Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine

James Brown unleashed some feral energy on this track, which wasn't all that unusual except for the title, which was shocking at the time. Most artists couldn't get away with it, but Brown knew his audience could handle it. He also knew that radio stations that supported him would continue to do so. It was a good move: "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" became the first Hot 100 hit with the word "sex" in the title. The next was another James Brown song, "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy," which hit #50 in 1973. The first act other than Brown to do the deed was the Moments, who reached #17 with "Sexy Mama" in 1974. A few years later, sexy songs were commonplace, led by Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing."

Much of this song is interplay between Brown and his right-hand man, Bobby Byrd, who does the "get up... get on up" vocals. The intro is also a call-and-response, with Brown saying, "I'm ready to get up and do my thing," and his band providing affirmations. This back-and-forth made the song one of Brown's live favorites.

Despite the title, the song isn't all that carnal, as "sex machine" is used as a simile for staying on the scene. The lyric is mostly vague affirmations like, "You got to have the feeling sure as you're born." In the 2014 film Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, Bobby Byrd said, "The lyric wasn't saying all that much, but the fact that we were saying 'sex machine,' that wasn't supposed to be said."