Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud

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"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud"

Cover of the Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud album
Single by James Brown
from the album Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud
A-side(s)	Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud, Pt. 1
B-side(s)	Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud, Pt. 2
Released	August 1968
Format	45 rpm single (stereo)
Recorded	August 7, 1968 at Vox Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Genre	Funk/Soul
Length	2:59 (Pt. 1)
Label	King Records (6187)
Writer(s)	James Brown - Alfred Ellis
Producer(s)	James Brown
Chart positions
#1 R&B, #10 Pop

"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" is a 1968 recording by James Brown. It is notable both as one of Brown's signature songs and 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 Fred Wesley, who went on to become the bandleader of the J.B.'s.

1 Lyrics
2 Recognitions
3 Personnel
4 References
5 External links

[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.

[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.