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)
No No No
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby, yeah
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't go, don't go
(Don’t go, don't go, don’t go)
Yeah, don’t quit me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don’t quit me baby, tonight
(No, no, no, no, no)
Foolin’ with me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don’t quit me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don’t quit me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't go, don't go
(Don't go, don't go, don’t go)
I've been shoved
(Oh-oh, yeah)
I've been loved
(Oh-oh, yeah)
I've been laid
(Oh-oh, yeah)
In my grave
(Oh-oh, yeah)
Told my friends
(Oh-oh, yeah)
My best pals
(Oh-oh, yeah)
Don't ever let me
Catch you with my gal
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't go, don't go, don't go, don't go
The song "No No No No" by James Brown is a desperate plea from the singer to his lover to stay with him. Brown repeats the phrase "Don't leave me baby" throughout the song, emphasizing his fear of being left alone. He is begging and pleading, with a sense of desperation in his voice that is palpable.
In the second verse, Brown expresses his grievances, listing the things he has been through, like being shoved, loved, laid, and put in his grave. He also warns his friends not to come between him and his lover. The repetition of "No no no no" in every line of the verse emphasizes Brown's anxiety and desperation.
The entire song is underpinned by a funky bassline, syncopated drum rhythm, and horns that add a sense of urgency. It's a classic example of Brown's soulful funk music that influenced so many other artists.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Please don't leave me, baby. I am begging you not to, and I am repeating myself because it is very important that you understand how much I want you to stay.
Don't leave me baby, yeah
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
I am really desperate for you to stay with me. I am repeating myself because I don't want you to miss how important it is to me.
Don't go, don't go
(Don’t go, don't go, don’t go)
I am so afraid and uncertain about what will happen if you leave that I am begging you not to go. I am repeating myself to emphasize how much I don't want you to leave.
Yeah, don’t quit me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don’t quit me baby, tonight
(No, no, no, no, no)
Foolin’ with me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
I am afraid you might be trying to leave me or find someone else. I am telling you not to leave me because I need you, and I am repeating myself to make sure you understand how important it is that you stay.
I've been shoved
(Oh-oh, yeah)
I've been loved
(Oh-oh, yeah)
I've been laid
(Oh-oh, yeah)
In my grave
(Oh-oh, yeah)
I have been through a lot in my life. I have been pushed down and I have been lifted up. I have had good times and bad times. But I am willing to go through anything if it means I can keep you by my side.
Told my friends
(Oh-oh, yeah)
My best pals
(Oh-oh, yeah)
Don't ever let me
Catch you with my gal
I have made it clear to my friends that you are my girl, and I don't want anyone else to be with you. I am warning them not to mess with you because I would be very upset if anyone tried to take you away from me.
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't leave me baby
(No, no, no, no, no)
Don't go, don't go, don't go, don't go
I am so afraid of losing you that I am begging you not to leave me. I am repeating myself because I need you to know how important it is that you stay with me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind