Song of the Day 10/18: James Brown, “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World”

Among the tracks spun by DJ Donnie Two Scoops in Oaks, Pa., the other day was this James Brown classic. Originally released in 1966, it reached No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Brown’s first Top 10 single, and No. 1 on the R&B chart. You can see why the overtly chauvinistic title would appeal to the overtly chauvinistic Trump, and you can tell from his history that he’s unfamiliar with the last line of the chorus.

Despite the misogynistic premise of the lyrics, they were actually co-written by a woman, Betty Jean Newsome, who was Brown’s girlfriend and backup singer at the time. She later claimed in court that she wrote the song alone, which sort of undercuts its message about men building everything.

The song had a long incubation period. Brown recorded a demo of it in 1964, when its title was just “It’s a Man’s World.” The change apparently was a play on the popular film of the time, “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.”

Once it was let out into the world it became Brown’s signature song, appearing on almost all of his live albums. He even got to sing it with opera star Luciano Pavarotti – or Pavarotti got to sing it with him.