He was The Godfather of Soul and such a powerfully understood image that Eddie Murphy's skit on Saturday Night Live needed no explanation as it pay tribute to the hardest working man in music through the
language of laughter.It is James Brown that I think of now, having learned of his death Christmas day. I'm thinking of the man who gave his sweat, human and raw while somehow brilliant even in the embrace of his flaws.
I remember the words that raw voice of soul sang out to me.
Now we demand a chance to do things for ourself
We're tired of beatin' our head against the wall
And workin' for someone else
The thrill of hearing them and the almost tragic shock that came with it, so rare was the language of empowerment.
We're people, we're just like the birds and the bees
We'd rather die on our feet
Than be livin' on our knees
The music of James Brown didn't ask, it demanded.
Made you rise up from your seat, didn't it?
Say it loud,
I'm black and I'm proud
Soul Brother Number One...
4 comments:
Heaven's choir has a new soloist...and heaven will never be the same.
...yeah made me cry early yesterday morning when i heard...his music will live on forever.
He will be sorely missed. The power of his music and the power of his devotion to peaceful change.
I hate feeling conflicted about people like James Brown, people who produce the art that I love, that makes me happy to be alive. He was arrested for abusing his partner in 2004...
It makes me sad to listen to his music sometimes, now.
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