Please, Please, Please
Encyclopedia
"Please, Please, Please" is an R&B
song
written by James Brown
and Johnny Terry and recorded by Brown and The Flames
. Released in 1956 as a single
on the Cincinnati, Ohio
-based label
Federal Records
, it was Brown's first professional recording and his first hit, eventually selling over a million copies. It became Brown's signature song
and a staple of his live act, usually performed as part of his cape routine.
Heavily rooted in a southern
gospel music
sensibility, "Please, Please, Please" features the 22-year-old Brown as a heartbroken man begging his woman not to leave him. The Famous Flames back up Brown's impassioned lament with smooth vocal harmonies.
"Please, Please, Please" reached number six on the R&B singles chart, but did not sell well to pop
audiences, and peaked at #105 on the pop singles chart
. An album
named for the song was released in late 1958
after Brown scored a second R&B hit with "Try Me
".
A 1964
reissue
of "Please, Please, Please" on King Records
featuring overdubbed audience noise meant to mimic a live recording
(and capitalize on the success of Brown's hit Live at the Apollo album) reached #95 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
In 2004, "Please, Please, Please" was ranked number 142 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
with The (Famous) Flames:
plus:
by many performers, including Tina Turner
, The Residents
and the British rock group The Who
on their 1965
debut album My Generation.
Brown also re-recorded the song several times later in his career. On 1972's Get on the Good Foot
, he did a 12:15-long upbeat version; on 1974's Hell, a salsa version was included which featured Brown speaking in Spanish.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and Johnny Terry and recorded by Brown and The Flames
The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that recorded and performed with James Brown during the early years of his career...
. Released in 1956 as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
-based label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Federal Records
Federal Records
Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. But also hillbilly and rockabilly recordings were released,...
, it was Brown's first professional recording and his first hit, eventually selling over a million copies. It became Brown's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
and a staple of his live act, usually performed as part of his cape routine.
Heavily rooted in a southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
sensibility, "Please, Please, Please" features the 22-year-old Brown as a heartbroken man begging his woman not to leave him. The Famous Flames back up Brown's impassioned lament with smooth vocal harmonies.
"Please, Please, Please" reached number six on the R&B singles chart, but did not sell well to pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
audiences, and peaked at #105 on the pop singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. An album
Please Please Please (album)
Please Please Please is the debut studio album of American R&B and soul singer James Brown and his backing vocal group, the Famous Flames. It includes Brown's first two hit singles, the title track and "Try Me" , along with all the non-charting singles and b-sides he had recorded up to the time of...
named for the song was released in late 1958
1958 in music
-Events:*February - 45,000 peoplein one week watch performances of "rokabirī" music by Japanese singers at the first Nichigeki Western Carnival....
after Brown scored a second R&B hit with "Try Me
Try Me (song)
"Try Me" is a song written and performed by James Brown. He recorded it with his singing group The Famous Flames in 1958. A plaintive ballad, it was the group's second R&B hit , and early in 1959 it became their first song to reach #1 on the R&B chart and was also the first time the group hit the...
".
A 1964
1964 in music
-Events:*January 1 – Top of the Pops is broadcast for the first time, on BBC television.*January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show....
reissue
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
of "Please, Please, Please" on King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...
featuring overdubbed audience noise meant to mimic a live recording
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
(and capitalize on the success of Brown's hit Live at the Apollo album) reached #95 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
In 2004, "Please, Please, Please" was ranked number 142 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Personnel
- James Brown - lead vocal
with The (Famous) Flames:
- Bobby ByrdBobby ByrdBobby Byrd born Robert Howard Byrd was an American funk/soul/R&B/gospel musician, songwriter and record producer. He was born in Toccoa, Georgia, and is a 1998 winner of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's prestigious Pioneer Award...
- vocals - Johnny Terry - vocals
- Sylvester Keels - vocals
- Nash Knox - vocals
- Nafloyd Scott - guitar
plus:
- Wilbert "Lee Diamond" Smith - tenor saxophone
- Ray Felder - tenor saxophone
- Lucas "Fats" Gonder - piano
- Clarence Mack - bass
- Edison Gore - drums
Filmed performances
- Brown and The Famous Flames perform "Please, Please, Please" as part their set in The T.A.M.I. ShowThe T.A.M.I. ShowT.A.M.I. Show is a 1964 concert film, released by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and England...
. - In the movie Blues Brothers 2000Blues Brothers 2000Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...
Brown performs the song after the closing credits, trying (and ultimately failing) to persuade a woman to come back to him. - In Barry LevinsonBarry LevinsonBarry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
's Liberty HeightsLiberty HeightsLiberty Heights is a 1999 comedy-drama film by writer-director Barry Levinson. It is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. It marked the last appearance of Ralph Tabakin, who appeared in cameo roles in every Levinson movie since his first, Diner , a...
, an actor in the role of Brown performs the song in a theater along Baltimore's Pennsylvania Avenue.
Cover versions
"Please, Please, Please" has been coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by many performers, including Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
and the British rock group The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
on their 1965
1965 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
debut album My Generation.
Brown also re-recorded the song several times later in his career. On 1972's Get on the Good Foot
Get on the Good Foot (album)
Get On the Good Foot is a double album by James Brown released in 1972.- Track listing :-Credits:* Tracks 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 12 and 13 produced and arranged by James Brown* Tracks 3 and 8 produced by James Brown, arranged by Sammy Lowe...
, he did a 12:15-long upbeat version; on 1974's Hell, a salsa version was included which featured Brown speaking in Spanish.