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 Must Be Losing My Touch
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love you too much now
All I do is sit home
And think about us now
I used to have lots of women
But where did they go now
Somebody tell me
I must be losing my touch
(You're losing your touch)
(You're losing your touch)
(You're losing your touch)
Why do I let you
Mess with my mind baby
Why do I let you
Take up all my time baby
I can't get weak
I gotta be strong
I should be letting you go
But I keep holding on
I must be losing my touch
All right
(You're losing your touch)
Hey hey
(You're losing your touch)
This couldn't be me
(You're losing your touch)
I'm too cool for that
(You're losing your touch)
This couldn't be me
My game is too strong for that
I used to have all girls from blocks around
I used to have all this action in this town
Ah but look at me now
(You're losing your touch)
I must be losing my touch
(You're losing your touch)
Or either I love you too much baby
(You're losing your touch)
Losing my touch
In "I Must Be Losing My Touch," The Isley Brothers sing about a former ladies' man who has found himself fixated on one particular woman. He can't stop thinking about her, even when he's alone, and he's lost his interest in other women. He wonders aloud why this is happening, why this one woman has such a hold on him. He knows he's losing his touch when it comes to women and his game is off, but he can't help himself.
The lyrics suggest that the man is struggling with whether his love for this woman is causing him to lose his edge or if it's simply a coincidence. He's wrestling with the tension between love and lust and trying to figure out what's driving his behavior. He can't let go of his fixation on this woman, even when he knows he should. In the end, the song is a lament about the ways in which love can make us feel vulnerable and even weak.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I think girl
Occasionally, I have thoughts about you, girl.
I love you too much now
I have grown to love you excessively, to an extent that may be problematic.
All I do is sit home
I spend most of my time sitting at home, doing very little.
And think about us now
During that idle time, I mostly contemplate the state of our relationship.
I used to have lots of women
In the past, I had numerous romantic relationships with various women.
But where did they go now
However, those women are nowhere to be found at present.
Somebody tell me
If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of those women, please let me know.
'Cause I don't know
As of now, I am unaware of their present location.
I must be losing my touch
It seems as though my ability to charm and attract women is diminishing.
Why do I let you
I am curious as to why I allow you to.
Mess with my mind baby
Engage in behaviors that are detrimental to my mental state, my dear.
Take up all my time baby
Consume and occupy most of my time, my dear.
I can't get weak
I must be strong and resist the temptation to give in.
I gotta be strong
I must display strength and resilience to manage through difficult times.
I should be letting you go
It would be more sensible for me to release you and move on from our relationship.
But I keep holding on
Despite that, I continue to hold on tightly to you and our relationship.
This couldn't be me
It seems impossible that what is happening to me is true (that I'm losing my touch).
My game is too strong for that
My ability to attract others is too powerful to be diminished so easily.
I used to have all girls from blocks around
In the past, I had quite a reputation for attracting women from all around my neighborhood or community.
I used to have all this action in this town
Previously, I experienced many romantic interactions within this city.
Ah but look at me now
Despite my past success, here I am now in my current state.
Or either I love you too much baby
Perhaps my love for you has caused my loss of charm and skill in attracting others.
Losing my touch
I am diminishing in my ability to charm and attract women.
Contributed by Isabella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.