In life, we like to see ourselves as independent and free. Our parents raise us so one day when we leave home, go off to college, and eventually to live off oun our own, we can fend for ourselves and be ok. As children, we dream of going to our jobs, making money, and living on our own supporting familes of our own, just as our parents did for us. For some, however, that dream takes a lot more effort.
Not everyone in the world has a peachy-keen lifestyle. While we live in beautiful homes and are able to attend this great establishment, there are others who live in huts in the jungle, and don't even know how to read. The world is full of injustices in which others have better starts at that dream than others.
Throughout time there have been multitudes of "rags to riches" stories in which some bum from Atlanta, Georgia works hard and ends up playing basketball for the Atlanta Hawks. Stories of how people come from nothing, but through their own hard work, they get to the top. It's nearly impossible to live in our world without the help from others. The places we live, the food we eat, the jobs we hold, are all controlled by the rest of the world around us.
The singer of Funkytown could be one of those poverty-stricken people who are just trying to make end meet. She could work 4 jobs to support her 3 kids, but it still isn't enough sometimes. When she asks "Wont you take me down, to funkytown" it could be interpreted that she is pleating for help from others. Funkytown is just a metaphor for being OK, and shes worked hard to get there. However, she needs the help of other people, not just herself, to get there.