- published: 06 Jul 2009
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"I Got You (I Feel Good)" (commonly known as "I Feel Good") is a hit song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1965, it was one of Brown's signature songs; his highest charting single; and, is arguably his most widely-known recording.
On the record, Brown revels in how "good" he feels ("nice, like sugar and spice"), now that he has the one he loves. Brown's vocal performance features his trademark soul shouting vocals and screams. The song's form is a twelve bar blues. Its brass-heavy instrumental arrangement is similar to that of Brown's previous hit "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", including the trademark emphasis "on the one" (i.e. the first beat of the measure) that characterizes Brown's then-new funk style. The song also features a prominent alto sax solo by Maceo Parker.
Although Brown's vocal group, The Famous Flames, received label credit for this song, they don't actually sing on it. However, they do perform the song in an earlier (1964) release of the song as an album cut. This version was used by Brown in a cameo appearance in the summer 1965 film, Ski Party. The film was an extrapolation on the American International Pictures series of beach movies (although not part of the series itself), and its June 30 release date effectively premiered the song for listeners unfamiliar with the album.
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of funk music and is a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance.
In a career that spanned decades, Brown profoundly influenced the development of many different musical genres. Brown moved on a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music making. Brown performed in concerts, first making his rounds across the Chitlin' Circuit, and then across the country and later around the world, along with appearing in shows on television and in movies. Although he contributed much to the music world through his hitmaking, Brown holds the record as the artist who charted the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever hitting number one on that chart.
For many years, Brown's touring show was one of the most extravagant productions in American popular music. At the time of Brown's death, his band included three guitarists, two bass guitar players, two drummers, three horns and a percussionist. The bands that he maintained during the late 1960s and 1970s were of comparable size, and the bands also included a three-piece amplified string section that played during ballads. Brown employed between 40 and 50 people for the James Brown Revue, and members of the revue traveled with him in a bus to cities and towns all over the country, performing upwards of 330 shows a year with almost all of the shows as one-nighters. In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1990 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Intro: (George starts)
Well, I feel good, good, good
Well, I feel good, oh yes my Lord
Because there's something 'bout the Spirit of
Jesus that makes me feel good, good, good, good
Substitute phrases (for I feel good- last word repeated like good):
I can love (Gary joins)
I've got joy (Wayburn joins)
I can sing (Rodney joins)
I can serve
(Now wait a minute) ... Do you feel good, good, good?
Do you feel good? Then clap your hands
Because there's something 'bout the Spirit of
Jesus that makes me feel good, good, good, good