"Think (About It)" is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

song recorded by

Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, " Think (About It)". A favorite ...

and released as a single on

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s. It was the title track of Collins' 1972 debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

. The song is very popular for its raw drumbeat dressed with tambourine and multiple background vocals, which suggest the song was recorded altogether in one take, with Jabo Starks playing drums. It peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard''

Best Selling Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart and No. 66 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. Owing to the composition, it became a fan favourite and has been featured on various compilation albums posthumously. In the closing lyrics, Collins sings lines from " Think", which shows that this song was one of the few adaptations of the 5 Royales song that Brown loved to do.

Sampling

Along with " Funky Drummer" and "

Funky President Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

", "Think (About It)" is one of the most frequently sampled James Brown productions, having been used on tracks by thousands of hip hop and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

artists. The song appeared on the 16th volume of the ''

Ultimate Breaks and Beats ''Ultimate Breaks and Beats'' (also commonly abbreviated as UBB) was a series of 25 compilation albums released from 1986 to 1991 by Street Beat Records edited by "BreakBeat Lou" Flores. Featured on the albums were tracks from 1966 to 1984 that ...

'' compilation series in 1986, shortly before the release of the

E-mu SP-1200 The E-mu SP-1200 is a sampler created by Dave Rossum that was released in August 1987 by E-mu Systems. Like the product it was meant to replace, the SP-12, the SP-1200's intended use was as a drum machine and sequencer for dance music produc ...

sampler in 1987. This resulted in "Think" being sampled heavily in the ensuing years. Both the song's main drumbeat and a vocal passage known as the "

Woo! Yeah! The Think break is a drum break that has been widely sampled in popular music. It comes from the 1972 song " Think (About It)" by the American soul singer Lyn Collins, written and produced by James Brown. The drum break was performed by John " ...

" break have been used as samples. Other surrounding vocals such as the lively atmosphere of the band have been used on a loop in hip hop before, such as in the Shy FX radio edit of Wiley's " Never Be Your Woman".

Songs that sample "Think (About It)"

"Think (About It)" has been sampled in over 3000 songs; some of those songs are: * Cookie Crew - "Females" (1987) * Guy - "

Teddy's Jam "Teddy's Jam" is an instrumental by American R&B group Guy, recorded for their debut studio album '' Guy'' (1988). The song was released as the album's third single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song ...

" (12") (1987) *Guy - "Spend the Night" (1988) *

Roxanne Shante Lolita Shante Gooden (born March 8, 1970), better known by her stage name Roxanne Shante, is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects of Queens, New York City, Shante first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and w ...

- "Go On Girl" (1988) * Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - " It Takes Two" (1988) * The Real Roxanne - "Roxanne's on a Roll" (1988) *

- "Bad Sister" (1989) *Roxanne Shante - "My Groove Gets Better" (1989) * Dream Warriors - "Face in the Basin" *

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternati ...

- "Jenifa Taught Me" (1989) * Hi-Tek 3 featuring Ya Kid K - "

Spin That Wheel "Spin That Wheel" is a song by Belgian group Technotronic released under the name "Hi Tek 3 featuring Ya Kid K" in 1990. Hi Tek 3 are listed as Kovali, El Sati and Yosef. Releases The track appeared on the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' so ...

" *

EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...

- "Gold Digger" * Wreckx-n-Effect - "Clubhead" * Bingoboys featuring

Princessa Princessa, born Mónica Capel Cruz, is a Spanish pop/dance singer. Born on 18 May 1975, she first became known for her participation in "World On Ice" in Madrid and in Spain's Gran Circo Mundial. She was discovered by producer Frank Peterson at t ...

, "

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" (1991) *

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician ...

- " The Upside" (1990) * R.E.M. - "

Radio Song Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

" * Chubb Rock - "Ya Bad Chubbs" * Basic Black - "Nothing But a Party" *

Dodge City Productions Dodge City Productions (DCP) were a British hip hop/ acid jazz group based in London formed by IG Culture (real name Ian Grant) and DJ Dodge (real name Roger Drakes). They were one of the leaders of the acid jazz movement, and also received acclaim ...

