Together with a fourth brother, Vernon, the group performed gospel music until Vernon's death a few years after its formation. After moving to the New York City area in the late 1950s, the group had their first successes during these early years, first coming to prominence in 1959 with their fourth single, "Shout", written by the three brothers. Initially a modest charted single, the song eventually sold over a million copies. In the 1960s, the group recorded songs for a variety of labels, including the top 20 single "Twist and Shout" and the Motown single "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", before recording and issuing the Grammy Award-winning hit "It's Your Thing" on their own label, T-Neck Records.
Influenced by gospel and doo-wop music, the group began experimenting with different musical styles incorporating elements of rock and funk as well as pop balladry. The inclusion of younger brothers Ernie Isley (lead guitar, drums) and Marvin Isley (bass guitar), and Rudolph's brother-in-law Chris Jasper (keyboards, synthesizers), in 1973 turned the original vocal trio into a complete band and reached the height of their success. For the next full decade, they recorded a string of top-selling albums from 3 + 3 to Between the Sheets, including the number one album The Heat Is On.
The six-member band splintered in 1983, with Ernie, Marvin, and Chris Jasper forming the short-lived spinoff group Isley-Jasper-Isley. The oldest member, O'Kelly, died in 1986 and Rudolph and Ronald released a pair of albums as a duo before Rudolph retired to a life in the Christian ministry in 1989. Ronald reconvened the group two years later in 1991 with Ernie and Marvin; five years later, in 1996, Marvin Isley left the group due to complications of diabetes. The remaining duo of Ronald and Ernie achieved mainstream success with the albums Mission to Please (1996), Eternal (2001) and Body Kiss (2003). Eternal spawned the top twenty hit "Contagious". As of 2019, the Isley Brothers continue to perform under the lineup of Ronald and Ernie.
The Isley Brothers have sold over 18 million units in the United States alone. They have had several hit songs including four Top 10 singles on the United States Billboard chart. With their first major hit charting in 1959 ("Shout"), and their last one in 2001 ("Contagious"), they are among the few groups ever to have hit the Billboard Hot 100 with new music in five different decades. Sixteen of their albums charted in the Top 40 and thirteen of those albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA. The brothers have been honored by several musical institutions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted them in 1992. Five years later, they were added to Hollywood's Rockwalk, and in 2003 they were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. They received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isley_Brothers
Studio albums
Shout! (1959)
Twist & Shout (1962)
Twisting and Shouting (1963)
This Old Heart of Mine (1966)
Soul on the Rocks (1967)
It's Our Thing (1969)
The Brothers: Isley (1969)
Get into Something (1970)
Givin' It Back (1971)
Brother, Brother, Brother (1972)
3 + 3 (1973)
Live It Up (1974)
The Heat Is On (1975)
Harvest for the World (1976)
Go for Your Guns (1977)
Showdown (1978)
Winner Takes All (1979)
Go All the Way (1980)
Grand Slam (1981)
Inside You (1981)
The Real Deal (1982)
Between the Sheets (1983)
Masterpiece (1985)
Smooth Sailin' (1987)
Spend the Night (1989)
Tracks of Life (1992)
Mission to Please (1996)
Eternal (2001)
Body Kiss (2003)
Baby Makin' Music (2006)
Power of Peace (2017)
Beauty In The Dark
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you've been thinkin' of you
Oh, I'll give love that I have
If you give all that I need
And oh, let's be fair
And I think it's time we clear the air
You've been watchin' me, I've been watchin' you
(Groove with you)
Girl, speak your mind
(Groove with you)
You've been thinkin' all of this time
(Groove with you)
Oh baby, what I wouldn't do?
(Groove with you)
It's spendin' my day with you
Oh, love is all in your eyes
Love fire's burnin' for me
You stay all in my mind
Oh woman, it's easy to see
Oh, let's be fair
And you know, it's time we clear the air
You been watchin' me, I been watchin' you
And you know, you know
(Groove with you)
Oh, I wanna grove, I wanna groove
(Groove with you)
I've been thinkin', you've been thinkin', thinkin' of me
(Groove with you)
Oh, what I wouldn't do to groove with you
(Groove with you)
You've been watchin', I've been watchin', watchin' you
(Groove with you)
And ooh, and every chance I get
(Every chance I get)
From the first time we met
I wanna groove with you
I wanna groove with you yeah
I wanna groove with you
I wanna groove, I wanna groove, babe, to you
(Grove with you)
I've been thinkin', you've been thinkin', thinkin' of me
(Groove with you)
I wanna groove, groove with you
(Groove with you)
I've been watchin', you've been watchin', watchin' me, baby
(Groove with you)
I wanna groove, groove with you
I wanna groove with you, yeah
I wanna groove with you, baby
Listen, every chance I get
(Every chance I get)
From the first time we met
I wanna groove with you
Groove with you
I wanna groove with you
Groove with you
The Isley Brothers' song "Beauty In The Dark" is a romantic ballad that expresses the desire to be with someone and spend time with them. The lyrics speak to the idea of reciprocity in love - giving as much as you receive. The first verse says, "Oh, I've been thinkin' of you, and you've been thinkin' of you. Oh, I'll give love that I have, if you give all that I need." This suggests that both parties have been focused on themselves and now it's time to prioritize the other person in the relationship. The chorus encourages the listener to "groove" with the singer, suggesting that spending time together and enjoying each other's company would be a fun and enjoyable experience.
The second verse continues with the sentiment of reciprocity, saying, "love is all in your eyes, love fire's burnin' for me. You stay all in my mind, oh woman, it's easy to see." The suggestion is that love is reciprocated because it's visible in the eyes of the other person as well as in their thoughts. The final verse reiterates the desire to groove with the listener every chance the singer gets. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the desire to share love and time together.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I've been thinkin' of you
I have been constantly thinking about you
And you've been thinkin' of you
You have been preoccupied with yourself
Oh, I'll give love that I have
I have love to give
If you give all that I need
I need your love in return
And oh, let's be fair
We need to be just and equitable
And I think it's time we clear the air
We need to have an open and honest conversation
You've been watchin' me, I've been watchin' you
We have both been observing each other
You know I've been wantin' to groove
I have been wanting to dance with you
Girl, speak your mind
Please share your thoughts with me
Oh baby, what I wouldn't do?
I am willing to do whatever it takes
It's spendin' my day with you
Spending the day with you is all I want
Oh, love is all in your eyes
Your eyes show your love for me
Love fire's burnin' for me
The passion of your love is strong
You stay all in my mind
You are always on my mind
Oh woman, it's easy to see
It is clear to see how much you love me
And you know, you know
You are aware of the situation
Oh, I wanna grove, I wanna groove
I want to dance with you
I've been thinkin', you've been thinkin', thinkin' of me
We have both been thinking about each other
Oh, what I wouldn't do to groove with you
I am willing to do anything to dance with you
You've been watchin', I've been watchin', watchin' you
We have both been watching each other attentively
And ooh, and every chance I get
Whenever I can
From the first time we met
Since the moment we first saw each other
Groove with you
Dance with you
Listen, every chance I get
Pay attention
I wanna groove with you
I want to have a dance with you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER JASPER, CHRISTOPHER H JASPER, DENARD SMITH, ERNIE ISLEY, MARVIN ISLEY, O'KELLY ISLEY, RONALD ISLEY, RUDOLPH ISLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind