This song was written and recorded by Jocelyn Brown back in 1984 and has since become a disco/funk classic. It’s not clear who played bass on the original recording, but whoever it was, they did an amazing job: this song is well-loved by bass players all over the world thanks to an effective – and very tasty – bass groove.
This song is in the key of Eb minor and is played with a funk shuffle feel, something that makes parts of the line difficult to play with the required accuracy. Although often performed as a slap groove, the line is actually played using a combination of fingerstyle and slap techniques, again adding to the difficulty of the line.
When learning this piece, you might find the following courses (all included in the monthly subscription cost) useful:
A transcription (with TAB and without) is available for this course. To download it, please visit the Free Stuff page. Please note that a backing track is NOT included with this course. The track used in the play-along can be purchased from www.karaoke-version.co.uk.
This course is 24 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:
This video is a demonstration of the line performed on a 1966 Fender Jazz bass, strung with new Rotosound stainless steel strings.
This short overview of the course covers two of the main challenges presented by this song: the key, and the swung sixteenth note feel.
This video covers the opening groove, which is used for all of the chorus sections. This line is played using a combination of fingerstyle and slap techniques.
This lesson covers the first verse in detail. This section is underpinned by fantastic groove which is played with the slap technique.
This video covers the second verse of the song. This section features the same basic line as the first verse, but with some different fills.
This lesson will teach you to play the bassline behind the keyboard solo. This is the same line as the verse sections, but again, with some different fills.