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)
Licking Stick
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
People standin',
standin' in a trance.
Sister out in the backyard
doin' the outside dance.
Come'n tell me you love me,
she didn't want to be a drag.
I don't know what she's doin',
I think she's got a brand new bag.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
People standin',
standin' in a trance.
Sister out in the backyard
doin' the outside dance.
Come'n tell me you love me,
she didn't want to be a drag.
I don't know what she's doin',
I think she's got a brand new bag.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
Mama, come here quick,
bring me that lickin' stick.
James Brown's song "Licking Stick" is a fun, upbeat tune that is deceptively simple. The repeated refrain of "Mama, come here quick, bring me that lickin' stick" is catchy, but the song is about more than just a spanking implement. The lyrics describe a scene where people are standing in a trance, and a sister is doing an outside dance in the backyard. Someone is asked to say "I love you" but they don't want to be a drag, and the singer doesn't know what she's doing, but thinks she has a brand new bag.
The meaning behind the lyrics is somewhat ambiguous, but it seems to be describing a lively party or gathering where people are dancing and having a good time. The sister doing the outside dance could be a reference to someone who is dancing in a particularly exuberant or unusual way, standing out from the others. The request for someone to say "I love you" suggests a desire for emotional connection, but the reluctance to be a drag indicates that the partygoers are focused on having fun and not getting bogged down in heavy emotions.
Overall, "Licking Stick" is a happy, energetic song that captures the spirit of a lively party or gathering where people are focused on having fun and enjoying the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, come here quick, bring me that lickin' stick.
James Brown is urgently calling for his mother to bring him the 'lickin' stick', a tool used for discipline, indicating he is about to enforce some sort of punishment.
People standin', standin' in a trance.
The crowd is still, hypnotized by the beat and energy of the music.
Sister out in the backyard doin' the outside dance.
Someone is dancing in an unconventional or unique way that stands out from the rest.
Come'n tell me you love me, she didn't want to be a drag.
Someone is afraid to express their feelings of love or affection, likely due to fear of judgement or rejection.
I don't know what she's doin', I think she's got a brand new bag.
The dancing individual is doing something new or unfamiliar, possibly indicating that they have learned new dance moves or are experimenting with their style.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALFRED JAMES ELLIS, BOBBY BYRD, JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ralphtucker1445
1968,and this James Brown classic beats any music in 2023. This generation doesn’t know what good music really is.
@eddielucheano3977
many young bros.and sisters need to hear this for guidance !
@georgedavis6119
James Brown is the Baddest Brother ever when it comes to Funk!
@sweet-sassy
When it comes to ANY THANG!
😆
@harrietbelt7995
It wasn't summer until the new James Brown song came out
@spank2424
James Brown is the pioneer of everything u hear today musically!
@nmar7512
Gone n tell the truth... without James where would we be????.... unfunked....
@rubymcnair4206
James Brown The Godfather of Soul still lives on in our hearts still sounds good from year to year I know somebody out there agrees with what I say Amen
@Jazz13man
How could it possibly be otherwise?
@samuelchastang4584
Amen