The band's first taste of mainstream success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973), which contained the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". Kool & the Gang subsequently entered a period of decline before they reached a second commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician and producer Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the lineup. Their most successful albums of this period include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate! (1980), and Emergency (1984), their highest selling album with two million copies sold in the US. Their hit singles during this period included "Ladies' Night", the US No. 1 "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish". The band continues to perform worldwide, including as support for Van Halen in 2012 and their fiftieth-anniversary tour in 2014.
Kool & the Gang have won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and, in 2006, a Music Business Association Chairman's Award for artistic achievement. As well the band has been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame and been bestowed with a MOBO Award for Outstanding Achievement, the Soul Train Legend Award, the Marian Anderson Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2007, the band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. During 2018, the Bells, Brown, and Taylor were also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received their first-time nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. Their discography includes 23 studio albums and almost 70 singles. They have sold 7.5 million and 4.5 million RIAA-certified albums and singles, respectively, in the United States. Worldwide, they have sold 70 million albums.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_&_the_Gang
Discography
Kool and the Gang (1969)
Music Is the Message (1972)
Good Times (1972)
Wild and Peaceful (1973)
Light of Worlds (1974)
Spirit of the Boogie (1975)
Love & Understanding (1976)
Open Sesame (1976)
The Force (1977)
Everybody's Dancin' (1978)
Ladies' Night (1979)
Celebrate! (1980)
Something Special (1981)
As One (1982)
In the Heart (1983)
Emergency (1984)
Forever (1986)
Sweat (1989)
Unite (1992)
State of Affairs (1996)
Gangland (2001)
The Hits: Reloaded (2004)
Still Kool (2007)
Kool for the Holidays (2013)
Perfect Union (2021)
People Just Wanna Have Fun (2023)
It Is What It Is
Kool & the Gang Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It ain’t happening
It ain’t happening
So brother take your finger off the trigger
Wrong, wrong , wrong
It ain’t happening
Wrong, wrong , wrong
It ain’t happening
‘Cause people still keep callin' them self
Wrong , wrong
We will never learn a lesson
So it keeps on comin' back
As a matter of fact
It is what it is and it is what it is
We will never learn a lesson
So it keeps on comin' back
As a matter of fact
It is what it is and it is what it is
We will never learn a lesson
So it keeps on comin' back
As a matter of fact
It is what it is
It is what it is and it is what it is
It is what it is and it is what it is
As a matter of fact
It is what it is and it is what it is
As a matter of fact
It is what it is and it is what it is
It is what it is and it is what it is
As a matter of fact
It is what it is and it is what it is
We will never learn a lesson
So it keeps on comin' back
The lyrics to Kool & the Gang's "It Is What It Is" appear to speak to a sense of resignation in the face of societal ills. The repeated refrain "It ain't happening" seems to convey a sense of powerlessness, suggesting that whatever change the singer may wish for, it is not forthcoming. This idea is reinforced by the lines "We will never learn a lesson / So it keeps on comin' back."
The song seems to be lamenting the fact that despite people's desires for change, the world remains plagued by violence, sexism, and other forms of injustice. In particular, the lines "So brother take your finger off the trigger" and "So women stop callin' each other" could be interpreted as calls to end gun violence and intra-gender hostility, respectively. The lines "‘Cause people still keep callin' them self / Wrong, wrong" could similarly be seen as decrying self-destructive behavior.
Overall, "It Is What It Is" seems to be expressing a pessimistic view of the world, one in which injustice and violence are endemic and change seems impossible. The repetition of the refrain and the final line "It is what it is" suggest a kind of fatalism, a resignation to the state of affairs as they currently exist.
Line by Line Meaning
It ain’t happening
Things are not going as planned.
So brother take your finger off the trigger
Don't react harshly to the situation.
Wrong, wrong , wrong
This is not the right approach, idea or decision.
So women stop callin' each other
Cease creating dramas and conflicts among yourselves.
‘Cause people still keep callin' them self
People cannot get past themselves and their own egos.
We will never learn a lesson
We consistently fail to learn from our past mistakes.
So it keeps on comin' back
Similar situations will continue to arise.
As a matter of fact
In fact, the reality is.
It is what it is and it is what it is
The truth of the matter is what it is and cannot be changed.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RAHMAN GRIFFIN, KHALIS BAYYAN, ROBERT EARL BELL, GEORGE MELVIN BROWN, CLAYDES EUGENE SMITH, DENNIS THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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If you're here, you're fresh.❤
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Klart jag lyckades ta mig ut igen en sån som mig går inte att ha inlåst det blir för dyrt med alla extra snut väntar plitar ha ha
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Fresh & funky! ☝🏻😎💪🏻
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I never left! Nashville Tenn. gets funky all the time. These guys kicked ass. Saw them twice. Hit my head on the inside roof of my Monte Carlo every day getting funky listening on my Sony digital, Kenwood amps, Jensen 6x9 triaxials. 👉😎👈
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