"I’m a world of power, and all know its true. Use me once, and you'll know it too." James Brown, "King Heroin"

These are the words of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, depicting himself as the American killer, heroin, in his poem/song: "King Heroin". However, most people in America don't remember Brown for his social awareness and politically relevant music. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the majority of Americans, when remembering James Brown would see a caricature comprised of drastic traits and behaviors. A soulful, charismatic man with a flare for the dramatic, jumping around and screaming sometimes-incomprehensible phrases over funky music. While, in many respects, this is what he became famous for, his act has become exaggerated in our minds. Nowhere is this hyperbolized image of the late great James Brown more clear than in the video clip above (Eddie Murphy’s rendition of a fictitious James Brown song on Saturday Night Live.)

In order for one to understand the humor involved in this clip, it would help to put it into context. In the late seventies, Saturday Night Live was king, and in the musical world, so was James Brown. The Godfather of Soul was reaching the peak of his popularity, and more and more people were watching his acts. Ripe with crowd interaction, theatrics, jive linguistics, and of course, funky music, his shows were amazingly entertaining.

At the same time, in the world of television, a young up and coming comic named Eddie Murphy was gaining popularity. One of his most entertaining bits was his exaggerated impression of James Brown's "incoherent ramblings". He clearly saw that this bit was making people laugh, so naturally, he made a television skit with the same premise.

There are certain aspects of Mr. Brown's act that one must appreciate before one can laugh at this clip. He was well known for making 5-7 minute songs about the simplest of topics (e.g. "I’m Super Bad", "Cold Sweat", "Get up Offa That Thing"), and he usually just repeated the words of the title in different ways for the entire duration of the song. However, he was able to make it entertaining and interesting. One must also realize that James Brown had a tendency to be theatrical. Every show, he would have a stage-hand come onto the stage and drape a robe over him as they began to walk away, but to everyone's surprise, he would throw the robe off, scream, and the show would continue. His flare for the dramatic and his ability to take a word nobody knows and extend it into a full seven-minute song, are clearly shown in Eddie Murphy's parody.

When examining a video clip like this, it is important to understand the context first before one can understand the meaning. Normally, I would just assume that most people find this footage hilarious, but I then realize that those who don’t know James Brown, Eddie Murphy, or either, would probably find this clip only slightly amusing without really understanding the whole story. With that being said, I urge everyone to give a little love to the late James Brown and learn more about his life and music http://www.godfatherofsoul.com/man/biography.html . Download a song, or watch a clip of a performance, and I’m sure you will have a better understanding of why I find this footage so hilarious, and why I find James Brown to be an American icon.

RIP James Joseph Brown (1933-2006)