James Brown

In 1966, I was 14 years old. I had already heard of James Brown, but that year he released a song that sounded amazing to me. He co-wrote and produced the song, and I soon had a copy on a vinyl single. Fifty-six years later, I still think it is an amazing song.

This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
You see, man made the cars to take us over the road
Man made the train to carry the heavy load
Man made electric light to take us out of the dark
Man made the boat for the water, like Noah made the ark
This is a man’s, man’s, man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
Man thinks about our little bitty baby girls and our baby boys
Man made them happy, ’cause man made them toys
And after man make everything, everything he can
You know that man makes money, to buy from other man
This is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing, not one little thing, without a woman or a girl
He’s lost in the wilderness
He’s lost in bitterness, he’s lost lost
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Betty Jean Newsome / James Brown
It’s Man’s Man’s World lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Word Up

Funk is a musical genre that has been interpreted in many ways by numerous artists and bands over the years. From James Brown’s ‘Make it Funky’, Tom Browne’s ‘Funkin For Jamaica’ and rock band Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy’, it has been an enduring theme for over forty years. In 1986, American vocal group Cameo released this song, which seemed to sum up the whole thing, in just four and a half minutes.

This was also the age of MTV, and the pop video was often as important as the song. Cameo’s front man, Larry Blackmon, obviously had this in mind when he chose his outfit. Dressed in a skin-tight black leotard, with a red plastic heart worn between his legs, we all knew that this was going to make Cameo stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, the song was as memorable as the outfit, and is still as good today, as it was twenty-eight years ago. Recently revived in the UK, thanks to its use on a prominent TV commercial, a new generation can now enjoy the feel-good funk provided by this group. Although still performing today, their international fame was short-lived, and it is unlikely that they will ever better this. Try to keep still. I dare you.