About the song
Background
- Original Writer and Release: The song was written by Aretha Franklin and her then-husband Ted White. It was released in 1967 under Atlantic Records.
- Cover with an Edge: Aretha Franklin’s version was a powerful reinterpretation of a blues song with less assertive lyrics. Her version flipped the narrative and put a woman firmly in control of her desire and needs.
- Iconic Performances: The song became one of her signature pieces, notable for its live performances filled with raw, playful energy. Two well-known live recordings are Aretha in Paris (1968) and Live at Fillmore West (1971).
Lyrics
The lyrics revolve around a woman expressing her needs and desires to her lover. The central character refuses to be sidelined in a relationship and insists on:
- Attention: She doesn’t want friends and family constantly distracting when she has time with her man.
- Reciprocity: She’s willing to support her man but expects the same in return.
- Passion: She rejects the idea of clinical prescriptions for emotional connection and desires a lover who makes her feel good in a visceral way (her “Dr. Feelgood”).
Themes
- Female Desire and Agency: The song was groundbreaking in the 1960s for its frank portrayal of a woman owning her sexuality and demanding satisfaction.
- Relationships as Partnership: It champions the idea of a relationship as a two-way street. There’s a sense of playful negotiation and a demand for equal effort.
- Rejection of Convention: The dismissal of traditional “remedies” like pills for a lack of connection highlights a frustration with conventional expectations of a woman’s role.
Video
Lyrics
I don’t want nobodyAlwaysSittin’ around me and my manI don’t want nobodyAlwaysSittin’ right thereLookin’ at me and that manBe it my mother, my brother or my sisterWould you believe, I’ll get up, put on some clothesGo out and help you find somebody for dissolving that painYes, I will
Now I don’t mind companyBecause company’s alright with meEvery once in a whileYes it isI tell you, I don’t mind companyBecause company’s alright with meEvery once in a whileYeahBut oh, when me and that man get to lovin’I tell you girlsI dig you but I just don’t have timeTo sit and chit and sit and chit-chat and smile
Don’t send me no doctorFillin’ me up with all of those pillsI got me a man named Doctor FeelgoodAnd oh, yeah, that man takes care of all o’ my pains and my illsHis name isDoctor Feelgood in the mornin’And taking care of businessIs really this man’s gainAnd after one visit to Doctor FeelgoodYou’ll understand why Feelgood is his nameOh, yeah, oh good God almightyThe man sure makes me feel real, good