves made them one of the most influential rhythm sections in American music, and "Chicken Strut" was a prime cut of their signature sound.

Architects of New Orleans Funk

By 1970, The Meters had established themselves as the premier funk band of New Orleans, masters of a stripped-down, deeply syncopated groove that was entirely their own. Their music was built on the interplay of tight, economical playing, every instrument locking into a relentless pocket. They became one of the most respected and sampled groups in the history of funk, their rhythmic innovations influencing countless artists. "Chicken Strut" came from this groundbreaking period, a showcase for the band's unmistakable command of groove and feel.

The Sound of Pure Groove

The song is a masterclass in funk economy, built on a lean, irresistible groove that leaves space for every element to breathe. The interplay of the rhythm section creates a deep, hypnotic pocket, the kind of groove that makes movement involuntary. The playful title and the song's struttin' rhythm evoke its barnyard-inspired theme, a funky musical depiction of a chicken's strut. There is a looseness and a swagger to the track, the sound of musicians so in tune with one another that the groove seems to play itself. It captures the essence of New Orleans funk at its most distilled.

Playful Funk Personality

The song's barnyard theme gives it a fun, playful personality, the idea of capturing a chicken's distinctive strut in musical form. This lighthearted concept suits the loose, swaggering groove perfectly, a bit of funky humor that never undercuts the band's serious musicianship. The Meters had a gift for combining deep groove with playful character, and this track is a fine example, a piece of funk that is both irresistibly danceable and genuinely fun. The playful concept gives the groove a memorable identity and charm.

A Run on the Hot 100

The single made its way onto the national chart in the spring of 1970. "Chicken Strut" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1970, at number 82. It climbed steadily over the following weeks, rising into the seventies and sixties before peaking at number 50 on May 9, 1970. In total the song spent eight weeks on the Hot 100. While the band's influence far exceeded their chart placements, a Top 50 showing confirmed that their distinctive funk groove could reach a broad audience, and the song became another building block in the band's hugely influential and widely sampled body of work.

A Cornerstone of Funk History

Within the story of funk, this single stands as a fine example of the New Orleans groove that The Meters perfected. The eight-week run in the spring of 1970 captures a band whose rhythmic innovations would echo through decades of music. For fans of funk, songs like this one are essential listening, the deep grooves that influenced generations of musicians and producers. The Meters' lean, infectious style remains a foundational element of the genre, and this track is a vibrant testament to their mastery of pure, irresistible groove. The band's economy of style, the way they could say so much with so little, became a lesson studied by funk musicians for decades, and this single shows that mastery in its purest form.

Press play and let The Meters' irresistible New Orleans groove get you moving.

"Chicken Strut" — The Meters' singular moment on the 1970s charts.