After the dissolution of Parliament and Funkadelic, George Clinton started his solo career. When he signed with Capitol, Clinton had “tracks ready to go”, he wrote in his autobiography, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You? George had been working with “two different production groups”. His music with Garry Shider and David Spradley mostly ended up on the P-Funk All Stars album, Urban Dancefloor Guerillas, but included the megahit ‘Atomic Dog’, from Clinton’s first solo album, 1982’s Computer Games. George was also working with Junie Morrison, who co-wrote and co-produced three tracks, including ‘One Fun At A Time’.

Clinton describes ‘One Fun At A Time’ as “an ode to monogamy”. Unlike James Brown’s early funk, chord changes shift the song’s mood with each section. George’s voice sounds as good as it had in several years. His vocal melodies reflect the chord changes but throw in some unexpected notes: “There are so many funny things to do” sounds almost wistful, contrasting intriguingly with the bolder bass and snappy snare.

In the chorus (“One fun at a time”), the bass ascends in one bar, then descends in the next – but even as its second phrase answers the first, it never seems to make a final statement. The tension seems to be reflected in George’s cries in the latter half of the song, as his voice becomes more hoarse. The bass playing in the chorus in unusual for P-Funk in emphasising almost every quarter note. In the bridge (“Any day now”, 1:20), it leaves the One free for the first six bars, making that section seem less assertive.

The horns, arranged by Fred Wesley, are mostly boisterous, before six soft notes usher in an unusually melancholy section from 2:07. The album features Wesley, Larry Hatcher, Maceo Parker, and Richard Griffith, all of whom had been playing on latter day Parliament-Funkadelic records. The horns here are mixed more to the background than they might have been in the ’70s, with the synth dovetailing with many of the vocals. The synth is likely played by Junie, and it’s possible he played the bass part on a keyboard too (its attack certainly sounds like a keyboard).

It’s easy to imagine another singer hearing the music and opting for a more straight ahead dance tune. George's vocal melodies and delivery are unpredictable throughout. At times he sounds mysterious “Any day now, you will find me / Laughing with a smile” before the last third when he sounds like he can’t contain his energy.