Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He first came to national public attention in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".
During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006.
Brown recorded 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1. Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He also received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in The Top 500 Artists. He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown
Studio albums
Please Please Please (1958)
Try Me! (1959)
Think! (1960)
The Amazing James Brown (1961)
James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the U.S.A. (1962)
Prisoner of Love (1963)
Grits & Soul (1964)
Showtime (1964)
Out of Sight (1964)
James Brown Plays James Brown Today & Yesterday (1965)
Mighty Instrumentals (1966)
James Brown Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo) (1966)
James Brown Sings Christmas Songs (1966)
Handful of Soul (1966)
James Brown Sings Raw Soul (1967)
James Brown Plays the Real Thing (1967)
Cold Sweat (1967)
I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me (1968)
I Got the Feelin' (1968)
James Brown Plays Nothing But Soul (1968)
Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things (1968)
A Soulful Christmas (1968)
Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969)
Gettin' Down to It (1969)
The Popcorn (1969)
It's a Mother (1969)
Ain't It Funky (1970)
Soul on Top (1970)
It's a New Day - Let a Man Come In (1970)
Hey America (1970)
Sho Is Funky Down Here (1971)
Hot Pants (1971)
There It Is (1972)
Get on the Good Foot (1972)
Black Caesar (1973)
Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
The Payback (1973)
Hell (1974)
Reality (1974)
Sex Machine Today (1975)
Everybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump (1975)
Hot (1976)
Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)
Bodyheat (1976)
Mutha's Nature (1977)
Jam 1980's (1978)
Take a Look at Those Cakes (1978)
The Original Disco Man (1979)
People (1980)
Soul Syndrome (1980)
Nonstop! (1981)
Bring It On! (1983)
Gravity (1986)
I'm Real (1988)
Love Over-Due (1991)
Universal James (1993)
I'm Back (1998)
The Merry Christmas Album (1999)
The Next Step (2002)
BABY BABY BABY
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
When the times get hard
And the friends get few now
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
No one to turn to and
Nothing to do now
You're screaming your heart out
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
'Til your back is soaking wet now
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
You still love him so much
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
And still, you can't forget now
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
Screaming your heart out
Your back gets soaking wet
You know that you used to love him
And still, you can't forget
You know sometimes it's hard
Nowhere to go
No one to love
Tried everything you know
And, ahh, baby
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
And, ahhh, baby
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
I want you to play
I want you to play a little song
(Do doop doopty doop)
You know, a friend of mine
Told me one time
(Do doop doopty doop)
I think it was back in 1959
(Do doop doopty doop)
He said, darling, you send me
(Do doop doopty doop)
He said, if you call me
I'll come running back to you
(Do doop doopty doop)
And another friend of mine told me
He said, if you need me, call me
(Do doop doopty doop)
You see, I got a lot of friends in my business
And another friend of mine he told me
(Do doop doopty doop)
You better stop dogging
Me around, now
(Do doop doopty doop)
And a recent friend
Of mine, he came up
(Do doop doopty doop)
And you know what he said, it's too late
(Do doop doopty doop)
James Brown's "Oh Baby Don't You Weep" is a song about the struggles of a woman in a relationship with a man who mistreats her, possibly through infidelity, and how she has no one to turn to despite her pain. The first stanza talks about how tough things can get when times are hard and there are few friends around to offer support. The woman is screaming and crying, but still cannot forget her love for this man who has broken her heart. Throughout the song, there is a sense of desperation and heartbreak, as though the woman's world is falling apart and she doesn't know what to do.
The second stanza further emphasizes the woman's loneliness and hopelessness, as she has nowhere to go and no one to turn to. The repetition of "And, ahh, baby" suggests a sense of resignation, as though the woman knows that despite her pain, she still loves this man and cannot let him go. The final stanza brings in other voices - the woman's friends - who offer advice and support. They tell her that she can call them and they will come running, but the woman is still trapped in her love for this man. The final line - "it's too late" - suggests that the woman has perhaps lost everything, including herself, in her pursuit of this unhealthy relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes, the going gets a little bit tough now
You face challenges in your life that make you feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
Take comfort and don't despair.
When the times get hard
During difficult times.
And the friends get few now
When you have limited support from those around you.
No one to turn to and
Feeling like you have no one to rely on for help.
Nothing to do now
Exhausting all your options and feeling stuck.
You're screaming your heart out
Feeling intense emotional pain and expressing it through vocal outbursts.
'Til your back is soaking wet now
Crying so much that your clothes become wet with tears.
You still love him so much
Despite everything, you still have strong feelings of love for someone.
And still, you can't forget now
But you're struggling to move on and let go of the past.
You know sometimes it's hard
Life can be challenging and difficult at times.
Nowhere to go
Feeling lost and not knowing what to do or where to turn.
No one to love
Not having anyone to love or feeling unlovable.
Tried everything you know
Having exhausted all of your options and resources.
And, ahh, baby
Take heart, my dear.
(Oh, baby, don't you weep)
Don't lose hope and don't give up.
I want you to play
Let me share something with you.
I want you to play a little song
Let me sing you a comforting tune.
You know, a friend of mine
Someone once told me.
Told me one time
Shared some wisdom with me.
I think it was back in 1959
This advice has been around for a long time.
He said, darling, you send me
This is what my friend said to me.
He said, if you call me
He promised to be there for me if I need him.
I'll come running back to you
He would do anything to help me.
And another friend of mine told me
Another friend of mine shared something else with me.
He said, if you need me, call me
This person is offering to be there for me when I need them.
You see, I got a lot of friends in my business
This person has connections and resources to help me.
And another friend of mine he told me
I have one more piece of advice to share.
You better stop dogging
Stop being unkind or harassing someone.
Me around, now
Don't treat someone poorly or else they won't want to help you.
And a recent friend
A new friend I have made.
Of mine, he came up
Shared something new with me.
And you know what he said, it's too late
This person is telling me it is too late for something, perhaps to fix a situation or to make things better in some way.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind