Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
“It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” is possibly James Brown’s most iconic song, and I don’t think Donald Trump understands it at all. At the Republican National Convention, Trump walked out to Brown’s song, a move that forever tainted the song for me, but that’s a separate conversation. That moment crystallized that this song is the one that is most emblematic of who Trump is. It’s old like him (it was released in 1966), and it seems as hyperchauvinistic as Trump does. But I think Trump listened to part of the song and not the whole thing.
Trump is the embodiment of toxic masculinity, but to his cult … I mean, to his followers, he is the embodiment of masculinity. They love how he seems to exude strength and toughness and a very traditional sort of masculinity that recalls old school tough guys like Clint Eastwood. They create images of this fat man looking like Rambo because that’s how they see him. “It’s A Man’s Man’s World” seems to play into that dynamic. In the verses, Brown sings about the things that men have created — “Man made the cars to take us over the road. Man made the train to carry the heavy load.”
But the chorus undercuts the meaning of the verses and gives the song the balance and the complexity it needs — “This is a man’s world / But it wouldn’t be nothing / Nothing without a woman or a girl.” This crucial part of the song may be there because the song was either partially or wholly written by Brown’s then-girlfriend, the singer-songwriter Betty Jean Newsome who had to sue Brown to get her royalties.
The real point of the song is not to extol men. The message is, yes, it’s a male-dominated world, but this world requires women and girls and everything they bring to the table — femininity, love, beauty, nurturing, all of it. The point is that this male-dominated world wouldn’t be nothing — the word Brown emphasizes most — without women. It’s emblematic of Trump and how he doesn’t truly listen to others. He heard the first line — “This is a man’s world” — and thought that’s the song for me without realizing that one beat later Brown undercuts that message entirely. It’s like he listened to the setup of the joke and ignored the punchline.
Contrast that with the song that most symbolizes Vice President Kamala Harris: Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” This is the song that she comes out to in her rallies. It’s an anthem dedicated to Black women. It’s about determination — the toughness and perseverance it takes to attain true freedom — as well as self-determination, as in the ability to break your own chains. It’s a battle song that’s inspirational. The chorus concludes, “I’ma keep running cuz a winner don’t quit on themselves.”
“Freedom” represents the more political Beyoncé who emerged in later years but even while it speaks to BLM, it’s an inclusive song. Everyone wants freedom. Everyone deserves to be told that they can break their own chains. The song makes Harris seem both powerful (based on the song’s huge sound and its fight march vibe) and in touch with what the people really need. And I believe she deeply understands what this song is really about.
Harris is coming with a modern song about liberation, which symbolizes who she is — a modern candidate who wants to uplift. Trump, who led the charge to overturn Roe v. Wade, is coming with an old song about how men run the world. You can tell a lot about them through their songs.
Toure is a host and writer at TheGrio. He hosts the TheGrio TV show “Masters of the Game,” and he created the award-winning podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and its upcoming sequel “Being Black: The ’70s.” He is also the creator of “Star Stories” and the author of eight books, including “Nothing Compares 2 U an oral history of Prince.” He also hosts a podcast called “Toure Show.” He is also a husband and a father of two.