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)
Mind Power
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're dealing with
A very critical and crucial times
Most, crucial and critical time that I've ever witnessed
Being as young as I am
You know
We all don't want to say nothing else, so we say "as young as we are"
Now I want to talk about
And the realization
Now the educators
They call it
E.S.P.
Positive thinking, right?
Some of the people across the other side of the pond call it
Vibes
Vibrations
Astrology and all those different things you understand
But I call it, what it is and what it is
What it is and what it is
Lookie here
Now you see
A brother
You take in the ghetto you find a whole lot of crime
I can understand
Hey
I know what it means
Being nine years old before I got my first pair of underwear out of a store
You know
Putting on a half
A half pressed suit
From the pawn shop
With tennis shoes
Trying to be hip
See I know where it's coming from
Like the fellow say, "having catfish head stew"
And then like the catfish went in there with his head and come out very quick and didn't leave nothing else!
Now, there's one thing that the educators and the politicians and the establishment
Gotta remember
Now, brothers need jobs
If you don't work
You can't eat
If you don't work
You can't eat
Get hip to yourself, good God, my brother, and get it from the street
If you don't work
You can't eat
Sis
If you don't work, Lord
You can't eat
So you've got to have mind power to deal with starvation
And that's what we're dealing with
You see we can't
Go back to the biblical stories
"2 loaves of bread"
Or "2 little fishes, 5 loaves of bread"
"2 little fishes" yeah
"5 loaves of bread"
Now lookie here
There's too many brothers that go by that
Now I want you brothers to dig where we coming from
Set your mind
Right here
Dig the JBE experience
I dug this from a young man out of New York
He said the GBE
The GBE
Now we want to take it to the JBE
The JB experience
Now friend
Brother, brother
Lay it on me
Lay it
Mind Power
Mind Power
Mind
Mind Power
What it is, what it is
What it is, what it is
It is what it is
It is what it is
It is what it is
That's what it is
It is
What it is
That's what it is
You know
Dealing with Harlem
South Side of Chicago
The Bay area
Watts
Five Point, Buttermilk Bottom in Atlanta
Diane Street in Augusta
West Broad in Savannah
U Street in Washington
Going over to Baltimore
South Street in Philly
Boston
I know
Somebody needs to help us
Give us
Just give us a chance
Somebody
Brothers across the nation
You got to get yourself together
Unified
We need information
Brothers across the nation
Pass on that right-on
Information
Brothers across the nation
That love power
Funky robot
That mind power
JB experience
JBE
Now back to
And meanwhile back to the ranch
Let's talk about the things what
That we deal with each and every day
Now horns
Now horns
Lets tell everybody
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is
You can't change it
What it is, is what it is
Don't try to change it
What it is, is what it is
Deal with it
What it is, is what it is
Don't fool yourself
What it is, is what it is
Look in the mirror
What it is, is what it is
You'll find
What it is, is what it is
You can't fool yourself
What it is, is what it is
Gotta deal with it
What it is, is what it is
What it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is
What it is, is what it is
Tell 'em man
What it is, is what it is
Deal with it
What it is, is what it is
What it
What it is, is what it is
Wait a minute
A lookie here
I believe we should go back to the top
I wanna go back to the beginning
'Cause I like to hear ol' Morgan play them funky sticks over there
Now we'll build it up a bit and we'll tell 'em
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
Give me some horns
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is
Give me a taste Jimmy
Give me taste
Hit me
I wanna go way back there
To the top
Way back there
Right now
The lyrics of the song "Mind Power" by James Brown addresses the socio-economic issues faced by African Americans living in the ghettos during the time it was written. Brown talks about the critical times when brothers are starving, jobless, and need mind power to survive. He emphasizes the importance of positive thinking or what he calls "mind power" to overcome the obstacles of poverty and achieve success. Brown notes the various names given to positive thinking by different people such as vibes, astrology, and vibrations.
Brown expresses his understanding of the struggles of the ghetto life from an early age. He talks about wearing half-pressed suits from the pawnshops and tennis shoes as a child, trying to appear hip. Brown notes the lack of opportunities for African Americans to gain meaningful employment as the reason for the high crime rate prevalent in the ghettos. He, however, encourages brothers and sisters across the nation to unify and pass on information that can help them achieve their goals.
In summary, James Brown's "Mind Power" is a call for brothers and sisters to unify and rely on their positive mindset to overcome the obstacles that come with living in the ghettos. He encourages the passing of information and the need to tackle the root cause of poverty, which is lack of employment.
Line by Line Meaning
You know
It is important to understand
We're dealing with
We are currently facing
A very critical and crucial times
An extremely significant and important period
Most, crucial and critical time that I've ever witnessed
The most significant and important time I have ever experienced
Being as young as I am
Although I am young
You know
I mean
We all don't want to say nothing else, so we say "as young as we are"
We prefer to use the phrase "as young as we are" to express our current situation
Now I want to talk about
Now I want to discuss
The pronunciation
The articulation
And the realization
And the understanding
Now the educators
Now the teachers
They call it
They refer to it as
E.S.P.
Extra Sensory Perception
Positive thinking, right?
Optimistic mindset, correct?
