I seem to be on a Robin Williams movie streak this week, so James Browns’ “I Got You (I Feel Good)” is #OnRepeat this week. This was the perfect song in the movie, Good Morning Vietnam, to showcase the difference between Williams’ character’s on-air personality and others before him.
James Brown was a singer, songwriter, producer, dancer and arranger from South Carolina who got his start as a Gospel singer who performed lead for the group The Famous Flames, later going off on his own for a very successful solo career. The music he would later produce with his James Brown band, mixing Gospel, Blues, and Jazz, would help to influence the development of Funk music in the late 1960s. He was known for his raspy, yet powerful voice and energetic stage performances. Some of his most well-known songs from throughout his career are “Try Me,” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” and “The Payback.”
“I Got You (I Feel Good)” was recorded as a single by James Brown in 1964 and is one of Brown’s most popular recordings. The lyrics are told from the perspective of someone who is absolutely besides themselves with happiness because they have the one they love. Brown’s use of screams, shouts, and his use of belting, rhythmic feel, and melodic phrasing give the song the iconic energy and soul that is James Brown. I can never help but dance in my seat whenever I hear this song (because I’m usually driving or sitting down for some reason).
Take a listen below:
What do you think? Do you have another James Brown song you love to listen to?