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)
When You Touch Me
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you touch me
Good God
When you touch me
Lookie here
I can't stand it
Can't stand it
I can't stand your love
You don't love nobody else
Get back; I can't stand myself
Can't stand your love
Good God
Early in the morning
Can't get it right
Had a little time
With my baby last night
Early in the morning
Gotta do the walk
My baby, just let me talk
When you touch me, good God
When you touch me, all right
Come on, baby, hold my hand
Just want you to know
I'm a soul man
Can't stand it
Can't stand it
Can't stand it; lookie here
Can't stand it, baby
Can't stand it
Can't stand your love
Can't stand it
I can't stand your love
Lookie here, baby
What you want me to do?
Baby, what you want me to do?
You made me, made me love you
You give me fever; my body's wet
You give me fever, break out
In a cold sweat
Baby, good God
Baby, lookie here
Sometimes I want you
Sometime I call
Sometimes I ring so hard
Come on, good God
Baby, lookie here
Can't stand your love
Can't stand your love
Can't try your love
Can't stand your love
I can't stand it
I can't stand it, good God
Can't stand it, all right
I can't stand it, all right
Bass, lookie here
Bass, Tim
Help me out, Tim
Show me how you work
A little bit, Tim
Good God, Good God
All right, can't stand it
Wait a minute, Tim
Let me get this whole thing
Together over here
Can't stand it
The lyrics of James Brownβs song βI Can't Stand Myselfβ describe the intensity of his relationship with somebody who he cannot resist, despite the strong emotions it evokes. The song begins with Brownβs voice exclaiming βGood Godβ as his lover touches him, conveying the overwhelming nature of their physical attraction. He repeats in the chorus that he cannot stand this love, further emphasizing how their relationship consumes him. Brown sings that his lover only loves him, but he urges them to back off as he cannot handle the intensity of their emotions.
The song later shifts to Brown reminiscing about a night he spent with his lover. He describes how he cannot get it right and feels like he needs to do the walk, a popular dance move from the 60s, to make it through the day. Despite the pain his lover causes him, he still calls himself a βsoul man,β perhaps insinuating that their relationship is worth the struggle it comes with. The song ends with Brownβs cry of βGood Godβ echoing, capturing the passion and intensity of his emotions.
Overall, βI Canβt Stand Myselfβ portrays a tumultuous relationship full of extremes, from overwhelming passion to agony, conveying Brownβs inability to resist the immense power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
When you touch me
The physical sensation of your touch is overwhelming to me.
When you touch me
The feeling that comes with your touch is too intense for me to handle.
Good God
An expression of amazement or surprise at the intensity of the feeling.
Lookie here
An exclamation used to draw attention to something important or surprising.
I can't stand it
The feeling is so intense that I cannot bear it any longer.
Can't stand it
The same as above, repeated for emphasis.
I can't stand your love
The intensity of your love is too much for me to handle.
You don't love nobody else
You are only showing this level of intensity towards me.
Get back; I can't stand myself
I cannot deal with the way I am reacting to your touch.
Early in the morning
Referring to a specific time of day.
Can't get it right
I am struggling to function properly due to the intensity of the feeling.
Had a little time
Referring to a recent interaction or experience.
With my baby last night
Referring to spending time with a romantic partner the night before.
Gotta do the walk
Referring to a specific dance or physical movement.
My baby, just let me talk
Asking for the opportunity to communicate with a romantic partner.
All right
An expression of agreement or satisfaction.
Come on, baby, hold my hand
Asking for physical touch as a way of comfort.
Just want you to know
Expressing a desire for the romantic partner to understand how the singer is feeling.
I'm a soul man
Identifying oneself as a person who experiences emotions deeply.
Can't stand it, baby
The same as above, directed at the romantic partner.
Lookie here, baby
Once again, drawing attention to something important.
What you want me to do?
Asking for guidance or direction from the romantic partner.
You made me, made me love you
The romantic partner played a significant role in causing the singer to feel this level of emotion.
You give me fever; my body's wet
Physical sensations are overwhelming the singer's body.
Break out in a cold sweat
The physical sensations are causing a reaction that is typically associated with fear or anxiety.
Sometimes I want you
The intensity of the feeling fluctuates over time.
Sometimes I call
Referring to communication with the romantic partner.
Sometimes I ring so hard
The singer is persistent in attempting to communicate with the romantic partner.
Bass, lookie here
Drawing attention to the bass instrument in the music.
Help me out, Tim
Asking for assistance from a specific person named Tim.
Show me how you work
Asking Tim to demonstrate his musical abilities and how they contribute to the overall sound of the song.
Wait a minute, Tim
Instructing Tim to pause before proceeding with the music or lyrics.
Let me get this whole thing together over here
Taking a moment to gather thoughts or emotions before continuing with the song.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALFRED JAMES ELLIS, JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffrey Smith
THIS MAN WAS A GENIUSβ¦. ITβs LIKE HE CREATED A GROOVE, TAUGHT IT TO THE BAND, PRESSED RECORD AND FREESTYLED ALL THE LYRICS!! INCREDIBLE
UNK
That stuttering organ that cuts through the middle of the whole song is so hypnotic. The tension in this song is so thick. It just keeps building till βTimβ breaks the spell by changing the bass line. The drummer is totally lost in the repetition of the beat. Iβm a drummer and Iβm telling you that you begin to live in the involuntary reaction zone when playing a beat like this. Something has to snap you out of it. But concentrate on that popping organ while the band is playing and watch what happens to you.
Noah ARKADE
Remind me of quasimoto low class conspiracy
Jonathan Alpart
@Noah ARKADE okay
Mikki Andrea Canada
First of all, you are sooooo right. I'm not a musician and I barely understood what you said, but just the way you said it made me wet. I love this song
Victor Mason
yes it, that organ is there by design for the soul purpose to hypnotize the listener as a deep into the groove layer. Done by a wizard shaman of our stolen tribe while dancing the spell in the studio too!...As a drummer turned organist, around the time this record came out this music was THE turning β€β¨point for me
The Ethnicist
Amen!!
I'm a rhythm and lead
πΈrst I KNOW EXACTLY WHUTCHA MEAN!!!
ilu malucwile
Does anyone really understand that James Brown was a genius who totally revolutionised music, more so than anything since the creation of jazz in the 1920s?
Jason Dawson
ilu malucwile EXCELLENT POINT!! And so factual.
Walter Hammond
Yes