Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud
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| “Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud” | ||
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The Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud album
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| Single by James Brown from the album Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud |
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| A-side | Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud, Pt. 1 | |
| B-side | Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud, Pt. 2 | |
| Released | August 1968 | |
| Format | 7" (stereo) | |
| Recorded | August 7, 1968 at Vox Studios, Los Angeles, CA | |
| Genre | Funk/Soul | |
| Length | 2:59 (Pt. 1) | |
| Label | King 6187 |
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| Writer(s) | James Brown Alfred Ellis |
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| Producer | James Brown | |
"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" is a funk song written and recorded by James Brown in 1968. It is notable both as one of Brown's signature songs and as one of the most popular "black power" anthems of the 1960s. The song was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Both parts of the single were later included on a 1969 album of the same name.
"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" was the first Brown recording to feature trombonist Fred Wesley, who went on to become the bandleader of The J.B.'s.
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[edit] Lyrics
In the song, Brown addresses the prejudice towards blacks in America, and the need for black empowerment. He proclaims that "we done made us a chance to do for ourself/we're tired of beating our head against the wall/workin' for someone else". The song's call-and-response chorus is performed by a group of young children, who respond to Brown's command of "Say it loud" with "I'm black and I'm proud!" Ironically, as the song was recorded in a Los Angeles area suburb, most of the children that Brown was able to recruit for the recording session were actually white and Asian children, with only a few black children included in the ensemble.[1]
The lyrics "We've been 'buked and we've been scorned/We've been treated bad, talked about as sure as you're born" in the first verse of the song paraphrase the spiritual "I've Been 'Buked".
Several other Brown singles from the same era as "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud", most notably "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself)", explored similar themes of black empowerment and self-reliance.
The song's opening exhortation, "With your bad self", is an example of linguistic reappropriation, and added a new entry to Brown's long list of sobriquets: "His Bad Self."
[edit] Place in Brown's repertoire
"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" was an immediate and massive hit for Brown. It became a highlight of his concerts, where arena crowds would shout out the "I'm black and I'm proud" response section. However, within a year of the release of the studio recording it had largely disappeared from Brown's concert repertoire, as he was concerned with how its message was being interpreted. In his 1986 autobiography Brown wrote:
The song is obsolete now... But it was necessary to teach pride then, and I think the song did a lot of good for a lot of people... People called "Black and Proud" militant and angry - maybe because of the line about dying on your feet instead of living on your knees. But really, if you listen to it, it sounds like a children's song. That's why I had children in it, so children who heard it could grow up feeling pride... The song cost me a lot of my crossover audience. The racial makeup at my concerts was mostly black after that. I don't regret it, though, even if it was misunderstood.[2]
Live recordings of "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" are included on the albums Motherlode (1988) and Say It Live & Loud: Live in Dallas, 1968 (1998).
[edit] Recognitions
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included "Say it Loud" as one of their 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In 2004 "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" was ranked number 305 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
The song inspired the title of a VH1 television special and six-disc box set, Say It Loud! A Celebration of Black Music in America. Brown's song is included on disc four of the collection.
[edit] Personnel
- James Brown - lead vocal
with the James Brown Orchestra:
- Waymond Reed - trumpet
- Richard "Kush" Griffith - trumpet
- Fred Wesley - trombone
- Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis - alto saxophone
- Maceo Parker - tenor saxophone
- St. Clair Pinckney - baritone saxophone
- Jimmy Nolen - Electric guitar - guitar
- Charles Sherrell - bass
- Clyde Stubblefield - Drums
- Unknown children's chorus
[edit] Other versions and uses
More than a dozen hip hop musicians and groups have sampled "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud", including Eric B. and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J and 2 Live Crew.
A few performers have recorded cover versions of the song, including jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson, reggae singer Bob Marley (in a medley with "Black Progress") and the punk rock band Black Randy And The Metrosquad.
A slightly modified version of the bassline of "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" appears in long sections of the track "Yesternow" on the Miles Davis album A Tribute to Jack Johnson.
Jazz pianist Jaki Byard recites the title phrase at the onset of "Parisian Throughfare", the opening track of his album The Jaki Byard Experience. However, the recitation is only audible when the track is played at a high volume.
[edit] Citations
[edit] References
- Leeds, Alan M., and Harry Weinger (1991). Star Time: Song by Song. In Star Time (pp. 46-53) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
- White, Cliff (1991). Discography. In Star Time (pp. 54-59) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
- White, Cliff (1988). Motherlode [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
