Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing

About Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing

"Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" is a funk song written by James Brown and Bobby Byrd. Recorded in 1970 by Brown and the original J. B.'s with Byrd on backing vocals and updated with a new melody, it was twice released as a two-part single in 1972. It reached number one on the U. S. Hot Soul Singles chart and number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 during the spring of that year. It also appeared on the album There It Is. Critic Robert Christgau called it "the loosest and most infectious of Brown's many socially conscious jams. "It is in this song we learn that Brown originally envisioned rapping as call and response . The original version was more rock-oriented and featured on The Singles Vol Six.1969-1970. According to Brown, "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" was "aimed at the politicians who were running their mouths but had no knowledge of what life was like for a lot of people in [the United States]" as well as "some of the cats on their soapboxes... who were telling the people one thing while manipulating their emotions for personal gain." Biographer RJ Smith described it as "an open criticism of self-styled arbiters of racial justice" who attacked Brown for his often-heterodox political stances. In the middle of the song Brown orders all the band members to temporarily stop playing while he and Byrd maintain the rhythm using their voices alone - an early example of a dance music breakdown. more »