James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American entert… Read Full Bio ↴James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American entertainer, record producer, and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honorific nicknames "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business", "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown was one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural induction in New York on January 23, 1986.

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)

Let Yourself Go
James Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One, two
One, two, three

Hey everybody, let me tell you the news
Hey everybody, let me tell you the news
Hey everybody, let me tell you the news

It ain't just soul

It ain't just soul
It's just rhythm and
Just rhythm and blues

Hey baby, let yourself go
Hey baby, let yourself go

You're too sharp, you ain't too sharp
Ain't too sharp, again, one more time
Ain't too sharp, ain't too sharp
You're just too stupid to let me dance
I wanna prance, I've got to talk
Just let me walk, I've got to, I've got to, got to

Hey everybody, tell you the news
Hey everybody, let me tell you the news
Hey everybody, let me tell you the news

You ain't too sharp, ain't too sharp
Ain't too sharp, you're just too
I wanna dance, I've got to prance
I wanna feel the love with you

You've got to feel
You just got to, got to
I've got to feel, give it to me
You've got to, let me

Let me, let me have it
I've got to, got to, I've got to

I've got to, I've got to, let me
Oh, I've got to, tell me, I've got to

Overall Meaning

The opening of James Brown's "Let Yourself Go" begins with a count, "one, two, one, two, three" as if to prepare the listener for a dance number. Brown immediately tells the listener in a joyful voice to "let yourself go" and to embrace the rhythm that is not just "soul," but also "rhythm and blues." The song then takes a turn when Brown abruptly criticizes his dance partner, telling them that they are "too sharp" and not "too stupid" to dance. He insists that they simply need to "let him walk" and that he's "got to prance" to the beat. Despite this tension, Brown continues to emphasize the importance of letting loose and enjoying oneself.

It is not uncommon for Brown's songs to have dual meanings, and "Let Yourself Go" is no exception. On one level, he is using dance as a metaphor for life, suggesting that people should not take themselves too seriously and should let themselves be carried away by joy and the moment. However, on a deeper level, this song also addresses the segregation that took place during the time it was written. Brown's early career began in the South, which was still grappling with painful and violent racial divisions. In "Let Yourself Go," the song is aimed at African Americans who were excluded from mainstream society and encouraged to embrace their own culture and identity, no matter how others perceived them.

Line by Line Meaning

One, two
The song is about to start and James Brown is signaling the band to get ready

One, two, three
The count-in helps to establish the tempo and ensure everyone is aligned

Hey everybody, let me tell you the news
James Brown is addressing the audience to share something important with them

It ain't just soul
The music being played is not limited to one genre

It's just rhythm and
The focus is on the beat and the groove

Just rhythm and blues
The genre that the music is most closely associated with is R&B

Hey baby, let yourself go
James Brown is encouraging someone (perhaps a partner on the dance floor) to let loose and have fun

You're too sharp, you ain't too sharp
There is no specific way to dance to this music, and James Brown is telling someone that they don't need to be perfect

Ain't too sharp, again, one more time
James Brown repeats the idea that being perfect is not necessary

Ain't too sharp, ain't too sharp
Reinforcing the idea that being a perfect dancer is not important

You're just too stupid to let me dance
James Brown is teasing someone who is holding back and not dancing freely

I wanna prance, I've got to talk
James Brown wants to move and express himself freely

Just let me walk, I've got to, I've got to, got to
If you let him be, he will get into the groove and dance freely

Hey everybody, tell you the news
James Brown is still trying to get everyone's attention with the music and the message

You ain't too sharp, ain't too sharp
Repeating the idea that precision is not important here

Ain't too sharp, you're just too
This line is cut off abruptly, but it is clear that being perfect is not the goal

I wanna dance, I've got to prance
James Brown wants to express himself through dance and body movement

I wanna feel the love with you
He wants to share a joyful experience with someone close to him

You've got to feel
It is important for the partner on the dance floor to let go and feel the music

You just got to, got to
More emphasis on the importance of letting go and enjoying the moment

I've got to feel, give it to me
James Brown is not holding back and wants to fully immerse himself in the experience of dancing to this song

You've got to, let me
He is urging his partner to join him and not hold back

Let me, let me have it
He wants to take this experience to the highest level of enjoyment

I've got to, got to, I've got to
There is a sense of urgency and necessity in the expression of the dance moves

I've got to, I've got to, let me
James Brown is not asking for permission, but rather insisting on the partnership and shared dance experience

Oh, I've got to, tell me, I've got to
James Brown is totally committed to expressing himself through dance and song, and he wants everyone to join him in this celebration of life and joy

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES BROWN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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