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)
The Bells
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With eyes of flaming red
Their rovers are tied with ribbing
All around my baby's head
The bells are ringing And their sail is going to sea
Yes I know why they're ringing
They ring on for me
I wish I could see my baby
This can't happen to me
No, .....
Baby please forgive me
I know I've caused you pain
I'll place your tears with diamonds
Just to see your face again
Ashes into ashes
Dust to dust
Ashes into ashes
The lyrics of James Brown's "The Bells" are very poetic and open to interpretation. The song starts with an ominous image of four black horses with flaming red eyes. The horses are pulling a wagon with ribbons tied around it, which is wrapped around the singer's baby's head. The singer is concerned about the safety of their loved one and the use of the horses and ribbons adds to the sense of foreboding. Then the bells ring, and the singer understands why they are ringing. They are ringing for the singer because of his own transgressions.
The lyrics continue with the singer's lament for a lost love. He begs for forgiveness, admitting to the pain he has caused. He promises to replace the tears shed with diamonds, which is a clear example of his remorseful behavior. He then concludes the song with a somber reminder that life is fleeting, as demonstrated by the phrase "ashes into ashes, dust to dust". The overall theme of the song is one of regret and the desire for forgiveness. The imagery of the horses and bells are used to heighten the sense of dread and the urgency of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
There are four black horses
A group of horses with black fur
With eyes of flaming red
Their eyes shine with a bright red color
Their rovers are tied with ribbing
The horses are adorned with ribbons tied to their bridle or mane
All around my baby's head
The horses surround the artist's loved one
The bells are ringing
Bells are making an audible ringing sound
And their sail is going to sea
Imagery of boats sailing off to sea beside the bells
Yes I know why they're ringing
The singer understands why the bells are ringing, suggesting they are tolling in response to a death or funeral
They ring on for me
The artist feels personally connected to the bells and the situation they symbolize
Oh yea
Expression of agreement or affirmation
I wish I could see my baby
The artist desires to see their loved one again
This can't happen to me
The singer is in disbelief about something that is occurring
No, .....
Unfinished thought or sentence
Baby please forgive me
The singer is asking for forgiveness from their loved one
I know I've caused you pain
The singer acknowledges that their actions have hurt their loved one
I'll place your tears with diamonds
The singer promises to make amends by providing valuable and lasting gifts to their loved one
Just to see your face again
The artist deeply misses their loved one and desires to be reunited with them
Ashes into ashes
Reference to the biblical phrase 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust', which suggests the inevitability of death and decay
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FABER, FONTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jodie Richardson
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS MASTERPIECE.💓
Frankie C
WAY BETTER by Clyde McPHATTER & THE DOMINOES but still very good by J.B.
Marcus Reeves
THANKS FOR DIS GIFT