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 Want That
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beautiful lady, who's that lady?
Lovely lady, who's that lady?
Real fine lady, who's that lady?
Hear me callin' out to you
'Cause that's all that I can do
Your eyes tell me to pursue
But don't touch, baby,
No, no, no, don't touch
Who's that lady? Who's that lady?
Sexy lady, who's that lady?
Beautiful lady, who's that lady?
Real fine lady, who's that lady?
I would dance upon a string
Any gifts she'd wanna bring
I would give her anything
If she would just do what I say
Come around my way, baby, shine my way
Who's that lady? Who's that lady?
Beautiful lady, who's that lady?
Lovely lady, who's that lady?
Real, real fine lady, who's that lady?
I would love to take her home
But her heart is made of stone
I gotta keep on keepin' on
If I don't, she'll do me wrong
Do me wrong, baby
The Isley Brothers's classic hit, "Who's That Lady," is a song about a man who becomes instantly enamored by a woman's beauty, but he discovers that she is unavailable. The song's opening lyrics repeatedly ask, "Who's that lady?" suggesting that the man is trying to figure out who this mysterious and captivating lady is. He describes her as "beautiful", "lovely", and "real fine."
The man in the song attempts to pursue this lady but is met with hesitation from her. She tells him to look but not touch, implying that she is not interested in anything beyond a platonic relationship with him. The man indicates that he would do anything for this lady and is willing to dance on a string for her if it would make her happy. However, she proves to be unattainable as he realizes that her heart is made of stone.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's that lady? Who's that lady?
The singer is curious about the identity of the woman he sees.
Beautiful lady, who's that lady?
The singer is admiring the woman and wants to know who she is.
Lovely lady, who's that lady?
The singer is complimenting the woman's appearance and wants to know more about her.
Real fine lady, who's that lady?
The artist is emphasizing the woman's attractiveness and is still curious about her identity.
Hear me callin' out to you
The artist is trying to get the woman's attention by calling out to her.
'Cause that's all that I can do
The singer is limited in his ability to communicate with the woman and can only call out to her.
Your eyes tell me to pursue
The singer sees a hint from the woman's eyes that he should pursue her.
But you say, look yeah
The woman's verbal response to the artist's pursuit is just to look at him.
But don't touch, baby,
The woman is warning the artist not to touch her.
No, no, no, don't touch
The woman repeats her warning to the artist not to touch her.
Sexy lady, who's that lady?
The singer emphasizes the woman's sex appeal and is still curious about her identity.
I would dance upon a string
The artist would do anything for the woman's attention and affection.
Any gifts she'd wanna bring
The singer is willing to receive any gifts that the woman may want to bring as a means of winning her over.
I would give her anything
The singer is willing to give the woman anything she wants in order to earn her affection.
If she would just do what I say
The singer is willing to make a deal with the woman to do anything she wants in return for her compliance with his wishes.
Come around my way, baby, shine my way
The artist is asking the woman to come closer to him and to brighten up his life.
I would love to take her home
The artist is fantasizing about taking the woman home with him.
But her heart is made of stone
The singer recognizes that the woman is emotionally distant and not interested in him.
I gotta keep on keepin' on
The singer knows he must continue pursuing the woman in order to win her over.
If I don't, she'll do me wrong
The artist fears rejection from the woman and imagines that she would harm him if he stops pursuing her.
Do me wrong, baby
The artist repeats his fear that the woman would harm him emotionally if he does not continue to pursue her.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: CHRISTOPHER JASPER, ERNIE ISLEY, MARVIN ISLEY, O'KELLY ISLEY, RONALD ISLEY, RUDOLPH ISLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind