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 Had To Be You
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wandered around and finally found
Somebody who could make me feel blue could make me be true
And even be glad, just to be sad thinkin' of you
Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never, ever be cross or try to be boss
But they, they wouldn't do for nobody else gave me a thrill
It had to be you, it had to be you, it had to be you
It had to be you, it had to be you
Wandered around and finally found
Somebody who could make me feel blue, hey, could make me be true
Even be glad, just to be sad thinkin' of you
Some others I've seen, might never be mean, don't be so mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss
But they, they wouldn't do but nobody else gave me that look or thrill
With all your faults woman, I love you still
It had to be, it had to be, it had to be you, hey, hey
It had to be you, it had to be you, hey
I said, it had to be, it had to be, it had to be you
You doggone, woman, you
The lyrics to James Brown's song "It Had To Be You" express a deep love for someone who the singer believes was meant to be in his life. The song begins with the repeated phrase "It had to be you," emphasizing the singer's belief that the person he has found is the only one who could make him feel the way he does. He explains that he had been searching for someone who could make him feel both blue and true, and that this special someone even makes him glad to be sad when he thinks of them.
The singer then contrasts this person with "some others" whom he has seen who might never be mean, cross, or bossy, but who "wouldn't do for nobody else" what this person does for him. He acknowledges that this special someone has faults, but he still loves her deeply. The song ends with a playful "You doggone, woman, you," expressing both love and frustration.
Overall, the lyrics to "It Had To Be You" convey a sense of fate and destiny, as the singer believes that he was meant to find the person he loves. The song also suggests that true love means accepting someone's faults and imperfections.
Line by Line Meaning
It had to be you, it had to be you
You were the only one for me. Nobody else could have made me feel the way you do.
I wandered around and finally found
I searched for so long, but eventually I found someone special.
Somebody who could make me feel blue could make me be true
You make me vulnerable and emotional, but at the same time, you also make me be honest and genuine.
And even be glad, just to be sad thinkin' of you
Just thinking of you can make me feel a mixture of happiness and sadness.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
I've seen other people who are never unkind.
Might never, ever be cross or try to be boss
They might never act angry or try to control others.
But they, they wouldn't do for nobody else gave me a thrill
But they can't compare to you because nobody else excites me like you do.
With all your faults baby, I love you still
Even with your imperfections, I still love you with all my heart.
It had to be, it had to be, it had to be you, hey, hey
You were the only one who could have captured my heart.
I said, it had to be, it had to be, it had to be you
I'm repeating myself because I'm so sure that it had to be you.
You doggone, woman, you
You incredible woman, you! You have completely won my heart.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Isham Jones, Gus Kahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind