Before there was Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, there was James Brown making movement seem like magic. James Brown was a physical genius absolutely on their level, just as a dancer. But Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan could only dream of having his musical genius.

Listen to the phrases James Brown gets going in the vocal. They venture everywhere, manifesting into the most experimental sculptures of utterance. He makes that ghost-noting snare drum belong, the way his own rhymic singing eggs it on. Everything about the song punches, a masterpiece of staccato.

James Brown is the only singer cool enough to turn his damn head away from the mic while he's recording a vocal take, and they put it on the record.