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)
It's Too Funky Here
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hmm
Too funky in here!!!
Ow!
Gimme some air!
Too-woo funky in here!
Gimme some aaair!!
Open up the window, man!
Too fun-kay!
Say it!
Gimme some aaair!
Too fun-kay
In here!
Hwahh!
Gimme some air!
It too funky in here!
Gimme some air!
Ooh, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Too fun-kay, ow!
Gimme some air ow, nyow!
Bass needs, a little watering down
A-hoo, hah!
Guitar could use, a little cool-uh sound-hyuh!
Uh!
I need a little air-freshen up, Under the drums-uh!
Open up the window, y'all!
Let out some!
Here are the man ain't leaving no slack-uh! Ha!
Horns ain't holding, nothing back!
Ooo, uh!
Whole band knows that they getting down!
The air's polluted with a fun-kay, fun-kay sound
Now say it a-gaiiin!
In the bridge, y'all!
Hooow, wow wow!
Guitar man!! Put it in you funky hand
And play!
Getting down tha's right!
My name james brown is gyown!
Uh!
Too fun-kay!
Too fun-kay in here!
Saaay it!
Gimme some air!
The lyrics to James Brown’s song “It’s Too Funky in Here” are a call to action for the band to cool down the funkiness and let some fresh air in. The repetition of “too funky in here” and “gimme some air” creates a sense of urgency for the band to take action. The opening lines of “mmm, mmm, hmm” suggest that the feeling of too much funk has overtaken the singer and the sound of his voice communicates his discomfort. He urges the band to open up the windows and let some air in to alleviate the oppressive funk.
The lyrics also touch on the individual instruments in the band- the bass needs to be toned down and the guitar needs some “cool-uh sound-hyuh.” The singer requests that the drums be aired out as well since the funk is also hovering “under the drums-uh.” The bridging lines of “guitar man! Put it in your funky hand and play!” show the singer’s appreciation for the funky sounds while also acknowledging how overwhelming they can be.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of excitement and energy while also recognizing the need for moderation and balance. The repeated call for air and freshness suggest a desire for the band to keep pushing the limits of their funkiness while also making sure that they don’t suffocate under its weight.
Line by Line Meaning
Mmm, mmm
The singer acknowledges how funky it is in the room
Hmm
The singer is contemplating the level of funkiness
Too funky in here!!!
The singer believes that the room is excessively funky
Ow!
The singer is feeling the effects of the funk
Gimme some air!
The singer is asking for fresh air to alleviate the funk
Too-woo funky in here!
The singer emphasizes the level of funkiness in the room
Gimme some aaair!!
The singer reiterates his need for fresh air
Open up the window, man!
The singer suggests opening a window to let in fresh air
Too fun-kay!
The singer emphasizes how funky it is in the room
Say it!
The singer is encouraging everyone to acknowledge the funkiness
Gimme some aaair!
The singer is once again asking for fresh air
Too fun-kay
The singer reiterates his belief that the room is excessively funky
In here!
The singer is clarifying that the funkiness is within the room
Hwahh!
The singer is feeling the effects of the funkiness
It too funky in here!
The singer restates his belief that the room is excessively funky
Ooh, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
The singer is using onomatopoeia to indicate the funky sound
Too fun-kay, ow!
The singer emphasizes the funkiness while experiencing its effects
Gimme some air ow, nyow!
The singer once again asks for fresh air to alleviate the funk
Bass needs, a little watering down
The singer suggests that the bass level may be too high
A-hoo, hah!
The singer is feeling the effects of the bass on his body
Guitar could use, a little cool-uh sound-hyuh!
The singer suggests that the guitar player tone down the funkiness
Uh!
The singer acknowledges the music
I need a little air-freshen up, Under the drums-uh!
The singer suggests focusing on freshening up the air near the drums
Open up the window, y'all!
The singer reiterates his suggestion to let in fresh air
Let out some!
The singer is encouraging the release of the funky air out of the room
Here are the man ain’t leaving no slack-uh! Ha!
The singer is acknowledging his band's commitment to the funkiness
Horns ain’t holding, nothing back!
The singer is appreciating the efforts of the horns section
Ooo, uh!
The singer is enjoying the music
Whole band knows that they getting down!
The singer is proud of his band's performance
The air’s polluted with a fun-kay, fun-kay sound
The singer believes that the air quality has been compromised by the funkiness
Now say it a-gaiiin!
The singer wants his audience to acknowledge the funkiness again
In the bridge, y’all!
The singer is pointing out a change in the music
Hooow, wow wow!
The singer is enjoying the music
Guitar man!! Put it in you funky hand
The singer is telling the guitarist to play funkier
And play!
The singer is encouraging the guitarist to keep playing
Getting down tha’s right!
The singer is enjoying the funkiness
My name James Brown is gyown!
The singer is reminding his audience of who he is
Uh!
The singer is enjoying the music
Too fun-kay!
The singer is emphasizing the amount of funkiness in the room
Too fun-kay in here!
The singer is repeating his belief that the room is excessively funky
Saaay it!
The singer wants his audience to acknowledge the funkiness
Gimme some air!
The singer is asking for fresh air to alleviate the funk
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Bradley Aaron Shapiro, George Henry Jackson, Robert Alton Miller, Walter Shaw
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gail Garza
The first time I heard this song was in 1979 on WGCI-FM in Chicago. As soon as I could earn 79 cents, I went to one of the two music-related stores in my neighborhood in Pilsen on Cermak Rd. near Leavitt and asked a Latino gentleman around 45 years old if he had a song called, "Funk-to-Funk".
I was twelve. I even sang it to him. I didn't know the title but I was desperately trying to sing it to him enough so he would know what I was talking about.
He looked at me with absolute quizzical horror and disgust and shooed me away...and said that children shouldn't be swearing like that!
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At that time, I would never think of using curse words! But, boy, funk music had been in my blood since in-vitro. I just didn't know that name.
antonio wyckoff
These are the James Brown years that are slept on! They're golden to me!
Malcom Sazon
I agree. When he and. The JBs were ‘Doin it to death!”
Michael Burton
Yep,he still had a lot of good stuff on the albums people ignored and they’re golden to me too😬🕺🏽
Kevin Brown
God father of soul he earned that
MARVIN KRAZY CRAWFORD
You and I BOTH!!!❤🎉
John Morgan
Jb,s....og Funk. Never die
Naynay
When I was younger, my dad would always sing the “too funky, funky in hereee” part and I would jam with him all the time! I’m glad I have a dad like him! He put me on all the oldies but goodies❤️❤️
doalwa
There's nothing like this on the radio anymore no matter how hard you look...damn, I miss James Brown...
Verneri Kyllönen
I cannot say what is my favourite song of JB, but im sure this is one of them, this makes my day better, everytime!
🕺🏿💃🏿
Nik Gothic
1. Funky
2. Very Funky
3. Extremely Funky
4. Dangerously Funky
5. James Brown Funky
6. IT'S TOO FUNKY IN HERE