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 Wanna Be with You
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anything but you
Your breath on my face, your warm gentle kiss
I taste the truth, I taste the truth
You know what I came here for, so I won't ask for more
I wanna be with you, if only for a night
To be the one who's in your arms, who holds you tight
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
So I'll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine
To hold forever more
And I'll savor each touch that I wanted so much
To feel before, to feel before
How beautiful it is just to be like this
I wanna be with you, if only for a night
To be the one who's in your arms, who holds you tight
I wanna be with you there's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be with you
Oh, baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore
It drives me crazy when I try to
So call my name, take my hand
Can you make my wish, baby, your command
I wanna be with you there's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be with you
I wanna be with you, yeah
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be, I wanna be with you
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be
I wanna be with you
I wanna be baby, I wanna be with you
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be baby, I wanna be with you
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be
I wanna be with you, I wanna be with you, I wanna be
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be with you, I wanna be with you
The Isley Brothers' "I Wanna Be With You" is a love song that describes the yearning and desire a person has for their significant other. The lyrics speak of the singer's inability to think of anything but the person they love, as well as their desire to be close to them. The song also speaks of the beautiful sensation of being together, and how the singer wishes to savor every moment of it.
The song's chorus is a plea to the person they love to be with them, even if it is just for one night. The singer wishes to hold their loved one tight, and to feel the warmth of their embrace. They express that there is nothing else they could want more than to be with their significant other. The song concludes with the singer's final plea to be with the person they love.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of urgency and passion, typifying the romantic love language of the 70s. The lyrics, combined with the soulful melody, create an atmosphere of longing and desire that is both compelling and relatable.
Line by Line Meaning
I try but I can't seem to get myself to think of
Anything but you
Despite my efforts, I cannot stop thinking about you.
Your breath on my face, your warm gentle kiss
I taste the truth, I taste the truth
Feeling your breath and kiss reveals the truth of my desire for you.
You know what I came here for, so I won't ask for more
You know that I wanted to be with you and I won't ask for anything more.
I wanna be with you, if only for a night
To be the one who's in your arms, who holds you tight
I wanna be with you there's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
I desire to be with you, even if just for a night, to hold you tight and to feel this way. There is nothing else I want more than to be with you.
So I'll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine
To hold forever more
And I'll savor each touch that I wanted so much
To feel before, to feel before
How beautiful it is just to be like this
I will hold you tonight as if you were already mine, and I will cherish every touch that I longed for before. Being like this with you is beautiful.
Oh, baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore
It drives me crazy when I try to
So call my name, take my hand
Can you make my wish, baby, your command
I can't resist my feelings for you anymore. Trying to do so drives me crazy. Please take my hand and make my wish come true.
I wanna be with you there's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be with you
There is nothing more to say other than I want to be with you and feel this way. I want to be with you.
I wanna be, I wanna be with you
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be
I wanna be with you
I wanna be baby, I wanna be with you
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be
(I wanna be with you)
I wanna be with you, I wanna be with you
Repeatedly expressing the desire to be with you, in various forms.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER H JASPER, ERNIE ISLEY, MARVIN ISLEY, O'KELLY ISLEY, RONALD ISLEY, RUDOLPH ISLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scott Bailey
The Isley Brothers "ROCK" and that is all there is to it! Starting in the 50's when Elvis was getting big, through the Beatle era, the Michael Jackson 80s era, and up to 2015 and beyond, the Isley Brothers ROCK! Their music is on both the R&B and Pop-Rock Charts. Everybody loves the Isley Brothers!
mkl62
A #1 hit for The Isley Brothers on the Rhythm & Blues charts. It was the 433rd #1 R&B song of the Rock Era.
Jeffrey Chandler
In 1979, when this was released to the general public, the single achieved "GOLD" status with rapid sales. What a time it was, the different stations constantly played this single. The album, which contained phenomenal songs attained "PLATINUM" status. Remarkable memories and special times, enjoying the Isley 's.
Mary Haywood
I remember this song being played at house parties at my parents when I was a little girl lol..... still the sh*t.
Anthony Lyttle
One of my dad's favorite isley jams....... pure uncut funk
David Hunter
phenomenal! 😃
Tammy Phillips
Now this is real music 😎
Lonnetta Coleman-Morris
Remember this one well...And yes it definitely real music!!
Michelle 967
Omg I LOVED this funky jam ! Still do ❤️
Billy McMurtry Sr
This was some serious old school still is the jam..