Doing It to Death

Doing It to Death
This article is about the song. For the album by The J.B.'s, see Doing It to Death (album).
"Doing It to Death"
Single by Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s
from the album Doing It to Death
B-side "Everybody Got Soul"
Released April 1973
Format 7"
Recorded January 29, 1973, at International Studios, Augusta, GA
Genre Funk
Length 5:08 (single edit)
10:01 (album version)
12:11 (full version)
Label People
PE 621
Writer(s) James Brown
Producer James Brown

"Doing It to Death" (sometimes mis-titled as "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time") is a funk song recorded by The J.B.'s featuring James Brown. It was released as a single in 1973 and peaked at number one on the soul singles chart and number twenty-two on the Hot 100.[1] Although the song has a lead vocal by Brown (who also wrote the tune and the lyrics), the recording is credited to "Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s". It was the first J.B.'s recording to feature saxophonist Maceo Parker, who had returned to work with Brown again after attempting a career as a bandleader.

Unusually for a James Brown song, the actual words "doing it to death" appear nowhere in the song's lyrics, which feature the hook "we're gonna have a funky good time." The title came from a figure of speech used by Fred Wesley.

A 10-minute, two-part version of "Doing It to Death" was included on a J.B.'s album of the same name. The complete, unedited and nearly 13-minute long original recording of the song was first issued on the 1995 J.B.'s compilation Funky Good Time: The Anthology.

"Doing It to Death" contains an uncommon key change in which Brown tells the band to modulate downward from F to D ("In order for me to get down, I have to get down in D"). Composers who place key changes in tunes typically have them modulate upwards.

Personnel

  • James Brown - lead vocal

with Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s:

  • Fred Wesley - trombone
  • Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison - trumpet
  • Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford - trumpet
  • Ike Oakley - trumpet
  • Maceo Parker - alto saxophone and flute
  • St. Clair Pinckney - tenor saxophone
  • Eldee Williams - tenor saxophone
  • Jimmy Nolen - guitar
  • Hearlon "Cheese" Martin - guitar
  • Fred Thomas - bass
  • John "Jabo" Starks - drums
Preceded by
"One of a Kind (Love Affair)" by The Spinners		 Billboard's Best Selling Soul number one single
July 7, 1973 - July 14, 1973		 Succeeded by
"I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" by Johnnie Taylor

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 617. 
  • Leeds, Alan M., and Harry Weinger (1991). Star Time: Song by Song. In Star Time (pp. 46–53) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
  • Leeds, Alan (1995). Discography. In Funky Good Time: The Anthology [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.


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