Chords + Lyrics | I Got You (I Feel Good)
Intro
| N.C |
Whoa!
Verse 1
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
I feel good, I knew that I would, now.
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
I feel good, I knew that I would, now.
| A7 N.C | G7 N.C | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So good, so good, I got you.
Verse 2
Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
So nice, so nice, I got you.
Instrumental 1
||: Riff 2 | Riff 2 :||
Bridge 1
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
When I hold you in my arms, I know that I can’t do no wrong.
| G9 | G9 | A9 N.C | N.C |
And when I hold you in my arms, My love won’t do you no harm.
Verse 3
And I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
So nice, so nice, I got you.
Instrumental 2
||: Riff 2 | Riff 2 :||
Bridge 2
When I hold you in my arms, I know that I can’t do no wrong.
And when I hold you in my arms, My love won’t do you no harm.
Verse 4
And I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
So nice, so nice, ’cause I got you.
Verse 5
Whoa! And I feel good, I knew that I would, now.
I feel good, I knew that I would.
So good, so good, ’cause I got you.
| A7 N.C | G7 N.C | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So good, so good, ’cause I got you.
| A7 N.C | G7 N.C | Riff 3 | Riff 3 | D9 |
So good, so good, ’cause I got you. Hey. Oh-whoo.
I Feel Good Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning I Feel Good. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Let’s go over I Feel Good‘s two chord progressions using Roman numerals.
Verse
The verse chords for I Feel Good are the same as a 12-bar blues in the key of D, like this:
| D7 (I) | D7 | D7 | D7 |
| G9 (IV) | G9 | D7 | D7 |
| A7 (V) N.C | G7 N.C | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
Straight away, there’s a potential dilemma—do you kick it off like the record (snare + “Whoa!”), or go straight into riff 1? It’s the eternal question for function bands that form in the car park half an hour before the wedding.
Once you’re in, it’s essentially a blues, but with a riff at the end. I recommend playing all chords as dominant 7s—though G and A sound great as 9 chords, so experiment with those.
That riff at the end is not major on minor pentatonic, it’s actually a D9 arpeggio which feels suitable as a dom9 is James Brown‘s signature chord.
You need the TAB (with rhythms) to best learn this, it’s available further down this guitar lesson.
Before we get to the next section we have another riff, this time it’s a Dm7 arpeggio, which feels very bluesy over what we hear as a D7 chord. There is actually no chord playing, we just hear the arpeggio but that major chord is lingering in our minds from the verse.
Bridge
There is also a bridge, another must in a James Brown tune as without it, James can’t say: Take it to the bridge!
This section is only 8 bars long and starts on the IV chord, like this:
| G9 (IV) | G9 | D7 (I) | D7 |
| G9 | G9 | A9 (V) N.C | N.C |
Finally, the classic end (which we all must play as written) is a variation on riff 1, but ending on a minor 3rd like riff 2. The final chord is a D9, played using the same voicing as Kiss by Prince.
Having studied my TAB, this chord chart is all you need to play James Brown’s signature song, I Feel Good.
I Feel Good Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: I Feel Good chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: I Feel Good iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
I Feel Good | TAB
Here’s riff 1 in TAB:
Before the next section, there’s an instrumental break over a D7 chord. I’ve labelled this as riff 2—it’s actually a Dm7 arpeggio and looks like this in TAB:
That’s pretty much the whole tune. The only thing left is the iconic ending—an extended version of riff 1. I’ve called it riff 3, and here it is in TAB:
Make sure you get all the chords and riffs down—I Feel Good is one of those tunes you’ll keep playing for as long as you’re gigging. It never fails!
The best way to practice is to use the backing tracks above, using only the chord chart as a guide/reminder of the structure.
The classic with many names
As one of the most obvious covers to learn, I Feel Good is a genuine classic.
Up there with Respect and Proud Mary, this is a tune you simply must know if you want to play guitar for a living.
Released in 1962 as I Found You by James’s backup singer Yvonne Fair, it was developed into the 1965 original version called I Got You on the album Out of Sight. Surprisingly, it didn’t catch on.
Once an alternative take was released under the title I Got You (I Feel Good) it finally all clicked and became James’s highest-charting tune and signature song.
In a final twist, working bands have played this for decades, always under the title I Feel Good.
I Feel Good Chords: Continue Learning
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