It's not Christmas time at Casa K without some James Brown Christmas songs blasting from the speakers. Mrs. K and Lady K would likely make a case for the contrary but they're wrong and that's all there is to it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any clips of James performing his festive-themed songs live or on TV performances via the Tube of You. However, I did find The Godfather of Soul (and The Famous Flames) showing off spectacular Christmas knitwear - and formidable acting prowess - with his timeless hit song I Feel Good.
This memorable song appeared in the less memorable 1965 film Ski Party ("What do surfers and sunners do .. When it snows?") starring Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Deborah Walley and Yvonne Craig, the latter better known to me as the definitive TV Batgirl.
Boasting "The Tops! In Hit Tunes And Today's Hottest Talent", that's no empty claim when it comes to James Brown and The Famous Flames. 1966 saw them up the festive ante with the James Brown Sings Christmas Songs album, opening with Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year.
1968 saw the inevitable festive follow up, A Soulful Christmas. The Famous Flames had been well and truly extinguished by this point, but James Brown was on fire, as evidenced by opening statement - and my favourite of his Christmas songs - Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto. Belle And Sebastian performed a brilliant version of this song as part of Christmas live set for John Peel in 2002.
No doubt in anticipation of my birth, 1970 saw James Brown release Hey America. If you thought Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto was politically charged Christmas fare, the title track written by Addie Williams and Nat Jones turned it up to 11.
I'll admit that for a very long time I thought America had been giving James Brown the V-sign...
Hey America, it's Christmas timeHey America, it's Christmas time
All year long you've been givin' me the peace signBut dig!
What happened after twelve months of timeRight now I see more than a billion peace signs
No more
Hey America, don't you think it's about timeAfter more than a billion of those peace signsFor me to start comin' your wayAnd, people, you start to come in mine?
Let's meet
Don't you think it's about timeFor after more than a million peace signsTo start coming your wayAnd you got comin' mine?
You've got
Let's fight togetherLet's be together
AmericaI mean you and you and youLet's start another yearTogether
White or black, blue or greenEven a man I've never seenLet's get togetherLet's get together
Love one another
Hey America, it's Christmas timeGod gave us some, let us celebrateGod gave us some, let us celebrateLet us celebrate it
Hey! With wine!Hey!
Hey!
Hey AmericaDon't you think it's about timeWell after more than twelve monthsA billion peace signsSome sayin': "Right on!"The others sayin': "Straight ahead!"Right on! Straight ahead!
As-Salaam-AlaikumStraight ahead!Zei gezunt!
Straight ahead!
Hey, danke schön
Hey!This is the United States, you knowEverybody lets do it togetherHava nagilahHey!Hey!Hey!Volare!Volare, volare...
I've heard Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto before, but never heard Hey America, so thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, this is the year I finally bowed to peer pressure and bought a Christmas jumper. (My concession: it's a Spider-Man Xmas jumper.) I'm wearing it today!
Thanks, Rol. I’ve never actually owned or been compelled to wear a Christmas jumper. If I did, it would probably be a Spider-Man one too. Or music related. I saw someone in a restaurant wearing a Deicide Christmas cardie this week. The juxtaposition was compelling, I’ll admit.
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