JAMES BROWN - GIVE IT UP OR TURN IT A LOOSE

GIVE IT UP OR TURN IT A LOOSE

JAMES BROWN

SONGWRITER: CHARLES BOBBITT

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: GIVE UP TO A TURNIT A LOOSE

LABEL: KING

GENRE: FUNK

YEAR: 1986

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. A progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music and dance, he is often referred to by the honorific nicknames "Godfather of Soul","Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother Nº. 1". In a career that lasted over 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres.

Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. In the 1950s, he joined a rhythm and blues vocal group, the Famous Flames, founded by Bobby Byrd, as the lead singer. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a tireless 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 álbum 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 and 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 which did not reach Nº. 1. Brown was inducted into 1st 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 many other institutions, including inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 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 No. 7 on Rolling Stone's list of its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

"Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" is a funk song recorded by James Brown. Released as a single in 1969, the song was a #1 R&B hit and also made the top 20 pop singles chart. "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" appeared as an instrumental on the Ain't It Funky (1970) album, removing Brown's vocals and adding guitar overdubs, while the vocal version was released onto Soul Classics (1972).

Brown recorded "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" again with The J.B.'s for his 1970 live double album Sex Machine. Over five minutes long, this later recording used a substantially different instrumental arrangement, with an added organ riff and a florid bassline, as well as different lyrics. This version features Clyde Stubblefield on drum kit performing in tandem with congas. A remix of this recording by Tim Rogers appears on the 1986 compilation album In the Jungle Groove. The remixed version has been extensively sampled. A genuine live version of the song appears on the álbum Live at Chastain Park (rec. 1985, rel. 1988).

In 1974 Lyn Collins recorded the song, with Brown producing.

Dick Hyman recorded a synthesizer version of "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" on his 1969 album The Age of Electronicus.

Baby give it up or turn it a loose

Uh ha baby gives it up or turn it a loose

Starting over again

Baby, give it up or turn it a loose

Oh ha baby, give it up or turn it loose

Oooooh all right

Baby, give it up, oh turn it a loose oh

Oh o o all night long, uh

All right, hey, hey, hey, hey

All night long, ain't no use oh o

Oh oo baby give it up ha

Lord have mercy, hey, hey, hey, hey

All night long, ain't no use oh o

Oh oo baby give it up ha

Lord have mercy, hey, hey, hey, hey

Uh ha oh oh e wow

Baby need you so

Uh turn it a loose

Hey, hey, hey, hey

Oh, oh, oh, hold you tight

Cause I need you so

With all my might

I've got to squeeze you

Hold you tight because I love you so

Oh oh oh baby oh.