Tag: The Famous Flames

James Brown – I Got You (I Feel Good)

This is another song I picked up from Good Morning Vietnam. James Brown releases enough energy in this song to light up a huge town. He kicks open the door like he always does. 

Browns band, the Famous Flames, were tight. When I say tight…I mean TIGHT. A band so tight they could lock into a groove like it was second nature. There was a reason for that, though. Brown wasn’t the type to just hit “record” and let it roll. He was a drill sergeant in pointy leather shoes, waving the band into the song.

He had a reputation for being a demanding taskmaster who expected perfection and discipline from his musicians. This extended to their appearance, punctuality, and performance, with fines imposed for any shortcomings. It paid off, though, in some of the best shows ever heard or seen. Brown’s process was obsessive. He’d run the song down once, stop halfway through, and demand another take.

What you hear is a LIVE take, not overdubbing, and you can tell from the excitement in the recording. When he recorded his songs, he was thinking of radio, but he would also think just as much of the stage presentation of it. He had all the bases covered. 

He had hits before, like “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” and this was the follow-up, but this one was a game-changer. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard 100, his highest charting song ever on the Billboard 100. It also spent 6 weeks at number 1 on the R&B Charts. 

This live version has Brown doing a medley of Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag and I Got You (I Feel Good)

I Got You (I Feel Good)

I feel goodLike I knew that I would, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, ohI feel good, baby, whoo!Like I knew that I would, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, ohSo good

I, I feel niceLike sugar and spice, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, ohI, I-I-I loveLike sugar and spice, yeahSo nice

I, I feel goodLike I said that I would, yeah-yeahWhoo!Lord, have mercy, good God, get downSo good, I

Get downBring it back

When I hold you in my armsI know I can’t do no wrongWhen I hold you in my armsI know I can’t do no wrongWhen I hold you, baby, in my armsYou know I can’t do no wrongAnd that my love won’t do you no harm

Hit meI feel goodHit me, baby, hit me, loveLike I know that I would, yeahSo good

Yeah, I feel niceLike sugar and spice, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeahI feel nice, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeahLike sugar and spiceSo nice

Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-daDa-da-da, goo-ga

Hit me, I feel goodLike I knew that I would, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeahI, I-I, whoo!Hit meSo good, hey-heyWhoo-ah!

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