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)
Colder Are My Nights
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More and more every day
Anything's better
Than the reason I've moved away
If those days can look brighter
Means everything is possible
For so long on my own
The colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Means I need you more and more
The colder are my nights
Means I can't do without you too long
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Uh, uh, uh
Uh
You made the difference
And what a difference it is
You made me realize
What is life without you
Since those days when nothing goes right
Things get almost but not quiet
They get so sore, they come close
They get so sore, uh, uh
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Means I need you more and more
Colder are my nights
Means I can't do without you too long
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Means I need you more and more
The colder are my nights
Means I can't do without you too long
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Ah, ha
Well
Ooh
Mmm, mmm
The colder are my nights, ooh
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Means I need you more and more
The colder are my nights
Means I can't do without you too long
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
Means I need you more and more
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
Means I can't do without you too long
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Hoo
Hoo
Yeah, yeah
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
It's so cold, yeah
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights, ooh
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
So cold
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
It's so cold, well
Colder are my nights, yeah
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
So cold
(So cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Yeah, they're so cold
(So cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
So cold
(So cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
I know it's cold, yeah, yeah
(So cold, my nights)
Colder are my nights
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
So cold
(So cold, my nights)
Really so cold
The lyrics of "Colder Are My Nights" by The Isley Brothers express the singer's increasing need for their significant other as the nights become colder. They suggest that the relationship has made a difference in their lives and they cannot go too long without the person's presence. The singer acknowledges that things can get difficult, but everything is possible when the days look brighter, possibly referring to the hope that comes with the presence of their partner.
The song's lyrics can be interpreted as a representation of the human need for companionship and the comfort that comes with having someone to share life's hardships with. The colder nights symbolize a feeling of loneliness and lacking, which is compensated by the warmth and safety that the partner provides. The repetition of the phrase "so cold, my nights" throughout the song emphasizes the significant impact that the colder nights have on the singer's emotional state and their desperation for companionship.
Overall, the song powerfully conveys the need for love and companionship in people's lives, especially during challenging times.
Line by Line Meaning
It's looking better
Things are improving
More and more every day
Each day brings more improvement
Anything's better
Anything is preferable
Than the reason I've moved away
Because whatever was there before was worse than moving away
If those days can look brighter
If there is hope for better days
Means everything is possible
Then anything is achievable
For so long on my own
Being alone for a long time
Had some time on my hands
Had some free time
The colder are my nights
My nights are very cold
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Means I need you more and more
I need you increasingly
Means I can't do without you too long
I can't be without you for an extended period
You made the difference
You caused the change
And what a difference it is
It's a significant change
You made me realize
You helped me understand
What is life without you
How life is without you
Since those days when nothing goes right
Since the days where everything was going wrong
Things get almost but not quiet
Things get close to being resolved, but not quite there yet
They get so sore, they come close
They become painful, nearly getting solved
Colder are my nights
My nights are still very cold
(So cold, my nights, so cold, my nights)
Mean I need you more and more
I increasingly require you
Means I can't do without you too long
I can't be without you for an extended period
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Repeated affirmations
Ah, ha
Exclamation of realization or understanding
Well
Interjection to express agreement or doubt
Ooh
Exclamation of surprise or pleasure
Mmm, mmm
Sound of satisfaction or contentment
It's so cold, yeah
The coldness is palpable
Colder are my nights, ooh
My nights are still very cold
So cold
The coldness is prominent
It's so cold, well
The coldness is significant and noteworthy
Colder are my nights, yeah
My nights are still very cold
Really so cold
Emphasis on the extreme coldness
Contributed by Chase T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Starrlite77
I loved this song. I remember my mother broke her neck driving to a little record shop on 111th Halsted in Chicago to purchase this song on a 45. We played it everyday..lol
warren wick
You have no clue. . . . This girl was my everything. . . . You have not a clue. . . . .
ANTHONY CROWDER
Born and raised in Chicago. This, and always will be, a great Steppers jam. Ron isley is an underrated legend.
Jonathan Graham
@Anthony Crowder...a Dj from Chicago plays this song at the hole-in-the-wall here in Arkansas every Saturday night... Damn, I'm loving this damn song!
voss297
Love this song!
Tony Meenan
This is a classic!!!
Joseph C Dunmore Sr.
Just smooth and with a mean groove this is a enjoyment to listen to. A class act group that bring there AAA Game to everything they are in music. Here with a big band sound that bring something different to there style. But still with greatness as always The #1 Isley Bros with the long lasting hits of all times. Dunmore Music of Monee IL
Dave Matthews
i was really surprised to find this song on here.Such a great tune.
Erik Stone
I Love This The Isley Brothers 1985 Hit, "Colder Are My Nights," Which Became A Top 20 R&B Hit In America.
Warren High
haven't heard this track in a long long time