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)
Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Huh, ha
Baby give it up or turn it a loose
Baby give it up or turn it a loose
Huh, ha
Baby give it up or turn it a loose
Huh, all right
Baby give it up, huh, turn it loose, ha
Oh, no, no, no
Huh
All right
Oh, no, no, no, ain't no use
Baby, give it up, uh, turn it loose
Baby, feed your soul, turn it loose
Hey, hey, hey, hey, uh
Yeahhh
Hold you tight, got to feed your soul
With all my might
I've to squeeze you
Hold you tight because I love you so
Baby, huh, give it up, uh, all right
Turn it loose
Hey, hey, hey, hey, uh
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
The lyrics of James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" are suggestive of the desire to break free from shackles and live life on one's own terms. The repeated phrases "give it up or turn it a loose" leave little doubt about the singer's intentions, which is to give all he has to achieve his goals or let go of anything that hinders him from doing so. The lyrics also suggest a sense of urgency, as if time is running out, and there is only one choice between giving up and turning it loose.
The song encourages the listener to let go of their inhibitions and embrace their true selves, to "feed their soul" and live with passion and purpose. The repeated "ha" and "uh" sounds throughout the song lend an infectious energy that matches the uplifting message of the lyrics. The refrain "Baby give it up, huh, turn it loose, ha" is like a call to action, urging the listener to take charge of their destiny and let nothing stand in their way.
In summary, James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" is a high-energy, motivational song that encourages the listener to break free from anything that holds them back and pursue their passions with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby give it up or turn it a loose
Encouraging the addressee to either give into the beat or let it go.
Huh, ha
An expressive exclamation that adds energy and emphasis to the previous statement.
Baby give it up, huh, turn it loose, ha
A repetition of the command with added emphasis and energy.
Oh, no, no, no
An interjection of disappointment or disapproval.
Huh
An interjection used to express agreement or confirmation.
All right
An interjection used to show approval or satisfaction.
Oh, no, no, no, ain't no use
Acknowledging the futility of resisting the groove.
Baby, give it up, uh, turn it loose
Urging the addressee to yield to the beat.
Baby, feed your soul, turn it loose
Advising the addressee to surrender to the music with abandon.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, uh
An enthusiastic exclamation that adds emphasis and energy to the preceding statement.
Hold you tight, got to feed your soul
Expressing the importance of fully experiencing the music.
With all my might
With full force and passion.
I've to squeeze you
Emphasizing the need to fully embrace the beat.
Hold you tight because I love you so
The beat is a form of love that the addressee should embrace.
Baby, huh, give it up, uh, all right
Repeating the earlier urging to give in to the beat.
Turn it loose
Let go of inhibitions and give oneself over to the rhythm.
No, no, no, no, no, no
An interjection used to show refusal or denial.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES BOBBITT, CHARLES FRED BOBBITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@soultheinterrogator
Clyde is such an amazing, funky Drummer. RIP Clyde Stubblefield and the great James Brown
@jacqueline4514
James Brown is the FOUNDATION of Soul, Funk and Hip Hop. In the mid 80โs in the club, when the DJ played โGive It Up or Turn It Looseโ, we girls would just step aside, because the B-Boys would take over the floor and do their thing, and it was already 15 years old then;! ๐ฅ๐ฅ
@popacosmin92
That sounds amazingโฆI as a bboy grew up dancing and listening to his music as wellโฆa true legend ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
@McNasty214
When James calls Clyde, you know what's about to go down ๐ฅ๐ฅ
@Resolution1on1
It's NOT possible for One person to have this much talent... RIP James Brown there will never be another!!
@patrickdixon2159
Ya boy getting down on the drums
@JOHNROBERTCRUZ
Amen...And I think one of the reasons why James Browndanced the unique way he did...was because no one told him it was impossible to dance THE WAY HE DID ! BAAAABBBAAA ! HEYYYY !!!!
@arroyo5born749
Hahaha
100% true
@terrenceliburd8655
@Resolution 1 on 1: I be tryin to tell dudes this, Mr. Brown was nothin to play with ... " I said what I said".
@gold7633
๐๐ผ Absolutely๐ฏ #Facts