Some of the people across the other side of the pond call it
Some individuals from a different country refer to it as
Vibes
Vibrations
Vibrations
Sensations
Astrology and all those different things you understand
Astrological concepts and other related theories, as you comprehend
But I call it, what it is and what it is
But I simply call it what it truly is
What it is and what it is
Its real nature and characteristics
Lookie here
Look here
Now you see
Now you understand
A brother
An individual
You take in the ghetto you find a whole lot of crime
In poverty-stricken neighborhoods, there is a high prevalence of criminal activity
I can understand
I can comprehend
Hey
Listen
I know what it means
I know the significance
Being nine years old before I got my first pair of underwear out of a store
At the age of nine, when I received my first store-bought pair of underwear
You know
I mean
Putting on a half
Wearing a partially
A half pressed suit
A suit that was only partially ironed
From the pawn shop
Purchased from a pawn shop
With tennis shoes
With sneakers
Trying to be hip
Attempting to be fashionable
See I know where it's coming from
I understand its origin
Like the fellow say, "having catfish head stew"
As the saying goes, "having a stew made from the head of a catfish"
And then like the catfish went in there with his head and come out very quick and didn't leave nothing else!
And just like a catfish diving into the water with its head and quickly resurfacing, leaving nothing behind!
Now, there's one thing that the educators and the politicians and the establishment
Now, the teachers, politicians, and the authorities must remember
Gotta remember
They must remember
Now, brothers need jobs
Now, men need employment
If you don't work
If you don't have a job
You can't eat
You will not have enough to eat
Get hip to yourself, good God, my brother, and get it from the street
Gain awareness and understanding, my brother, and learn from the realities of life
Sis
Sister
If you don't work, Lord
If you don't have a job, my Lord
You can't eat
You will not have enough to eat
So you've got to have mind power to deal with starvation
Therefore, you must possess mental strength to cope with hunger
And that's what we're dealing with
And that's the situation we are facing
You see we can't
You understand we cannot
Go back to the biblical stories
Refer to stories from the Bible
"2 loaves of bread"
With only two loaves of bread
Or "2 little fishes, 5 loaves of bread"
Or "two small fishes and five loaves of bread"
"2 little fishes" yeah
"Two small fishes", yes
"5 loaves of bread"
"Five loaves of bread"
Now lookie here
Now listen closely
There's too many brothers that go by that
Many individuals believe in those stories
Now I want you brothers to dig where we coming from
Now, I want you all to understand our perspective
Set your mind
Prepare yourself mentally
Right here
In this moment
Dig the JBE experience
Understand and embrace the JBE (James Brown Experience)
I dug this from a young man out of New York
I learned this from a young man from New York
He said the GBE
He referred to it as the GBE (Godfather Brown Experience)
The GBE
The Godfather Brown Experience
Now we want to take it to the JBE
Now we want to bring it to the JBE
The JB experience
The James Brown Experience
Now friend
Now my friend
Brother, brother
My dear brother
Lay it on me
Tell me, express your thoughts
Lay it
Tell me, express your thoughts
Mind Power
The power of the mind
Mind Power
The power of the mind
Mind
Mental
Mind Power
The power of the mind
What it is, what it is
Its true nature
What it is, what it is
Its true nature
What it is, what it is
Its true nature
What it is, what it is
Its true nature
It is what it is
It exists as it is
It is what it is
It exists as it is
It is what it is
It exists as it is
That's what it is
That is its true nature
It is
It exists
What it is
Its true nature
That's what it is
That is its true nature
You know
You understand
Dealing with Harlem
Facing the challenges of Harlem
South Side of Chicago
The southern area of Chicago
The Bay area
The San Francisco Bay area
Watts
The Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles
Five Point, Buttermilk Bottom in Atlanta
Five Points and Buttermilk Bottom neighborhoods in Atlanta
Diane Street in Augusta
Diane Street in Augusta, Georgia
West Broad in Savannah
West Broad Street in Savannah, Georgia
U Street in Washington
U Street in Washington, D.C.
Going over to Baltimore
Also including Baltimore
South Street in Philly
South Street in Philadelphia
Boston
The city of Boston
I know
I am aware
Somebody needs to help us
We require assistance from someone
Give us
Provide us with
Just give us a chance
Simply offer us an opportunity
Somebody
Someone
Brothers across the nation
Fellow men all over the country
You got to get yourself together
You must gather yourself
Unified
United
We need information
We require knowledge
Brothers across the nation
Fellow men all over the country
Pass on that right-on
Share that meaningful
Information
Knowledge
Brothers across the nation
Fellow men all over the country
That love power
The power of love
Funky robot
Groovy dance moves
That mind power
The power of the mind
JB experience
James Brown experience
JBE
James Brown Experience
Now back to
Now let's return to
And meanwhile back to the ranch
And now, shifting our focus back to the topic at hand
Let's talk about the things what
Let's discuss the things that
That we deal with each and every day
That we face on a daily basis
Now horns
Now the saxophones
Now horns
Now the saxophones
Lets tell everybody
Let's inform everyone
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is
Its true nature
You can't change it
You cannot alter it
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Don't try to change it
Do not attempt to alter it
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Deal with it
Handle it
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Don't fool yourself
Do not deceive yourself
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Look in the mirror
Examine yourself
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
You'll find
You will discover
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
You can't fool yourself
You cannot deceive yourself
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Gotta deal with it
You must handle it
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Deal with it
Handle it
What it
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Wait a minute
Hold on for a moment
A lookie here
Now listen closely
I believe we should go back to the top
I think we should go back to the beginning
I wanna go back to the beginning
I want to return to the starting point
'Cause I like to hear ol' Morgan play them funky sticks over there
Because I enjoy hearing Morgan play the drums enthusiastically in that direction
Now we'll build it up a bit and we'll tell 'em
Now we'll intensify it and inform them
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
Give me some horns
Play some saxophones
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is, is what it is
Its true nature
What it is
Its true nature
Give me a taste Jimmy
Allow Jimmy to showcase his talent
Give me taste
Let me experience the music
Hit me
Play the music and let me feel it
I wanna go way back there
I want to go back to an earlier time
To the top
To the beginning
Way back there
In the past
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Brown, Charles Bobbit, Fred Wesley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind