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)
My Thang
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A brand new funk
Tell us about it
Brand new funk
If you wanna get down with a bird
This is the way you do it
Walk up and rap to her
Come on now, you know
And this is what you rap to her
I mean, come on like you should
Come on with your, come on
Gimme, gimme your thing
Gimme, gimme my thing
Gimme, gimme my thing
Feels so good, let's get it on
Gimme
Make it stone to the bone
Gimme my thing
Gimme, gimme my thing
Baby, got just what I want
Feel so good
Gimme, gimme my thing
Gimme, gimme my thing
Gimme, gimme my thing
Baby, just gimme some more
Squeeze me, hold me, roll me
Make me, make me scream
Make me feel, gimme my thing
Gimme, I need you, baby
Need you now
I don't care, what mama don't like
Give it to me anyhow
Gimme, gimme my thing
What you got, what I need
What you need, what I got
Make me feel, body hot
Gimme, gimme my thing
Taking off my shirt
'Bout to work me to death
Gimme, gimme my thing
Gimme, ooh, ooh, ooh
Baby, baby
Gimme, gimme my thing
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Gimme, hey Lord, babe
What you need is what I got
Give it up, baby, body hot
I wanna be satisfied
Oh, you can get it
Keeping it all inside
So gimme, gimme my thing
Gimme, I said gimme my thing
Oh God, gimme my thing
Help me close, help me close
If you don't help me
I'll do it myself
Gimme, gimme your thing
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
The song "My Thang" by James Brown is a classic funk track that is all about getting down and dirty on the dance floor. The lyrics encourage men to approach women and rap to them, putting their hands on the lower level and telling them to come on with their thing. From there, the lyrics get more explicit, with the singer asking the woman to give him his thing, making him feel body hot, and even taking off his shirt. The chorus repeats the phrase "gimme, gimme my thing" over and over again, with the occasional "baby" thrown in for good measure.
At its core, "My Thang" is a celebration of sexuality and the power of the groove. James Brown's lyrics are full of innuendo and double entendre, but the message is clear: if you want to have a good time, you need to let go and give in to the funk. The music mirrors the lyrics perfectly, with a relentless backbeat and a searing, raw guitar riff that never lets up. This is music that demands movement and encourages uninhibited self-expression.
Line by Line Meaning
Fellas, yeah
Addressing the male audience
A brand new funk
Referring to the new musical style he is introducing
Tell us about it
Asking the audience to engage with him
Brand new funk
Reiterating the style and inviting the audience to groove along
If you wanna get down with a bird
If you want to dance with a woman
This is the way you do it
Informing the audience how to proceed
Walk up and rap to her
Approach her and talk to her
Put your hand on the lower level
Place your hand on her hip or lower back
Come on now, you know
Encouraging the audience to try it for themselves
And this is what you rap to her
Here's what you say to her
I mean, come on like you should
Be confident and assertive
Come on with your, come on
Be bold and make your move
Gimme, gimme your thing
Give me your attention, dance with me
Gimme, gimme my thing
Give me my groove, my style
Feels so good, let's get it on
The music is great, let's dance
Make it stone to the bone
Make it tight, make it good
Baby, got just what I want
The woman he's dancing with is perfect
Gimme, gimme my thing
Repeating the request for his groove
Baby, just gimme some more
Give me more of your attention and energy
Squeeze me, hold me, roll me
Describing how he wants to dance with his partner
Make me, make me scream
Describing the intense pleasure of dancing
Make me feel, gimme my thing
Give me the energy and excitement of the new style
Gimme, I need you, baby
Asking for his partner's attention and energy
Need you now
Feeling the desire for more dance and connection
I don't care, what mama don't like
Ignoring societal expectations and pressures
Give it to me anyhow
Let's continue to dance and have a good time, regardless of others' opinions
What you got, what I need
Desiring the energy and movement of the new style
What you need, what I got
Offering his own style and energy to his partner
Make me feel, body hot
Describing the intense physical sensation of dancing
Taking off my shirt
Getting into the groove and dancing with more intensity
'Bout to work me to death
Dancing with such passion and energy that it feels like work
Gimme, ooh, ooh, ooh
Expressing the joy and intensity of the new style
Help me close, help me close
Asking for his partner to dance more closely
If you don't help me
If you don't dance closer to me
I'll do it myself
I'll dance on my own and still have a great time
Give it up, baby, body hot
Offering his own dance and energy to his partner
I wanna be satisfied
Desiring a satisfying dance experience with his partner
Oh, you can get it
You can have the dance experience you desire with me
Keeping it all inside
Desiring to express and share his energy and excitement through dancing
Gimme, I said gimme my thing
Repeating his request for his groove and energy
Oh God, gimme my thing
Desiring the intense energy and excitement of the new style
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind