The Payback (song)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"The Payback" (sometimes known as just "Payback") is a funk song by James Brown, the title track from his 1973 album of the same name. The song's lyrics, originally written by trombonist and bandleader Fred Wesley but heavily revised by Brown himself soon before it was recorded, concern the revenge he plans to take against the man who betrayed him and stole his money and his woman. The song is notable for its spare, open instrumental arrangement and its use of wah-wah guitar - a relative rarity in Brown's previous funk recordings. Released as a two-part single (featuring a radio announcer at the beginning of part one) in February 1974, it was the first in an unbroken succession of three singles by Brown to reach #1 on the R&B charts that year - the last chart-toppers of his career. The single was number one on the soul charts and peaked at number 26 on the Hot 100.
Appearances in other media
- In the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack on the Master Sounds 98.3 station.
- In the Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
- In the 2001 Jesse Dylan movie How High
- In the 2002 Mars Callahan film Poolhall Junkies
- In a season two episode of Everybody Hates Chris.
- In the Hughes Brothers movie Dead Presidents
- In the first season finale of the FX television show Damages.
- In an episode of Scrubs, during one of J.D.'s fantasies about how cool it is to enter the hospital as a surgeon.
- In many professional boxing ring entrances. Most notably used by Lennox Lewis during the ringwalk prior to his heavyweight championship rematch with Hasim Rahman in 2001, which Lewis won by knockout.
- In a Bernie Mac Show episode.
- In the television show The Cleveland Show in the episode entitled "The Curious Case of Jr. Working at The Stool."
- In May 1995, the song was featured prominently in the opening scene of "Catman Comes Back", the first season finale of the FOX police drama television series New York Undercover.
- In the trailer to Django Unchained, the upcoming film by Quentin Tarantino.
References
- Leeds, Alan M., and Harry Weinger (1991). Star Time: Song by Song. In Star Time (pp. 46–53) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
- White, Cliff (1991). Discography. In Star Time (pp. 54–59) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
