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)
Livin
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somebody told me, I was living in the life
Think that you might know, you find that you're really wrong
My pictures come and go but my living has got to go on
And if you think it's easy it's only 'cause
You ain't me and I ain't you
Check out the difference between the two
Somebody said, it was easy in my life
Somebody told me, I had made it in my life
Try to understand my determination win
You can't only stand on the outside looking in
And if you think it's easy it's only 'cause
You ain't me and I ain't you
Check out the difference between the two
Somebody said, I was living in the life
Somebody told me, I was living in the life
Try to understand my determination win
You can't only stand on the outside looking in
You ain't me and I ain't you
That's the horrible difference between the two
The Isley Brothers’ song Livin’ In The Life delves into the theme of how people perceive success and what it entails. The verses discuss how someone has told the singer that they are “living in the life” and have “made it in [their] life.” However, the singer challenges this notion of success and urges listeners to not just stand on the outside looking in. The lyrics convey the message that to truly understand what it means to be successful, one needs to experience it firsthand.
The chorus of the song emphasizes this point, noting that if you think it’s easy to live this life, “it’s only ‘cause you ain’t me and I ain’t you.” The use of the word “horrible” in the last line of the song drives home the idea that there is no one-size-fits-all definition of success.
Overall, Livin’ In The Life offers a powerful message about the importance of individual experiences and understanding the nuances of success.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody said, I was living in the life
Someone claimed that I had achieved success and satisfaction in life
Somebody told me, I was living in the life
Someone informed me that I had made it in life
Think that you might know, you find that you're really wrong
You may believe you have knowledge about my life but you will discover you're mistaken
My pictures come and go but my living has got to go on
Though my life changes, I must keep moving forward
And if you think it's easy it's only 'cause
You ain't me and I ain't you
Check out the difference between the two
Do not assume my life is simple, it's only because we are different people. Examine those distinctions
Somebody said, it was easy in my life
Someone suggested that my life was without difficulty
Somebody told me, I had made it in my life
Someone informed me that I had achieved success in life
Try to understand my determination win
You can't only stand on the outside looking in
Recognize that I succeeded because of my determination, one cannot comprehend from just observing from afar
You ain't me and I ain't you
That's the horrible difference between the two
We are different people, and that difference can be terrible or difficult to comprehend
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER JASPER, CHRISTOPHER H JASPER, ERNIE ISLEY, MARVIN ISLEY, O'KELLY ISLEY, RONALD ISLEY, RUDOLPH ISLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lisa Lisa Atl
Somebody said, I was living in the life
Somebody told me, I was living in the life
Think that you might know, you find that you're really wrong
My patience come and go but my living has got to go on
And if you think it's easy it's only 'cause
You ain't me
and I ain't you
Check out the difference between the two
Somebody said, it was easy in my life
Somebody told me, I had made it in my life
Try to understand my determination win
You can't only stand on the outside looking in
And if you think it's easy it's only 'cause
You ain't me
and I ain't you
Check out the difference between the two
Somebody said, I was living in the life
Somebody told me, I was living in the life
Try to understand my determination win
You can't only stand on the outside looking in
You ain't me
and I ain't you
That's the horrible difference between the two
Alice
When I feel I need to stand my Ground.this song gives me strength to believe in me and my creator!!! The Lord is my stronghold!
Sherry McClure
YES.....
jacqui tyus
Amen!!!
Peter Fichter
Marvin Isley is killing it on the bass! RIP.
Dwight Bonner
A come on
Joel Sims
Let’s not forget Ernie
Not Me But You
Hell yeah!!! 🎸 🎸 🎸
da boomer
Now we all know THIS is REAL music!!
Rodney Kinsinger
The Isley Brothers are one of the best ass kicking bands of all times
Earl Kelly
I agree