Get Up!… And Unleash Your Funky Soul

Never date an artist who makes you lose yourself to music. Isn’t that their job? Yes, but James Brown takes it to extremes. He knew what he was doing every time he told us to get up! And “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is a fine example of an ingenious scheme.

Artist – JAMES BROWN, FRED WESLEY, THE J.B.’s

Song – “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul – Remix”

Album – Motherlode (1988)

The Godfather of Soul. The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. Soul Brother Number One. A legend! With no further ado, I give you… James Brown! (And a deafening cheer erupts while a delirious crowd gets up to greet Mr Dynamite himself!).

Side note: Have you noticed James Brown had a proclivity for urging people to “get up” in his songs? Case in point: “Get Up (I Feel Like Being) a Sex Machine” (1970), “Get Up Offa That Thing” (1976) and “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” (1973). For me, the message was clear: no living and able-bodied person should listen to his songs from a resting position. It makes perfect sense if you think about James Brown’s live performances. With all the effort he put in on stage while dancing, singing, leading a band, sweating from every pore, and being the Godfather of Soul, listening to his songs while sitting comfortably is almost offensive.

“People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul”

“People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is one of my absolute favourites from Mr Brown. This record is so beautifully crafted that it produces strange and unpredictable effects. Once I hear the cue “one… two… three… four”, a chain of bodily responses is set in motion: my muscles stiffen, my eyes open wide, and when the brass instruments finish the intro, my whole body initiates a series of swaggy (or so I believe), jerky movements.

To give you a clearer image, think about a robot trying to perform a dance for which it was not programmed. I know, it sounds bad! But the problem is not my lack of rhythm; that’s not even an issue. It’s this hypnotising track… So infectious! It even ‘infected’ Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3, and not in a good way: those dance moves are a little bit painful to watch. I think a character like the Joker would’ve done a better job with it. “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is not for goody-goody super-heroes, even with a symbiote latched on to them.

In my case, “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” urges me to invite everyone I know to a flash mob. Together, we would shake our bodies and drive our funky souls to ecstasy and beyond! I imagine us raising our hands and shoulders in praise while rotating the upper body in semicircles, with a distinctly ‘stank face’. Attitude, swagger, rhythm: “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” requires no less from you. So, what are you going to do? Get Up… and never date an artist who makes you lose yourself to music like this. Needless to say, I would never, ever, ever date James Brown and all the musicians who ever worked with him.

There’s no musical ecstasy without good chemistry

If there’s a record that exhibits the incredible chemistry between James Brown and his band is this one. In “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul”, every note reflects the positive synergy between seasoned musicians who feed off each other’s talent. Brown knows this and, quite astutely, lets the J.B.’s shine throughout the 9-minute track. He assumes the role of a singing maestro, who’s there to encourage and enhance the free flow of creativity, where instruments and humans become one.

Is “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” a song… or a musical report?

There’s nothing striking about the lyrics, and Brown doesn’t even unleash his signature vocal power. More, if you listen to the record carefully, you’ll find that it’s actually a musical report of whom and where people are driving their funky soul. And there’s also a strong encouragement for others to follow suit. This leads to just one conclusion: “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is meant to be a music ‘tasting’ experience where every element should be analysed and appreciated in equal amounts.

The sole protagonist is the music itself because that’s exactly what James Brown and The J.B.’s are making together. And they show how good they are with no hesitation or hiccups. They all deserve a cape over their shoulders! I confess that the groupie in me feels a powerful urge to scream every time she listens to this song. Now that I mention it, I can’t think of a single song released after 2000 that would make me scream. Gasp? Maybe. But scream? No. Oh…that’s so sad! Does this say more about me or the current state of the industry?

Motherload

“People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is the real star on Motherlode, a 1988 compilation album with virtually all unreleased tracks from 1969 to 1973. The producers, Cliff White and Tim Rogers, did a marvellous job aligning such a strong, coherent, and cohesive set. Besides Spider-Man 3, “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” also features in Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off’s (1973) soundtrack, for which it was originally made. I haven’t listened to that short 3:50-minute version yet, simply because the 9-minute remix on Motherlode takes my breath away. Once you’ve experienced the wonders of an elixir, why would you settle for a plain drink, right?

Be it as it may, “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is electrifying and has stolen the heart (and soul!) of many James Brown’s fans, me included. You can see it on Spotify: it has more than 45 million plays, while the second most played track on Motherlode (“I Got Ants in My Pants (And I Want to Dance”)) has 4.5 million. To be honest, once you listen to the whole album, you get the feeling that “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” is the main show, and the other songs are a very respectful and enjoyable opening act. But don’t be deceived by this comment because those tracks still make James Brown and his band utterly undateable.

Now, it’s your turn: which songs make you lose yourself to music? What’s the first that comes to your mind? Go ahead and share it in the comments.