St. Vincent (the stage name of Annie Clark) has released a cover of the Lipps Inc. disco classic, “Funkytown,” recorded for the highly-anticipated Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack. The album was produced by Jack Antonoff (who also produced Clark’s albums Masseduction and Daddy’s Home) and arrives on July 1, alongside the movie’s release.
The original version of “Funkytown” appeared on Lipps Inc.’s 1979 debut album, Mouth to Mouth. In March 1980, the track entered the charts, peaking at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A massive global hit, the disco track also topped the charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands, among other territories.
In a statement on Instagram about the star-studded soundtrack, Antonoff wrote, “Proud to announce the soundtrack I made for Minions: The Rise of Gru. My favorite 70s songs performed by my favorite artists and an original I wrote with Sam Dew, Patrik Berger, and Kevin Parker performed by Diana Ross and Tame Impala called ‘Turn Up the Sunshine.’ Recording sessions for these were some of the most special and bizarre.”
The soundtrack also features contributions from Phoebe Bridgers, Tierra Whack, H.E.R., Brittany Howard, Jackson Wang, G.E.M., Heitor Pereira, Weyes Blood, Kali Uchis, Verdine White, Thundercat, Caroline Polachek, RZA, Gary Clark Jr., BROCKHAMPTON, and Antonoff’s band, Bleachers.
Besides contributing this cover to the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack, Clark also recorded a track for Sleater-Kinney’s cover album for the 25th anniversary of Dig Me Out. Sleater-Kinney has yet to reveal the tracklist, so it’s unknown what song from the record Clark will perform. In addition to that project, Clark released her 70s-inspired album Daddy’s Home in 2021. That LP went on to win a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. She also starred in the 2020 mockumentary thriller, Nowhere Inn, alongside Carrie Brownstein.