30. Living In America – James Brown

Yeah, I know this is possibly the worst single he ever put out, from one of the worst movies ever, but we used to dance like maniacs to this song anyway, so screw you. Plus, it got us to go backwards to the great stuff, but I still love this song from all those nights at the Barters’ house, with a fire blazing in the backyard and the speakers pulled out to surround a makeshift dancefloor Brian built on the grass so we could do slides and splits. Ow!

We had a tracklist of songs that required someone to run in and put the next record on after each one, and they all built up to this, when I’d do the James Brown spin and shuffle with the boys doing backing dances behind me as the place went wild. Okay, so a skinny ginger kid doing James Brown is pretty funny, anyway. And I probably had the hair for it, since I’ve had a variety of crap haircuts. I never played the next song because I need to get my cape and scream “I feel good!” That was the same place I drank rum for the first time, and split my head open getting the bottle out of the washing room sink full of ice.

I probably danced better for it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5BL4RNFr58