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 Lady Lay
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Whatever colors
You have in your mind
I'll show them to you
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay
Stay with your man awhile
Stay, lady, stay
Stay with your man awhile
Until the break of day
Let me see you make him smile
Stay, lady, stay
Stay, lady, stay
Stay, lady, stay, lady
Stay, lady, stay, lady
His clothes are dirty
But his, his hands are clean
And you're the best thing
That he's ever seen
Stay, lady, stay
Stay with your man awhile
Stay, lady, stay
Stay, lady, stay
Stay, lady, stay, lady
Stay, lady, stay, lady
Why wait any longer
For the world to begin
You can have your cake
And eat it too
Why wait any longer
For the one you love
When he's standing, standing
Standing in front of you
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay
Stay while the
Night is still ahead
Stay, lady, stay
Stay, lady, stay
Stay, lady, stay, lady
Stay, lady, stay, lady
I long to see you
In the morning light
I wanna reach for you
In the night
Please, lady
Please, lady
Stay while the
Night is still ahead
Stay, lady, stay
Lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lady
Keep your shoes off, lady
Relax yourself awhile
Stay, lady, stay
Lay, lady, lay
Stay, lady, stay
Relax yourself awhile
Lay, lady, lay
Stay, lady, stay
Relax yourself awhile
Lay, lady, lay
Lay, lady, lay
Lay, lady, lay...
The Isley Brothers' version of Bob Dylan's classic "Lay Lady Lay" maintains the flirtatious tone of the original while adding a funky R&B twist. The song's narrator is trying to convince a woman to spend the night with him and is pulling out all the stops to woo her. The chorus "Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed" is an invitation to stay with him for a while, while the lines about showing her colors represent the singer's desire to reveal his true self to her. The second verse suggests that the woman's current partner is not treating her well but that the singer would treat her better. The song ends with a plea for her to stay with him, promising to treat her well.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally written and performed by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the 1969 film "Midnight Cowboy." However, the version by The Isley Brothers is arguably more well-known and has become a classic in its own right. Another interesting fact is that the line "lay across my big brass bed" is often misheard as "lay across my big breastband," leading to a humorous misinterpretation of the song's meaning. The band has also been known to change the lyrics to "keep your shoes off, baby" in live performances.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay, lady, lay
Invitation to a woman to lay across the singer's bed
Lay across my big brass bed
Encourages the woman to lay on the large, grandiose bed
Whatever colors You have in your mind I'll show them to you And you'll see them shine
Assures the woman that he can bring out the best in her and show her true self to the world
Stay, lady, stay
Encourages the woman to stay with him for a while longer
Stay with your man awhile
Asks the woman to continue being with him
Until the break of day Let me see you make him smile
Asks the woman to stay and make her man happy until morning
His clothes are dirty But his, his hands are clean And you're the best thing That he's ever seen
Acknowledges that the man may not be perfect, but he knows the woman is the best thing in his life
Why wait any longer For the world to begin You can have your cake And eat it too
Encourages the woman to embrace life and go after what she wants
Why wait any longer For the one you love When he's standing, standing Standing in front of you
Suggests that the woman should seize the opportunity and be with the man she loves who is there with her
Stay while the Night is still ahead
Asks the woman to stay with him through the night
I long to see you In the morning light
Expresses the singer's desire to wake up with the woman by his side
Please, lady Please, lady Stay while the Night is still ahead
Begs the woman to spend more time with him
Keep your shoes off, lady Relax yourself awhile
Encourages the woman to take a break and relax in comfort
Lay, lady, lay
Reiterates the invitation for the woman to lay down
Lay, lady, lay...
Repeats the chorus to close the song
Contributed by Brayden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.