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)
Why Do You Do Me
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone has taken my place
No one to share my embrace
Oh, why do you do me like you do?
I give my heart to you
Like no one else could do
I'm just-a lonely and blue
Way down inside me
There is no one else but you, oh
Deep down inside me
There is no one else but you
I give my heart to you
And no one else could do
I'm just-a lonely and blue
Oh, why do you do me like you do
Way down inside me
There is no one else but you
Deep down inside me
There is no one else but you
I give my heart to you
But no one, no one else could do
I'm just-a lonely and blue, oh yeah
Why do you do me like you do?
Yeah, yeah
The lyrics of James Brown's "Why Do You Do Me" are those of a heartbroken person who is trying to understand why they have been abandoned by their lover. The singer asks why their partner has taken someone else's place and left them alone without anyone to share their embrace. They also express their deep feelings of loneliness and sadness, questioning why they are being treated so badly. The singer highlights the fact that they have given their heart and love to their partner, like no one else can, and yet they are still left feeling empty and unloved.
The second part of the song focuses on the singer's deep internal feelings, expressing that there is nobody else in their heart and life but their partner. They highlight that they have given their heart to their partner and that no one else could ever replace them. The repetition of the lyrics, "Why do you do me like you do", emphasizes the pain that the singer is experiencing, and they are trying to make sense of the situation.
Overall, the song is a classic soulful ballad about heartbreak, loneliness, and the pain that comes with losing someone you love. The expressive lyrics and soulful voice of James Brown makes this song a timeless classic that many people can relate to, even today.
Line by Line Meaning
Why did it happen this way?
James Brown is questioning why his relationship has ended the way it has.
Someone has taken my place
James Brown's love interest has left him for someone else.
No one to share my embrace
James Brown is feeling lonely and has no one to hold.
Oh, why do you do me like you do?
James Brown is feeling hurt and betrayed by his love interest.
I give my heart to you
James Brown is deeply devoted and committed to his love interest.
Like no one else could do
James Brown believes that his love is unique and incomparable.
I'm just-a lonely and blue
James Brown is feeling sad and alone without his love interest.
Way down inside me
James Brown's love for his partner is deeply ingrained.
There is no one else but you, oh
James Brown's love interest is the only one for him.
Deep down inside me
James Brown's feelings for his partner are profound and enduring.
But no one, no one else could do
No one else could replace James Brown's love interest.
Oh yeah, why do you do me like you do?
James Brown is still confused and hurt by his partner's actions.
Yeah, yeah
Refrain for emphasis.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY BYRD, SYLVESTER L KEELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind