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 a Man Loves a Woman
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't keep his mind on nothin' else,
He'd change the world for the good thing he's found.
If she is bad, he can't see it,
She can do no wrong,
Turn his back on his best friend if he put her down.
When a man loves a woman,
He'll spend his very last dime
He'd give up all his comforts
And sleep out in the rain,
If she said that's the way
It ought to be.
Well, this man loves you, woman.
I gave you everything I have,
Tryin' to hold on to your heartless love.
Baby, please don't treat me bad.
When a man loves a woman,
Down deep in his soul,
She can bring him such misery.
If she is playin' him for a fool,
He's the last one to know.
Lovin' eyes can never see.
When a man loves a woman
He can do her no wrong,
He can never want
Some other girl.
Yes,When a man loves a woman
I know exactly how he feels,
'Cause baby, baby, you're my world
When a man loves a woman
The lyrics of James Brown's song When A Man Loves A Woman are a heart-wrenching testament to the depth of love a man feels for a woman. The lyrics describe the man's inability to think of anything or anyone else when he is in love. He is willing to change the world for his woman, no matter how bad or wrong she might be. He is so devoted to her that he would even turn his back on his best friend if he were to put her down.
The man is willing to spend everything he has, including his last dime, to hold on to the woman he loves. He is willing to give up all his comforts and sleep out in the rain if she tells him that's what he should do. The man loves the woman despite the misery she can bring him. He is the last to know if she is playing him for a fool. His loving eyes can never see any wrongdoing in the woman he loves. To him, she is flawless and he can never want some other girl.
The song is a powerful ode to love and the unending devotion that a man can feel for a woman. James Brown's emotive delivery and soulful performance bring the lyrics to life, making it one of the most iconic songs of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
When a man loves a woman,
When a man is deeply in love with a woman,
Can't keep his mind on nothin' else,
His mind is completely focused on her at all times,
He'd change the world for the good thing he's found.
He's willing to do anything to make her happy and keep her in his life,
If she is bad, he can't see it,
Even if she has flaws or makes mistakes, he loves her unconditionally and overlooks them,
She can do no wrong,
In his eyes, she is perfect and can never do any wrong,
Turn his back on his best friend if he put her down.
He will defend her at all costs, even if it means sacrificing his relationships with others,
He'll spend his very last dime
He's willing to give up everything he has for her,
Tryin' to hold on to what he needs.
He wants to keep her in his life forever and will do anything to make that happen,
He'd give up all his comforts
He's willing to make sacrifices and live in uncomfortable situations if it means being with her,
And sleep out in the rain,
He's willing to endure physical discomforts if it means being close to her,
If she said that's the way It ought to be.
He values her opinions and desires and will do his best to meet her needs and wants,
Well, this man loves you, woman.
The singer is confessing his love for the woman he's addressing in the song,
I gave you everything I have,
He has already given her everything he has, including his heart and soul,
Tryin' to hold on to your heartless love.
He's struggling to hold on to a love that doesn't seem to reciprocate his feelings or efforts,
Baby, please don't treat me bad.
He's pleading with her to treat him with love and respect in return,
Down deep in his soul,
His love for her is ingrained in the deepest parts of his being,
She can bring him such misery.
Her actions or lack of love can cause him great pain and suffering,
If she is playin' him for a fool,
If she's taking advantage of his love and trust, he's the last to know,
He's the last one to know.
He's oblivious to her deception and still loves her despite it,
Lovin' eyes can never see.
His love for her has blinded him to any faults or negative aspects of the relationship,
He can do her no wrong,
His love for her is so pure that he would never intentionally harm her,
He can never want Some other girl.
He's completely devoted to her and could never desire another woman,
I know exactly how he feels,
The singer can relate to the man in the song because he's experienced the same kind of intense love,
'Cause baby, baby, you're my world
The woman he's addressing is everything to him, and he loves her more than anything else in the world.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Calvin Houston Lewis, Andrew James Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind