James Brown may have made his money in Atlanta, but he was born into poverty in South Carolina.
This song, written by Brown and Betty Jean Newsome, was recorded in New York City in 1966 and became a huge R&B AND Pop hit in the US a year later. It is a slow, brooding, soulful tune. Is it a little chauvinistic? It sure is, but I bet Brown didn't think it was, because he was trying to convey that a man needs a woman, or a girl.
It would become one of his signature songs.
You might note that the single is short.
His live versions were decidedly not. In fact, the brooding and jazzy nature of the tune lent itself well to extended versions of the song. And, here he is, in 1981, singing the hell out of it live.
Here he is, later in life, performing the song with an orchestra and Luciano Pavarotti.
I'd just like to point out that, at this point in their lives, both men were battling health issues, and still sang the hell out of this song.
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