James Brown and opera legend Pavarotti thrillingly revamped a soul classic live in 2002
The pairing sounds bizarre on paper, but it works brilliantly.

James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti once collaborated for a thrilling live performance.
"The King of the High Cs" and "The Godfather of Soul"—they were both in the realm of music royalty, even where nicknames are concerned. But it probably didn’t seem like an obvious pairing for operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti to share his stage with funk legend James Brown. They were speaking different languages, both literally and musically.
Nonetheless, the duo came together for an incredible collaboration back in 2002, with Brown joining Pavarotti during a star-packed concert aiding the UN refugee agency’s work in Zambia. The show featured a number of major pop and rock stars, including Sting, Lou Reed, and Grace Jones—but the highlight was probably Pavarotti adding a multi-lingual, more cinematically orchestral spin on Brown’s 1966 song "It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World."
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James Brown and Pavarotti unite on stage for charity
This cultural fusion begins simply enough, with Brown soulfully belting over the sizzling strings and a slow-burning groove of piano, bass, and drums. The raw vocal performance here is a thing of wonder—just check out the singer’s wordless melisma around the :38 mark and the way he shapes the word "train" out into a knotty pretzel. But the big reveal, naturally, occurs when Pavarotti begins his robust cameo in Italian, ushered into the performance by Brown’s outstretched arm.
After that section, the soul singer looks overjoyed, grinning widely and gently clapping his hands before kicking back into gear. The pair appear completely in sync, their voices almost melding together by the final stretch—at the end, while soaking in a standing ovation, Pavarotti even gives his collaborator a huge hug.
The performance is seamless, but Pavarotti didn’t seem to feel much pressure about his translated parts—not a total surprise, considering he was one of the most beloved opera singers of all time. According to UDiscover Music’s breakdown of the docu-series James Brown: Say It Loud, when Brown’s agent Jeff Allen asked Pavarotti in advance how he’d figure out his vocal, the tenor casually responded, "I make it up."
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The video's YouTube comments are excellent. Here are some standouts:
"When the Godfather of Opera met the Godfather of Soul."
"When you see a Ford Mustang and a Ferrari racing together"
"to whomever had the idea of putting these two distinct icons together, I applaud you"
"This is the collaboration we didn't ask for, but deep down needed. Blessed be all."
"This is like the oddest but also one of the greatest collabs I’ve seen."
Pavarotti's history of collaborating with mainstream pop stars
This was far from Pavarotti’s first work with a more mainstream artist—in fact, it was a typical part of his "Pavarotti & Friends" benefit shows, which ran from 1992 to 2003 in the late musician’s home town of Modena, Italy. Some of those other collaborators included Stevie Wonder, U2’s Bono, Michael Bolton, Meat Loaf, Queen’s Brian May, and, in 1996, Elton John—the latter of whom even recruited Pavarotti to record a new version of his 1996 song "Live Like Horses."
In director Peter Demetris’ behind-the-scenes footage from the music video shoot, both artists expressed their mutual admiration. "Elton is a superb artist, a great performer, incredible soul, and it’s a great privilege for me to know and work with him," Pavarotti said. John added, "Once I initially met him and got over the intimidation part, [working with him] was fine. Singing on stage with him is incredible. You feel the stage vibrating. It’s quite amazing."
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