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)
Let's Twist Again
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like you did last summer
Yeah, let's twist again
Like you did last year
Do you remember when
Things were really hummin'
Yeah let's twist agin
Well, around and round and up and down
We go again
Come on baby make me know you love me so
Let's twist again
Like you did last summer
Yeah, let's twist again
Like you did last year
Well, around and round and up and down
We go again
Come on baby make me know you love me so
Let's twist again
Like you did last summer
Yeah, let's twist again
Like you did last year
Oh come on and let's twist again
Like you did last year
The Isley Brothers’ song, ‘Let's Twist Again’ is a joyful, high-energy track that encourages dancing and reliving the memories of past summer fun. The lyrics focus on the nostalgia of good times, and the group urges the listener to join in the dance and relive the excitement of the past. The chorus repeats the line ‘Let’s twist again like you did last summer/ year’ emphasizing the importance of twisting and re-capturing moments lost in time.
The line ‘Do you remember when things were really hummin’?’ is an invitation to look back and recall happy memories. It’s a powerful motivating factor for the listener to get up and twist again, this time with the experience and knowledge of the past. The Isley Brothers’ lyrics work as a celebratory call and remind the listener of the happiness that comes from combining music and dance. The overall message of the song is to live in the moment and create joyous memories that can be relived and celebrated through music and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on let's twist again
Encouraging someone to dance the Twist again
Like you did last summer
Just like how they danced the Twist during summer last year
Yeah, let's twist again
Confirming the desire to dance the Twist once more
Like you did last year
Recalling how they danced the Twist last year
Do you remember when
Asking if they remember a specific time
Things were really hummin'
Referring to a time when things were exciting
Yeah let's twist again
Reaffirming the desire to dance the Twist
Twist the time is here
Highlighting that the moment is perfect for the Twist
Well, around and round and up and down
Describing the twisting motion of the dance
We go again
Starting another round of Twist dancing
Come on baby make me know you love me so
Asking the partner to show love through dancing the Twist together
Oh come on and let's twist again
Urging to start dancing the Twist again
Like you did last year
Asking to repeat the same Twist moves as last year
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: Dave Appell, Kal Mann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind