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)
Hello It's Me
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've thought about us for a long, long time
Maybe I think too much but something's wrong
Something's here that doesn't last too long
Maybe I shouldn't think of you as mine, but I can't help it baby
Seeing you, seeing anyone as much as I do you
I take for granted that you're always there
I take for granted that you just don't care
It's important to me
That you know you are free
Cause I never want to make you change for me, babe (don't change, don't change)
No, I wouldn't change you, change you for the world (don't change, don't change)
No, don't change, girl (don't change, don't change)
Stay as sweet as you are (don't change, don't change)
But one thing I want you to do is
Think of me, think of me, baby
You know I'd be with you if I could
Come around and see you once in a while
If you ever need a reason to smile
I'd spend the night if you think I should
It's important to me
That you know you are free
Cause I never want to make you change for me, don't change
And I'll come around and see you every once in a while
If you ever need a reason to smile
Just don't change, girl (don't change, don't change)
The Isley Brothers's song "Hello It's Me" is a poignant ballad about the complexities of love and longing. The singer, who greets his former lover, admits to thinking about her for a long time and acknowledges that something is amiss. Despite wanting to believe that his feelings for her are reciprocated, he struggles with the realization that their connection might be ephemeral. His desperate request that she think of him and his willingness to spend the night is a plea for some sort of emotional attachment, even if it is just for a single moment.
The singer's realization that his relationship with the woman is not as stable as he hoped is palpable. He recognizes that he takes her presence for granted, believing that she will always be there for him. His fear of losing her causes him to ultimately set her free, hoping that she does not change for him, but rather remains the same sweet person he fell in love with. Through the poignancy of his words, it's clear that his feelings are raw and real, but he knows that he must let go in order to protect his heart.
Overall, the song is a meditation on the bittersweet nature of love and the difficulty of letting go. It's a reminder that sometimes, despite our deepest desires, we must acknowledge the impermanence of things and let go of what we love in order to protect ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, it's me
I have been thinking about you for a long time and I need to talk to you.
I've thought about us for a long, long time
I can't stop thinking about our relationship and everything that has happened between us.
Maybe I think too much but something's wrong
I may be overthinking things, but something doesn't feel right between us.
Something's here that doesn't last too long
There is something in our relationship that is temporary and has an expiration date.
Maybe I shouldn't think of you as mine, but I can't help it baby
I know I shouldn't be possessive of you, but I can't change how I feel.
Seeing you, seeing anyone as much as I do you
I see you all the time and it's hard for me to move on.
I take for granted that you're always there
I have become complacent knowing that you will always be around.
I take for granted that you just don't care
I assume that you don't really care about me.
Sometimes I can't help seeing all the way through, baby
Sometimes I see through your facade and I can't ignore what's really going on between us.
It's important to me
That you know you are free
Cause I never want to make you change for me, babe (don't change, don't change)
No, I wouldn't change you, change you for the world (don't change, don't change)
No, don't change, girl (don't change, don't change)
Stay as sweet as you are (don't change, don't change)
But one thing I want you to do is
I want you to know that you're free to be yourself and I don't want you to change for me, but I just need you to think of me from time to time.
Think of me, think of me, baby
You know I'd be with you if I could
Come around and see you once in a while
If you ever need a reason to smile
I'd spend the night if you think I should
I want you to think of me and know that I'm always here for you. If you need anything, just call and I'll be there for you. Even if it's just to make you smile.
And I'll come around and see you every once in a while
If you ever need a reason to smile
I will come to see you occasionally to bring some joy into your life.
Just don't change, girl (don't change, don't change)
I want you to know that you're perfect just the way you are, and I don't want you to change anything about yourself for me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: Todd Rundgren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind