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)
Tit For Tat
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody
Bring it in, uh
Plenty of good food
And all the good joys
Plenty of music
In the kiddie room
Review all the dances
All from the old and the new
With a real, a real live show
For you and you and you
From the baby section
Teenagers, adults at once, uh
All in their own bag without
Without an ounce of grudge
You'd understand
When all can share the fun
Without an ounce of grudge, alright now
With your mom, your son, and your hon
Ah, so keep the band rocking
So, band play on, play on
'Cause soon everybody
Will be in a real mellow tone
So keep the band, the crew
And don't and don't get back
'Cause you can have a real lotta fun
When it's tit for tat and no taking back
Uh, play with your hand
Play volleyball
Uh
Hide and go seek
Christmas cheer
Okay, one more time
Come on, kiddies
All right, everybody line up
You ready? You ready?
Watch my hands
Everybody sing, come on
Plenty of good food, alright you
And all the good joys
Plenty of music
In the kiddie's room
There's plenty of toys
Review the old dances
All from the old and the new
With the real live show, everybody
For you, you and you
Come on now
With the baby section, for you
Teenagers, adults at once
All in their own bag
Do what you wanna
Without an ounce of grudge
Now, together
You'd understand
When all can share the fun
Without an ounce of (?) and grudge
With mom, your son, and your hon
Come on
The lyrics of James Brown's song Tit For Tat speak of a joyous celebration where everyone can come together, have fun, and enjoy good food, music, and activities without any negativity or grudges. The song highlights how different age groups, from babies to adults, can all come together and enjoy the festivities in their own way, without any judgement or resentment. The lyrics emphasize the importance of sharing the fun and enjoying the moment, without worrying about taking anything back or holding grudges.
The song promotes positivity and inclusivity, where everyone can have a good time and participate in different activities like playing volleyball, hide and go seek, and singing along to music. The lyrics suggest that the celebration will culminate into a mellow and relaxed atmosphere once the band stops playing, and everyone can leave with the memories of a fun and enjoyable time. Overall, Tit For Tat is a song that celebrates togetherness, joy, and positivity in a fun and playful way.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody, have fun
Let's all have fun together
Everybody
Everyone is welcome
Bring it in, uh
Come closer and join in
Plenty of good food
There's plenty of delicious food for everyone
And all the good joys
And plenty of good things to enjoy
Plenty of music
There's lots of great music to dance to
In the kiddie room
Even the kids have their own space to enjoy
There's plenty of toys
And lots of toys for the kids to play with
Review all the dances
Let's go over all the dance moves
All from the old and the new
From classic dances to new ones
With a real, a real live show
And a great live performance
For you and you and you
For everyone to enjoy
From the baby section
Even the littlest ones are included
Teenagers, adults at once, uh
People of all ages are here
All in their own bag without
Everyone has their own style without judgment
Without an ounce of grudge
No one is holding a grudge against anyone else
You'd understand
You'll get it when you see it
When all can share the fun
When everyone joins in and has fun together
Alright now
Let's go!
With your mom, your son, and your hon
Come enjoy the fun with your family
Ah, so keep the band rocking
Let's keep the music going
So, band play on, play on
Keep on playing, band!
'Cause soon everybody
Because soon everyone
Will be in a real mellow tone
Will be relaxing and enjoying themselves
So keep the band, the crew
Keep the music and the entertainment going
And don't and don't get back
Don't stop now, keep going!
Cause you can have a real lotta fun
Because there's so much fun to be had
When it's tit for tat and no taking back
When everyone is exchanging and sharing without holding back
Uh, play with your hand
Play a game with your hands
Play volleyball
Play a game of volleyball
Hide and go seek
Play a game of hide and seek
Christmas cheer
Celebrate the holiday season together
Okay, one more time
Let's do it again!
Come on, kiddies
Let's have some fun, kids!
All right, everybody line up
Let's line up and get ready for more fun
You ready? You ready?
Are you ready to have some fun?
Watch my hands
Follow my lead!
Everybody sing, come on
Let's all sing together
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Brown, Nat Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind