They left for San Francisco in 1959, where they met Mort Lewis, Dave Brubeck's manager. Lewis became their manager and later that year secured them a contract with Columbia Records. Their second single, "Greenfields," released in January 1960, hit #2 on the pop charts, and their first album, Brothers Four, released toward the end of the year, made the top 20. Other highlights of their early career included singing their fourth single, "The Green Leaves of Summer," from the John Wayne movie The Alamo, at the 1961 Academy Awards, and having their second album, BMOC/Best Music On/Off Campus, go top 10. They also recorded the theme song for the ABC television series Hootenanny, "Hootenanny Saturday Night," in 1963.
The British Invasion and the ascendance of such folk musicians as Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four's early period of success, but they kept performing and making records, doing particularly well in Japan and on the American hotel circuit.
The band attempted a comeback by recording a highly commercial version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." But the band was unable to release it because of licensing issues, and The Byrds eventually stole their thunder by releasing their heralded version.
Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969, and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1989 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. Despite all the changes and having spent 47 years in the business, the group is still active today (2004).
Island In the Sun
The Brothers Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where my people have toiled since time begun
I may sail on many a sea
Her shores will always be home to me.
Oh, island in the sun
Willed to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
When morning breaks the heaven on high
I lift my heavy load to the sky
Sun comes down with a burning glow
Mingles my sweat with the earth below.
Oh, island in the sun
Willed to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest, waters, your shining sand.
I see woman on bended knee
Cutting cane for her family
I see man at the water side
Casting nets at the surging tide.
Oh, island in the sun
Willed to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest, waters, your shining sand.
I hope the day will never come
That I can't awake to the sound of drum
Never let me miss carnival
With calypso songs philosophical.
Oh, island in the sun
Willed to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest, waters, your shining sand.
Sad the time, I'll ever miss
The gay colored skirts as they turn and twist
Let me always hear soft guitars
And a maiden's voice 'neath a thousand stars.
Oh, island in the sun
Willed to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest, waters, your shining sand.
The Brothers Four's "Island in the Sun" is a tribute to a Caribbean island that the singer calls "home." Throughout the song, he describes the beauty of his island, including its forests, waters, and shining sand. He expresses pride in his people and their hard work, such as a woman cutting cane for her family and a man casting nets at the surging tide. The singer hopes he will never miss carnival with calypso songs philosophical and expresses a longing to always hear soft guitars and a maiden's voice beneath a thousand stars. The song is an ode to the singer's island, a place where he can always feel at home and a place that he will always love and cherish.
Overall, the song is a celebration of Caribbean culture, traditions, and beauty. The lyrics highlight the importance of family, community, hard work, and music. The singer feels a deep connection to his island and its people and hopes to never be separated from it. The song is nostalgic and wistful, expressing a yearning for the beauty and simplicity of life on the island.
Line by Line Meaning
This is my island in the sun
I have a special place that I cherish and hold dear.
Where my people have toiled since time begun
The people who have come before me have worked hard to make this place great.
I may sail on many a sea
Even though I may travel to many different places.
Her shores will always be home to me
This place will always feel like home to me.
Willed to me by my father's hand
This special place was passed down to me by my father.
All my days I will sing in praise
I will always speak highly of this wonderful place.
Of your forest, waters, your shining sand
I love the natural beauty of this place- the trees, water, and beaches are all amazing.
When morning breaks the heaven on high
As the sun rises in the morning.
I lift my heavy load to the sky
I bring my hard work to this new day and acknowledge the blessings of the day ahead.
Sun comes down with a burning glow
The sun shines down with a bright, hot intensity.
Mingles my sweat with the earth below
As I work, my sweat drips onto the ground and mixes with the earth.
I see woman on bended knee
I observe a woman working hard on her knees in the fields.
Cutting cane for her family
She is cutting sugarcane that will help feed her family.
I see man at the water side
I notice a man working by the water.
Casting nets at the surging tide
He is using nets to catch fish when the tide is high.
I hope the day will never come
I pray that I will never see the day.
That I can't awake to the sound of drum
I never want to miss the sound of the drums that wake me up every day.
Never let me miss carnival
I never want to miss the traditional festival.
With calypso songs philosophical
I love the uplifting calypso music that we sing during this festival.
Sad the time, I'll ever miss
It would be a very sad thing if I were to ever miss something true to my culture.
The gay colored skirts as they turn and twist
I never want to miss the beautiful, colorful dancing performed during these events.
Let me always hear soft guitars
I hope to always be able to listen to the soothing sounds of the guitar.
And a maiden's voice 'neath a thousand stars.
I want to hear a woman's lovely voice singing under the vast, beautiful sky of stars every night.
Contributed by Brody E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mariana Rossger
It's always a great pleasure listening to them! Thanks a lot!
Diane Fiske-Foy
A good looking group with great talent 👍🏻🥰‼️ Where has all this beautiful music gone?! I’m glad for these old recordings though 👏🏻💫🥰‼️
KR Witman
An ageless tune provided by legendary artists. Wish this music would still be popular with today's fraternity brothers.
Eva Conde
Beautiful voices
Bruce Hilton
Terrific, I remember this from when I was kid.
菊池雅夫
素晴らしい！！
priya. jewels
It's actually a pleasure to liten to them. Since childhood have been their fan and grown up listening to them hearing their songs.
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
From a mad keen 76yo Aussie fan.
Amazing voices & harmonies.
Weekday Cycling
They are now Grandpa and Grandma or some have even gone to heaven.
3Pitous
Thans so much. A rare find!