| Doing It to Death | |
| Cover: | DoingItToDeath.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s |
| Album: | Doing It to Death |
| B-Side: | Everybody Got Soul |
| Recorded: | January 29, 1973, International Studios, Augusta, GA |
| Genre: | Funk |
| Length: |
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| Label: | People 621 |
| Producer: | James Brown |
| Prev Title: | Sportin' Life |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | If You Don't Get It the First Time, Back Up and Try It Again, Party |
| Next Year: | 1973 |
"Doing It to Death", also known as "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time", is a funk song recorded by The J.B.'s featuring James Brown. A 10-minute, two-part version of "Doing It to Death" was included on a J.B.'s album of the same name. The complete, unedited and nearly 13-minute-long original recording of the song was first issued on the 1995 J.B.'s compilation Funky Good Time: The Anthology. Performances of the song also appear on the albums Live at Chastain Park and Live at the Apollo 1995.
Although the song has a lead vocal by Brown (who also wrote the tune and the lyrics), the recording is credited to "Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s". It was the first J.B.'s recording to feature saxophonist Maceo Parker, who had returned to work with Brown again after attempting a career as a bandleader.
"Doing It to Death" contains an uncommon key change in which Brown tells the band to modulate downward from F to D ("In order for me to get down, I have to get down in D"). Composers who place key changes in tunes typically have them modulate upwards. Unusually for a James Brown song, the actual words "doing it to death" appear nowhere in the song's lyrics, which feature the hook "we're gonna have a funky good time." The title came from a figure of speech Brown heard Wesley use.
with Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s:
"Doing It to Death" was released as a single in 1973 and peaked at number one on the soul singles chart and number 22 on the Hot 100.[2]