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)
There Was A Time
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I used to play
There was a time when I used to play
But take me now, baby, don't worry about later
Teach the dance I used to do
They call it the Mashed Potato
There was a day, now dig this
Everybody relax and watch me work
In my hometown where I used to stay
The name of the place is Augusta, GA
Down there we have a good time
We don't talk
We all get together in time, for rhythm with you
So come and walk
There was a day that I used to do
The name of the dance
They call it Boogaloo
I may not do the dance as well as you
But baby, you can bet your bottom dollar
That you never hear me holler
I do the best that I can do
There was a time, sometimes I dance
Sometimes I dance, sometimes I clown
But you can bet you haven't seen nothing yet
Until you see me do the James Brown
The lyrics of James Brown's song "There Was A Time" are predominantly focused on the singer's past experiences of dancing and having a good time. Brown reminisces about a time when he used to play and dance and, in the present day, he wants to teach others the dance he used to do - the Mashed Potato. He assures his partner that she does not need to worry about later and asks her to relax and watch him work as he shows off his dancing skills in the Jerk, Boogaloo and the James Brown.
The song is a nostalgic look back at Brown's hometown, Augusta, GA, and the way they used to party where everyone would get together and groove to the rhythm. The lyrics express the sentiment that the dance may not be done as well as it used to be or as well as others, but it is about doing the best that one can do and having fun while doing it.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a day, there was a time
I remember a time from the past
When I used to play
When I used to perform music
There was a time when I used to play
I used to perform music in the past
But take me now, baby, don't worry about later
Don't worry about the future, let's live in the moment
Teach the dance I used to do
Show others the dance I used to perform
They call it the Mashed Potato
This dance is commonly known as the Mashed Potato
There was a day, now dig this
I have another memory to share
There was a day, they call it the Jerk
There was a time when a dance called the Jerk was popular
Everybody relax and watch me work
Take a break and enjoy my performance
In my hometown where I used to stay
The place where I grew up
The name of the place is Augusta, GA
The name of my hometown is Augusta, Georgia
Down there we have a good time
We enjoy ourselves there
We don't talk
We don't waste time talking
We all get together in time, for rhythm with you
We come together to enjoy music and dance with each other
So come and walk
Join us and dance
There was a day that I used to do
I have yet another memory to share
The name of the dance
The dance I am talking about
They call it Boogaloo
This dance is commonly known as Boogaloo
I may not do the dance as well as you
I might not be the best at this dance, but that's okay
But baby, you can bet your bottom dollar
But you can be certain
That you never hear me holler
I won't complain or give up
I do the best that I can do
I always do my best
There was a time, sometimes I dance
I have more memories to share
Sometimes I dance, sometimes I clown
Sometimes I am serious, sometimes I am silly
But you can bet you haven't seen nothing yet
You haven't seen the best of me yet
Until you see me do the James Brown
Until you see me perform my signature style of dance, the James Brown
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Buddy J. Hobgood, James Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
alis dekor
MY BEST JAMES BROWN 'S SONG
This is a man's world
This, this is a man's world
But it wouldn't be nothing
No, it wouldn't be nothing
Without a woman
Without a woman or a girl
You see
Man made the car
To take us over the road
And man made the train
To carry the heavy load
And man made the electric light
To take us out of the dark
And man made the boat for the water
Like Noah made the ark
This is a man's, man's, man's, man's world
But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing
Without a woman or a girl
Man thinks about a little bitty baby girl
And a baby boy
Man makes them happy
Cause a man makes some toys
And after man
And after man's makes everything
Everything he can
You know that man…
J Lilly
Me and my homeboy found this on an old King 45 in 1981 when we were 11 years old and from that point forward our lives were forever changed. We felt something that jumped from the record into our bodies and made us feel more alive. Man, I'm telling you, this brotha right HERE! HE...IS...IT!!
Gruuvin1
It's crazy that 50 years has gone by, and music hasn't gotten any better. What's cooler than this era? Seriously, tell me!
88Keyze
This song has to have the coldest rhythm guitar track ever recorded. In the pocket, relentless, and as funky as it gets!
66Fredo99
Tell the truth!
trustme Trusty
It is the song!!
Joyce Doull
Best groove ever
Paul Turnet
ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY !!!
Cessaly D Hutchinson
Absolutely bro’! His stuff was just TIGHT!!!!!
Gany Meade
Life is short. 50 years has flown by. I remember seeing him in concert in 1968. Best concert ever. Best backup musicians and dancers ever. Otherworldly.
Jonathan 12
He’s incredible even for me ( i’m sixteen)