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)
Release Your Love
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you listen to my heart?
My needs are simple
And you're what i've been needing from the start
Like honey
To a honeybee
You got me buzzing
I ain't lying
Gonna lay it on the line
This is the moment tonight
I got to make you mine
Like candy
To a wild-eyed child
I see what i want
And it's driving me wild
Release your love
Girl you got to give it up to me oh baby
Very good so good
Release your love to me
Only you can set me free
Wanna get closer
Ooh let's go somewhere hey baby
Where we can get closer yeah
Lyrics provided by
You've been distant
You've been playin' hot and sweet
I've been burning
All fired up by your heat i'm hot baby
Just look at me
I'm on my knees
My sincere intention
Is only to please
Release your love
Girl you got to give it up to me oh baby
Very good so good
Release your love to me
Only you can set me
Oh set me free
Come on baby closer
Let's go somewhere tonight
Where we can get closer
Oh just look at me
I'm on my knees
My sincere intention
Is only to please
Release your love
Yeah give it up to me
I know it's good for me
Very good so good
Release your love to me
Only you can set me
Oh come on baby
Release your love come on
Very good so good
Release your love
Give it up turn it loose
Where you goin'?
Come on baby
Need it right now
Baby be good so good
Release your love to me
Release your love love
So good so good
Oh it's so good
Release your love baby
It's so good
The Isley Brothers' song Release Your Love is about a man who is deeply impressed and attracted by a woman whom he wants to get closer to. He wants her to listen to his heart and claims that his needs are simple and that she is the one he has been searching for. He compares his attraction to her with a honeybee who is drawn to honey, and says that every time he sees her, he feels the need for her.
The man is determined to win the woman's heart, and he is ready to be vulnerable and open about his feelings. He claims that he is not lying and that he wants her to know how much he wants her. The chorus of the song encourages the woman to release her love to him, as he believes that only she can set him free. The song ends with the man begging the woman to release her love and admitting that it is so good.
Line by Line Meaning
pretty little baby
The singer addresses his lover using endearment.
Won't you listen to my heart?
He seeks his lover's attention and compassion.
My needs are simple
The singer expresses his simplicity and lack of desire for extravagance.
And you're what i've been needing from the start
He confesses wholeheartedly that his lover is all he has ever wanted.
You got me buzzing
He compares his attraction towards his lover like the feeling of a bee when they see honey.
I see what i need
He realizes what his heart needs.
This is the moment tonight
The singer announces that this is the perfect moment for them to share a special experience.
I got to make you mine
The singer makes an effort to pursue his lover and secure their relationship.
Like candy
He compares his desire for his lover to the way a child desires candy passionately.
And it's driving me wild
He admits that his lover's charm and appeal has intoxicated him.
Release your love
The chorus consists of a plea for his lover's affection and the relinquishing of her love.
Where we can get closer
He desires a private moment where they can be physically and emotionally intimate.
You've been distant
The singer addressed his lover's recent behavior of being aloof.
You've been playin' hot and sweet
He accuses her of manipulating him with mixed signals leading to confusion.
All fired up by your heat i'm hot baby
He feels incredibly aroused by his lover's attraction towards him.
My sincere intention
Is only to please
The singer proclaims his honesty and purpose in the relationship.
Give it up turn it loose
Where you goin'?
The singer persuades his lover to let go of inhibitions and surrender herself to him.
Oh it's so good
Release your love baby
It's so good
The song ends with the singer declaring the satisfaction of their intimacy and encouraging his lover to release her love.
Contributed by Lillian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.