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)
Hey America
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All year long you've been given me the peace sign
What did what happened at the present time
Right now I see more than a million peace signs
No more
Hey America don't you think its about time
After more than a billion of the peace signs
And people to start the common mind
Let's meet don't you think its about time
For after more than a million of the peace signs to start coming your way
And you got common mind
You got...
Yeay
Let's play it together
Let's be together
America
I mean you and you and you
Let's start another year together
Right back when you were free
Even a man I'll never see
Let's be together
Let's be together
Love one another
Hey America it's Christmas time
God gave us something let us celebrate it
Quit cryin God gave us something let us celebrate it
Let us celebrate it
Hey one mind
Hey.!!......
Hey.!!!......
Hey America !! huh
Don't you think its about time
Well after more than twelve months
A billion peace signs
Some say right the others say straight ahead
Right on straight ahead
After half a million straight ahead
Tiger sits straight ahead
Hey Danke sch?huh..
This is the United States you know
Everybody lets do it together
half a million
hey .!........
hey ..!!.......
hey ..!!!.......
hey !!!
In James Brown's song "Hey America," he highlights the importance of coming together and having a common mindset. The song starts out by saying "Hey America, it's Christmas time," and then Brown says that all year long, the peace sign has been given to him. He questions what happened now when he sees over a million peace signs. He then says, "No more," meaning that it's time to do something instead of just showing a symbol. Brown then sings, "Hey America don't you think it's about time after more than a billion of the peace signs," for people to start having a common mind and working together.
Brown says that it's time for people to meet and work together to make progress. He asks, "Let's meet don't you think it's about time" and "you got common mind." Brown emphasizes that everyone needs to work together to reach a common goal. He says, "Let's be together, love one another" which shows that Brown wants everyone to unite and love each other regardless of their race or beliefs. As the song continues, Brown says that God gave us something, and we need to celebrate it instead of crying.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey America it's Christmas time
It's Christmas time America, and I'm acknowledging that.
All year long you've been given me the peace sign
Throughout the year, I have seen peaceful gestures from Americans.
What did what happened at the present time
What happened recently to change this?
Right now I see more than a million peace signs
Currently, I see a lot of people making peaceful gestures.
Hey America don't you think its about time
America, don't you think it's time we made some changes?
After more than a billion of the peace signs
After seeing billions of peaceful gestures.
For me to start coming your way
It's time for me to reach out to you.
And people to start the common mind
And for people to start thinking alike.
Let's meet don't you think its about time
Isn't it time we met?
For after more than a million of the peace signs to start coming your way
After seeing so many peaceful gestures, it's time for me to reciprocate.
And you got common mind
And for us to start thinking alike.
Let's start another year together
Let's begin another year working towards a common goal.
Right back when you were free
We need to go back to a time when America was truly free.
Even a man I'll never see
Even those who I'll never meet did great things for this country.
Love one another
We need to love and respect each other.
God gave us something let us celebrate it
Let's celebrate and appreciate what God has given us.
Quit cryin God gave us something let us celebrate it
Stop complaining and let's celebrate what we have.
Hey one mind
We need to start thinking alike.
Hey.!!......
I am expressing sudden excitement or encouragement.
This is the United States you know
Remember, this is America we're talking about.
Everybody lets do it together
Let's all work towards a common goal.
hey !!!
I'm expressing sudden excitement or encouragement.
Contributed by Kayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.