- "Ain't Going for That" (1991) *

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

- " Alright" (1990) *Janet Jackson - "Free Xone" (1997) * Carmen Electra - "Good Judy Girlfriend" (1993) *

Yo Yo ''Yo Yo'', original title ''Yoyo'', is a 1965 French comedy film directed by and starring Pierre Étaix. The story follows the son of a millionaire from the 1920s to the 1960s. After losing his fortune in the stock-exchange crash, he teams up wit ...

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...

- "The Bonnie & Clyde Theme" (1993) * Danny Byrd - "Red Mist" *

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

- " Bye Bye Baby" (1993) *

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

- "

Appetite for Destruction ''Appetite for Destruction'' is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following ...

" (1991) *

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

- " I Got the Feeling" (1989) * TLC - "Hat 2 Da Back" *

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

- "Ain't No Fun" *

Squarepusher Tom Jenkinson (born 17 January 1975), known professionally as Squarepusher, is an English electronic musician, record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. His music spans several genres including drum and bass, IDM, acid house, ac ...

- "Come On My Selector" (1997) *Afterlife - "La Nina" (1999) * Immortal Technique - "Dance with the Devil" (2001) * Styles of Beyond - "Live Enough" (2003) *

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. D ...

- "Pussy'ole (Old Skool)" (2007) * Kardinal Official - "Clear" (2009) *

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

featuring

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

, Pusha T,

Cyhi the Prynce Cydel Charles Young (born September 15, 1984), known professionally as CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper and singer. In 2009, Young signed his first major-label contract with Konvict Muzik, with the backing of Def Jam Recordings. In 2010, h ...

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

and RZA - " So Appalled" (2010) *Kanye West featuring

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

- " Lost in the World" (2010) * EXID - " Ah Yeah" (Track 1) (2011) *

Breach Breach, Breached, or The Breach may refer to: Places * Breach, Kent, United Kingdom * Breach, West Sussex, United Kingdom * ''The Breach'', Great South Bay in the State of New York People * Breach (DJ), an Electronic/House music act * Miroslav ...

featuring

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- “ Everything You Never Had (We Had It All)” (2013) *

Sigma Sigma (; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; grc-gre, σίγμα) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used a ...

- "Nobody to Love" (2014) *

2NE1 2NE1 (, ) was a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, which was active between 2009 and 2016. The group was composed of four members: Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy. Known for breaking typical stereotypes of K-pop, musical experime ...

- "I Am the Best" *

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band The xx. He has been described ...

- " Gosh" (2015) *

Mr Oizo Quentin Dupieux (, born 14 April 1974), also known by his musical stage name Mr. Oizo (), is a French filmmaker, electronic musician, and DJ. Dupieux is credited with his legal name for his films, while the name "Mr. Oizo" is used for his musica ...

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featuring Jonas Blue - "

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

" (2018) * Hælos - "End of World Party" (2019) *

Porter Robinson Porter Weston Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American DJ, record producer, musician, and singer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Robinson began producing music in his childhood. He signed to Skrillex's record label OWSLA at the age of 18, ...

- "

Musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

" (2021) *

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

and TSHA featuring Kareen Lomax - "

Let You Go "Let You Go" is the second overall, and official lead single, taken from drum and bass duo Chase & Status' second studio album, ''No More Idols''. The song features vocals from singer Mali, and was released as a digital download on 15 August ...

" (2022) *

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

- " Church Girl" (2022)

Cover versions

* Reggae fusion singer Patra covered the song in 1993. Lyn Collins made an appearance on a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

, as well as appearing in its

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

. *British soul singer

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and ...

covered the song, which was released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to her 1999 single " Made It Back 99". *DJ and producer Justin Strauss covered the song (under the alias Justin) in 1982 on Stiff Records. *Bonnie Bramlett covered this song in 1976 for her album ''Lady's Choice''. *A 2017 recording by

Barbara Tucker Barbara Tucker (born March 19, 1967), is an American house and soul singer, songwriter and choreographer born in Brooklyn, New York, US. Tucker had six No. 1 hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the 1990s and into the 2000s, and sever ...

went to number one on the US

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart.

Appearances in other media

"Think (About It)" appears on the Action 52 as an intro and ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' soundtrack on the

Master Sounds 98.3 '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' is an open-world, action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. First released on 16 October 2004 for the PlayStation 2, ''San Andreas'' has an in-game radio that can tu ...

station. It is also used in two stage themes of the 1997 video game '' Street Fighter III: New Generation''.

References

External links

Song Review A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...