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Leah Senff

Prof. Sobocinski

ENG 1201

13 February 2022

Collaboration At Its Finest

Popular R&B artist Flo Rida is a master at collaborating with artists across all genres, and

upgrading old time classics to fit the values of this generation. He writes music that is fit for any

party, with its upbeat rhythm and fast paced-lyrics. Listeners can clearly hear how Flo Rida

communicates emotion and the values of this generation through his music: having a good time

and pursuing a wild lifestyle. Among these hit tunes including “I Cry,” “Wild Ones,” “and “Club

Can’t Handle Me,” we see Flo Rida mixing his songs to include a variety of genres and sounds,

and one of his most popular pieces even features a timeless 60’s artist. While “Good Feeling” by

Flo Rida uses the soulful chorus from Etta James’ 1962 “Something’s Got A Hold On Me,” the

two songs and their videos vary dramatically in style and purpose, and the 2011 hip-hop remake

of this Motown classic caters to a younger, more egocentric audience.

Although Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling” uses the chorus from James’ gritty, jazz-inspired

song in between his rapping, these songs and music videos could not be more different in their

sonic qualities. The Motown song by the “Soul Queen,” Etta James, is a slow-tempo song that

highlights the raw talent of the artist. She sings about the feelings of love, and the inflection of

her voice reflects an eerie mood characteristic of the soul genre. The music video to this song is

simple, and the visual quality clearly shows the time era it was produced in. It features Etta

James (the main character in this video) performing with an accompanying Jazz band, and the

camera mainly focuses on her throughout the duration of the song. Contrastingly, Flo Rida’s
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video has many different visual elements, and it portrays the content of his song and its upbeat,

vivacious rhythm. The scenes of the video show a wild hip-hop lifestyle full of travel, women,

and parties. In conclusion, while these songs share a chorus and the familiar sound of James’

voice, their styles and videos contrast greatly, and also are catered toward vastly different

audiences.

Flo Rida’s listeners can clearly see that he has remixed this old time hit in “Good

Feeling” for a different purpose and to appeal to a younger generation. Not only are these songs

from different time periods in music, but they also were created for two audiences with different

desires. Etta’s listeners had been battered by the violent disunity of the Vietnam War and Civil

Rights Movement, so would have likely desired a heartfelt love song. This song probably

appealed to lower-middle class Americans who appreciated the African-American culture that

was expressed through James’ Motown music. Etta James’ Chorus in “Something’s Got A Hold

On Me” goes as follows:

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah.

I get a feeling that I never never never never had before, no no.

I get a good feeling, yeah.

While these lyrics were used in Etta’s song to reflect the inner bliss that comes as a result of

feelings of love, Flo Rida gives them a different purpose. He surrounds a high-speed, auto-tuned

version of the chorus with rapping that glorifies the “good feeling” that comes from rising above

and being successful. “Good Feeling” attracts young people from the 2010’s, who are more

interested in the modern sounds and fun messages of R&B and rap. The motivational, “rise

above” message would specifically appeal to young people who might come from lower-income
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backgrounds, and to those who might relate to Flo Rida’s experience growing up in poverty as a

black man. Both versions, though, use similar tactics to draw in their audiences.

Etta James and Flo Rida simultaneously use emotional lyrics, their reputations as artists,

and the creative structure of their songs to appeal to their listeners. These three aspects relate to

the rhetorical appeals pathos, ethos, and logos. Etta James sings in depth about the feeling of

love, and its tangible effects. Listeners in her audience can easily engage through her passionate

voice and the sentiment of her lyrics, proving the strength of pathos in “Something’s Got A Hold

On Me.” Similarly, Flo Rida appeals to emotion in “Good Feeling,” but arouses very different

emotions in his audience. The high energy song describes a “mountain top, walk on water”

feeling that creates excitement and energy within its listeners. While emotional appeal is the

primary strength of these two pieces, both James and Flo Rida also utilize ethical appeal by

building on their reputations as popular soul and hip-hop artists, delivering music that upholds

their fame and expertise. Additionally, some could detect hints of logical appeal in the creative

structure of these two songs, specifically in “Good Feeling” through Flo Rida’s masterfully

engineered rhymes. In all, these songs both hold powerful appeals of rhetoric that persuade their

audiences to enjoy and relate to their music.

Although these songs by Flo Rida and Etta James both share a soulful chorus and appeal

to their audiences through emotion, they differ greatly in their sounds and messages. These

song’s music videos portray their vast differences, and the mellow simplicity of James

performing “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” contrasts with the flashy scenes of Flo Rida’s

“Good Feeling” video. Flo Rida used the chorus from the “Soul Queen” and changed it to apply

to a younger generation and their interests, like partying and overcoming life’s obstacles. He

changed a song that was originally aimed at 1960’s Motown fans, and turned it into one for wild,
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modern day youths. Additionally, many listeners can clearly identify the rhetorical appeals in

these songs, specifically seen through the emotional lyrical content, as well as the credibility that

comes from the artists behind these pieces. Artists today should learn from the collaboration

between these two artists in “Good Feeling,” and begin to incorporate unique sounds and styles

from different times into their music to diversify what comes on the radio.
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Works Cited

Flo Rida. “Good Feeling [Official Video].” YouTube, 21 October 2011,

https://www.youtube.com

/watch?v=3OnnDqH6Wj8.

James, Etta. “Something’s Got A Hold On Me (Live).” YouTube, 17 January 2014, https://www.

youtube.com/watch?v=OueyaMoUUt4