The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati… Read Full Bio ↴The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that started as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over eight decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".

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)

I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door
The Isley Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Elaine, this is Rudolph out here
If you don't come out tonight

I'm gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell
Tap on your window too
If you don't come out tonight while the moon is bright
I'm gonna knock and ring and tap until you do

I'm gonna knock on your door, call out your name
Wake up the town, you see
I'm gonna hoot and howl like the lovesick owl
Until you say you're goin' out with me

Hey little girl, this ain't no time to sleep
Let's count kisses 'stead of countin' sheep
How can I hold you near
With you up there and me down here?

I'm gonna knock on your door, ring at your bell
Wake up the town, you see
If you don't come out tonight while the moon is bright
I'm gonna knock and ring and tap until you do

Hey, little girl, this ain't no time to sleep
Let's count kisses 'stead of countin' sheep
How, how can I hold you near
With you up there and me down here?

I'm gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell
Tap on your window too
If you don't come out tonight while the moon is bright
I'm gonna knock and ring and tap until you do

I'll knock and ring and tap until you do
I'll knock and ring and tap until you do

I'll knock and ring and tap until you do
...

Overall Meaning

The Isley Brothers' song "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" is a classic early rock and roll tune about a persistent suitor trying to convince his love interest, Elaine, to come out and spend the evening with him. The lyrics are filled with vivid, poetic language that paints a picture of a young man standing outside his lover's house, refusing to give up until she agrees to go out with him.

The song is a classic example of the doo-wop sound that emerged in the 1950s and early 1960s, characterized by close harmony vocals, catchy melodies, and simple, straightforward lyrics about teenage romance and heartbreak. The Isley Brothers' version of the song features a driving guitar riff and catchy chorus that makes it an instant dancefloor filler.

The lyrics themselves are notable for their vivid imagery and playful use of language. Lines like "I'm gonna hoot and howl like the lovesick owl" and "Let's count kisses 'stead of countin' sheep" make use of clever metaphors to convey the singer's romantic intentions. The chorus, with its insistent repetition of "I'm gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell, tap on your window too," captures the sense of urgency and persistence that characterize the teenage experience of infatuation.

Line by Line Meaning

Elaine, this is Rudolph out here
I am Rudolph and I am outside your house, Elaine

If you don't come out tonight
If you don't come out tonight

I'm gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell
I will knock on your door and ring the bell

Tap on your window too
I will also tap on your window

If you don't come out tonight while the moon is bright
If you don't come out tonight while the moon is still bright

I'm gonna knock and ring and tap until you do
I will knock, ring, and tap until you come out

I'm gonna knock on your door, call out your name
I will knock on your door and call your name

Wake up the town, you see
I want the whole town to wake up and see

I'm gonna hoot and howl like the lovesick owl
I will hoot and howl like a lovesick owl

Until you say you're goin' out with me
Until you agree to go out with me

Hey little girl, this ain't no time to sleep
Hey, you girl, it's not the time to sleep