“I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown & The Famous Flames
One of the most recognizable (and coolest) funk songs ever made.
It's the end of the week, and I want to send everyone off into the weekend with the best vibes possible. That’s why the Daily Music Picks newsletter features a weekly segment called Fun Song Fridays! Regardless of era, genre, or style, the criterion is simple: it must deliver the joy and excitement we all need in our lives.
You can access the entire Fun Song Fridays archive here. A playlist featuring the songs covered with this segment is coming soon!
Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is one of the most recognizable (and coolest) funk songs ever, courtesy of the Godfather of Soul.
Genre: R&B, Funk
Label: Universal
Release Date: October 1, 1965
Vibe: 🤩🤩🤩
If there’s anything I’ve learned while writing this newsletter, it’s that music history makes strange bedfellows. Of all the hit singles that have ever been released and adored worldwide, many fall into the “happy accident” category.
Case in point for James Brown’s indefatigable “I Got You (I Feel Good),” his 1965 R&B classic that’s so ingrained in pop culture it’s instantly identified by its signature opening screech, never mind the iconic chorus. Ironically enough, it almost wasn’t a James Brown song at all. The Godfather of Soul had previously penned a version of the track, then called “I Found You,” which was eventually recorded by Yvonne Fair. A chugging blues number, Fair’s single was met with a tepid reception. In 1964, Brown laid down an early version of “I Got You (I Feel Good),” complete with a far more prominent baritone sax part, for the Smash Records album Out of Sight. Despite lip-syncing to the track in the 1965 film Ski Party, that version was never released as a single due to a court order from his label that stemmed from an ongoing contract dispute.
Those events bring us to 1965, when King Records owner Syd Nathan booked a session for Brown at Criteria Studios in Miami, where the now-famous cut of the song was recorded. Swapping out the stuttering brass for a thick bass line and punchy drum groove, it hues close to the formula that brought Brown success with “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” His voice darts in and out of the central rhythm, stopping during the track’s purposeful pauses to, in this case, exclaim that the reason he feels good is his woman. When those horns blast in time with the cymbal hits, you can picture him posing and preening as he was wont to do during his live shows.
The rest, as they say, is history. Of the 91 (!) James Brown songs that entered the Billboard Hot 100, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” is still his most successful. It’s not his most complex or inventive song, nor is it his best vocal performance. However, what it does, more than any other Brown recording, is evoke just how effortlessly cool the man was. As the cliche goes, there will never be another quite like Mr. Dynamite.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈
The Godfather of Soul at his peak. He revolutionized rhythm & blues, launched soul, and laid the groundwork for funk all at once.