I Got You (I Feel Good) | Chords + Lyrics
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 Chords: Learn the progressions
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 |
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. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: I Feel Good – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
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.
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
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 – 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 | Related Pages
I Feel Good | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn how to play I Feel Good by James Brown using TAB and chord analysis.
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
I feel good, I knew that I would, now…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
James Brown tunes
The hardest working man in show business, the Godfather of Soul, Michael Jackson’s biggest influence – Mr. James Brown!
Biggest tunes include I Feel Good, Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag, It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World, Super Bad, and Living In America.
James Brown on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about I Feel Good’ chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.
