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)
Gonna Have a Funky Good Time
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clap my body, her body, my body; clap your body, my body, her body
Clap my body, her body, my body; clap your body, my body, clap your
Body, my body; clap your body, my body, all right
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
(Take 'em up) we gotta take you higher
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
(Take 'em up) we gotta take you higher (good)
(Bad) you can take us up all the way (yeah)
You take us up (take us up)
Make me high, make me high, make me high, a natural high, a ghetto
High, giant high, high, high, nothin' but high, downright high
Everybody high; need to get high, down high, yo high
Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad
Bad, bad
Fred, give them a big round of applause
Hear what I say?
Give 'em a big round of applause
Take 'em up
Got to take 'em higher
We gotta take 'em higher
The song "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time" by James Brown is a classic funk song that invites the listener to have a good time and get funky. The lyrics are repetitive, but they evoke a sense of joy and celebration. The first verse instructs the listener to clap their body and the bodies of others, which creates a rhythmic and communal atmosphere. The chorus then announces that everyone is going to have a funky good time and that they need to be taken higher, building on the communal energy that was established in the first verse.
The second verse is more focused on achieving a state of "high" through various means, whether it be through music or other methods. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the need to take everyone higher. The song then concludes with a call for a round of applause, reinforcing the joyous and celebratory mood of the song.
Overall, the lyrics of "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time" are focused on creating a sense of community and celebration through the power of music. The repetition of the chorus builds energy and excitement, while the verses encourage everyone to participate and enjoy the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, do it, yeah
Let's start the music and get into it!
Clap my body, her body, my body; clap your body, my body, her body
Clap my body, her body, my body; clap your body, my body, clap your
Body, my body; clap your body, my body, all right
Let's clap our hands and move our bodies together to the rhythm of the music.
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're gonna have a funky good time
We're all going to have a great time dancing and enjoying ourselves to the funky beat of the music.
(Take 'em up) we gotta take you higher
Let's take the energy and excitement of the music to the next level.
Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad
Bad, bad
This music is so good, it's bad in the best way possible.
Fred, give them a big round of applause
Hear what I say?
Give 'em a big round of applause
Let's show our appreciation for the band and the music with a big round of applause.
Take 'em up
Got to take 'em higher
We gotta take 'em higher
Let's keep the energy and excitement of the music going and take it to even greater heights.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Valerie Cornist
There is no way you can sit still while this song is playing!!
Melvin Brown
Sho nuff in the groove man 😎
Esha Peña
At all!!!! Lol
Glenda Davis
👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽
Rough House
THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE JAMES BROWN SONG. AND IM A HUGE FAN. THAT BEAT JUST HITS ME. RIP GODFATHER OF SOUL
Kimi Myles
Best party Starter Eva!!!
Mari Walker
That guitar riff though…new music can’t touch it!
Ask God almighty for the Holy Spirit
Jesus Christ loves you no matter what
Ask God almighty for the Holy Spirit
@Kimi Myles Jesus Christ no matter what
Ask God almighty for the Holy Spirit
@Mari Walker Jesus Christ loves you no matter what