James Brown wrote the music and words for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag". Brown and The Famous Flames recorded it in February 1965 at Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, in one take, and King released it in June 1965 as a two-part single (Part I and Part II, King 5999). It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, Brown's first top ten hit there, and spent eight weeks at number one on the R&B chart. The record won Brown his first Grammy, for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and Part I was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
The song consolidates the rhythmic innovations of "I've Got Money" and "Out of Sight" and is considered seminal in the emergence of funk as a distinct style. Its emphasis falls on the first beat of each measure, known as "on the One", over a horn-heavy backdrop, a prominent rhythm and an electric guitar riff. It was Brown's first recording with guitarist Jimmy Nolen. Covers include versions by The McCoys (1965), Otis Redding (1968), Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (1968) and Jimmy Smith (1995, instrumental). Rolling Stone ranked it 72nd in 2004 and 71st in 2010.
