"
The Payback" is a
funk song by
James Brown, the title track from his
1973 album of the same name. The song's
lyrics, originally written by
trombonist and
bandleader Fred Wesley but heavily revised by Brown himself soon before it was recorded, concern the
revenge he plans to take against a man who betrayed him. The song is notable for its spare, open
arrangement and its use of
wah-wah guitar - a relative rarity in Brown's previous funk recordings. Released as a two-part
single (featuring a radio announcer at the beginning of part one) in February 1974, it was the first in an unbroken succession of three singles by Brown to reach #1 on the
R&B charts that year - the last chart-toppers of his career. It also peaked at number 26 on the
Billboard Hot 100. It was his second, and final, single to be
certified gold by the
RIAA.