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)

Lay Away
The Isley Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Gonna put your lovin' in the lay away
Coming back to get it on another day, hey
Don't have to worry 'bout it gettin' away hey, hey
Well, your love is safe in the lay away

Hey, hey layaway
In the layaway

Evetybody's got someone
They wanna keep safe away
Everybody needs someone to
Love on a rainy day
Put your love in the lay away

Yeah, well

I got to hold, hold on to my receipt
Girl, to redeem your love
That's exactly what I need
Your love and kisses
Makes it fell complete

Girl, I've been crazy
Since the day I saw you
My heart keeps beating for you
And I ain't gonna let you get away
Girl, I'm going straight down to the man

Gonna put it in the lay away lay away

Coming back to get it on another day
Girl I been crazy since the day I saw you
My heart keeps beating for you
I ain't gonna let you get away
You ain't gonna get away

Gonna put it in a layaway

Coming back to get it on another day
Coming back to get it on a rainy day
I've got to put your love in the lay away

Lay away

Overall Meaning

The Isley Brothers' song "Lay Away" is a love song about a man who is so enamored with his woman that he wants to make sure her love is safe and secure, and so he decides to "put your lovin' in the lay away." He assures her that her love is secure and that he will come back to retrieve it on another day. The lyrics express the urgency of the man's love and desire for the woman, and his determination to ensure that he never loses her.

The analogy of "lay away" conjures up the image of a department store layaway plan where you put down a deposit on an item and pay it off over time until it's fully paid for and you can take it home. The man in the song is essentially making a commitment to the woman by putting her love in a "lay away" to show that his love and affection are genuine and long-lasting. He is willing to wait for her, knowing that their love will grow stronger with time.

The song has a catchy melody and is beautifully sung by the Isley Brothers, with Ronald Isley's silky-smooth voice conveying the passion and emotion of the lyrics. It's a classic R&B love song and a testament to the longevity of the Isley Brothers' career, as they were one of the most successful and influential groups in the genre for over five decades.

Lay AwayThe Isley Brothers Lyrics

Lay Away
The Isley Brothers Lyrics