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)
Mother Popcorn Part 1
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Popcorn, yeah, yeah, yeah popcorn!
Some like 'em fat and some like em tall
Some like 'em short
Skinny legs and all
I like 'em tall
And when they walk
You know they draw a crowd!
See, you gotta have a mutha for me
Yeah, yeah, yeah ah come on!
A look-a-here!
There was a time when I was all alone
I had a secret thought I was gone
Somebody done me!
Said now I see
What you are doin', brother
To stay ahead of me
And when I get burndt ha! I use some salve
And when I want some lovin'
A mother she got to have
See, you got to have a mother for me
Yeah! Popcorn! oh! uh!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah! Eeee yeah!
Do the popcorn hu!
Ooh!
Ooh!
Popcorn! uh!
Yeah-yeah-yeah
Look-a-here! ha! good lord!
Hu! hu!
Look-a-here!
Do the popcorn and do the horse
Show everybody where you at!
You gotta be boss
The way you do your little thing
Step in a small ring
And jump back baby!
James brown gonna do his thing!
Popcorn! yeah! yeah! yeah!
Sometime sometime I'm feelin' low
Sometime I'm feelin' low
I call another brother
Talkin about Maceo!
Maceo! blow your horn!
Don't talk no trash hu!
Play me some popcorn!
Maceo! come on! uh!
Popcorn hu! ah!
The song "Mother Popcorn Part 1" by James Brown is a dance-oriented, funky song about his love for women. The song starts with a chant of "popcorn, yeah, yeah, yeah popcorn!" and is then followed by a description of Brown's physical preference in women. He likes them tall and proud because he enjoys the attention they draw when they walk. However, he also emphasizes the need for a "mother," someone who will take care of him, provide him with love, and keep him ahead of the game. In spite of the song's suggestive lyrics, the focus is really on the rhythm and danceability of the song that has an infectious groove and a sense of fun.
Brown's delivery of the lyrics is soulful and exuberant, with frequent vocalizations and screams that emphasize the energy he brings to the song. He also introduces a call and response with his backing band, the Famous Flames, that adds to the song's dynamic sound. The midsection of the song sees Brown urging his saxophonist Maceo Parker to play a solo, and Maceo obliges with an impressive horn solo. The song then returns to the refrain, repeating the chant of "popcorn" and emphasizing the fun and danceability of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, yeah,yeah
Expressing sheer excitement and enthusiasm.
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Popcorn, yeah, yeah, yeah popcorn!
Chanting for popcorn, which represents a fun-loving and energetic approach to life.
Some like 'em fat and some like em tall
Some like 'em short
Skinny legs and all
I like 'em tall
I like 'em proud
And when they walk
You know they draw a crowd!
Expressing a preference for tall, confident women who exude charm and charisma wherever they go.
See, you gotta have a mutha for me
Yeah, yeah, yeah ah come on!
Stating that he needs a mother figure in his life to provide guidance, support, and love.
A look-a-here!
There was a time when I was all alone
I had a secret thought I was gone
Somebody done me!
Said now I see
What you are doin', brother
To stay ahead of me
And when I get burndt ha! I use some salve
And when I want some lovin'
A mother she got to have
See, you got to have a mother for me
Recalling a time when he felt lost and defeated but received help and guidance from someone who cared about him. Emphasizing the importance of having someone to watch out for you and provide comfort when things get rough.
Yeah! Popcorn! oh! uh!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah! Eeee yeah!
Do the popcorn hu!
Ooh!
Ooh!
Popcorn! uh!
Yeah-yeah-yeah
Continuing to express his enthusiasm for popcorn, which represents a joyous and carefree way of life. Encouraging others to join in the fun and dance along with him.
Look-a-here! ha! good lord!
Hu! hu!
Look-a-here!
Drawing attention to himself and his performance while also acknowledging a higher power or divine force.
Do the popcorn and do the horse
Show everybody where you at!
You gotta be boss
The way you do your little thing
Step in a small ring
And jump back baby!
James brown gonna do his thing!
Popcorn! yeah! yeah! yeah!
Encouraging others to express themselves and show off their unique talents and skills, all while acknowledging his own ability to captivate and entertain a crowd.
Sometime sometime I'm feelin' low
Sometime I'm feelin' low
I call another brother
Talkin about Maceo!
Maceo! blow your horn!
Don't talk no trash hu!
Play me some popcorn!
Maceo! come on! uh!
Popcorn hu! ah!
Admitting that sometimes he feels down and needs the help and companionship of another musician, in particular Maceo Parker. Encouraging Maceo to play some uplifting, joyful music that will raise his spirits and get him dancing once again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alfred James Ellis, James Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind