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 Got To Get Myself Together
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh get it together
I got to get myself together
You must get it together
'Cause if I don't do it soon
Old age is gonna catch me now
Stop staying out late at night now yeah
I got to get myself together
Deep down in your heart you know that ain't right
'Cause if I don't do it soon
Old age is gonna catch me now
I gotta get myself together
Why don't you get it together?
Lord lord
Please hear his plea
Find him a good woman
Send her straight home to me
I gotta get myself together
Get it together get it together
I gotta get myself together
I believe you know how to get it together
'Cause if I don't do it soon
Old age is gonna catch me now
Get it together
I gotta get myself together
Get it together
I gotta get myself together
Old age is gonna catch you
I gotta get myself together
Get it together
I gotta get myself together
The Isley Brothers' song "I Got To Get Myself Together" speaks to the theme of self-discovery and personal transformation. The lyrics suggest that the singer has not yet lived up to their potential or lived their life to the fullest, and there is a sense of urgency in the message. They recognize that if they don't start making meaningful changes soon, they will miss out on what life has to offer, and it will be too late to turn things around.
The opening lines of the song, "I got to get myself together, oh get it together," are repeated throughout to emphasize the importance of taking action. The chorus urges listeners to "get it together" and "stop staying out late at night," implying that the singer has been indulging in unhealthy behaviors that prevent them from reaching their full potential. The verse "Deep down in your heart you know that ain't right" suggests that the singer is aware of their destructive behavior but has not had the motivation to make a change.
The song's final verse suggests a plea for divine intervention, as the singer asks for help finding a good woman who will "send her straight home" to him. This request for guidance suggests that the singer recognizes that they cannot change alone and need external support to get their life on track.
Line by Line Meaning
I got to get myself together
I need to fix my life and my behavior
Oh get it together
I really need to fix myself
You must get it together
It's imperative that I change my ways
'Cause if I don't do it soon
Old age is gonna catch me now
If I don't change my behavior now, I'll regret it when I'm old
Stop staying out late at night now yeah
I need to stop partying and being irresponsible
Deep down in your heart you know that ain't right
I know I'm doing something wrong, but I need to change
Why don't you get it together?
Can't you see that you need to change too?
Lord lord
Please hear his plea
Find him a good woman
Send her straight home to me
I need a positive influence in my life to help me become a better person
I believe you know how to get it together
I have faith that I can change
Old age is gonna catch you
If you don't change, you'll regret it when you're old
Get it together
Start making positive changes now
Contributed by Kayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
peter mills
One of my favourite songs ever. Singing, guitars, brass, everything perfect. . B- side to 'Was It Good?' '70, ' 71 I think. I lost the single somehow ( or it got pinched ) So great to hear it again!
Andy Mace
Maravillosa!!!
Dolores Hammond
I love The Isley Brothers, Back in the day I am then as Ronald isley, May contagious, O how I love that 1, And also when they may summer breeze, Now that's some back in A-day I'll really love that 1 too, It used to remind me of one I lived with my grandmother. And this one is a beautiful song as well.
lil MacBook Pro soundcloud
This song helps more then ever
Coincidental Flattery
Classic like old age racing u❣️
KiN CAMELL
Love
retta1960
Alright now....😀
Anthony Devereaux
I never understood this album cover, cause it look like 3 devils.
Davida Williams
Who is singing lead here? O'Kelly or Rudolph? Ronald is definitely singing back up.
JLJ504HD
It's Rudolph co-leading with Ron. Kelly comes in at the end. Kelly's vocals is softer. Rudolph's vocals are a bit raspy and gritty. (Check out Rudolph's songs from his gospel album. They are on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht3FKBRAAB0