James Brown brought the funk during his 1968 performance of “I Can’t Stand It” at the Apollo Theater. | James Brown

Cold Sweat" is a 1967 song by James Brown, co-written with saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, that is often cited as one of the first true funk songs. It evolved from an earlier, slower R&B track called "I Don't Care" and is known for its rhythmic complexity, heavy emphasis on the downbeat ("the one"), and a sparse, harmonically static arrangement that focused on rhythm over melody | Mark Hall