I Got You (I Feel Good) | Chords + Lyrics
Verse 1
| N.C | D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
| A7 | G7 | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So good, so good, I got you
Verse 2
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
| A7 | G7 | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
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 |
And when I hold you in my arms, My love won’t do you no harm.
Verse 3
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
And I feel nice, like sugar and spice
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
| A7 | G7 | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So nice, so nice, I got you
Instrumental 2
||: Riff 2 | Riff 2 :||
Bridge 2
| 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 |
And when I hold you in my arms, My love won’t do you no harm.
Verse 4
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
And I feel nice, like sugar and spice
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
| A7 | G7 | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So nice, so nice, ’cause I got you
Verse 5
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
Whoa! And I feel good, I knew that I would, now
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
I feel good, I knew that I would
| A7 | G7 | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So good, so good, ’cause I got you
| A7 | G7 | Riff 1 | Riff 1 |
So good, so good, ’cause I got you
| A7 | G7 | Riff 3 | Riff 3 | D9 |
So good, so good, ’cause I got you. Hey. Oh-whoo.
I Feel Good’s chords and progressions
The verse chords for I Feel Good are the same as a 12-bar blues in the key of D, like this:
| D7 | D7 | D7 | D7 |
| G9 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
| A7 | G7 | 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.
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 | G9 | D7 | D7 |
| G9 | G9 | A9 | 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.
Members take a look at all sections (with TAB) and get some tips on what is guaranteed to happen on the gig when playing this classic.
Here’s a link to the complete lesson (members only): I Feel Good chord analysis and TAB.
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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.
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James Brown
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.
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