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)
Seek And You Shall Find
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would I ever find true love?
She would tell me, true love is hard to find
So I traveled on
Everyone I came upon
I would stop and ask
They would tell me
That's what they would say
The years that passed
I'm all alone
No longer do I ask
I just place my faith
In five little words
From way back in my past
My mama said
Seek and you shall find
That's what mama said
Seek and you shall find
Sometimes I get so lonely
It seems useless to groan
But then I remember
Somewhere true love has waited there
But I'll keep on holding on
Keep on keeping on
But I know that I keep trying
I can lose
Seek and you shall find
That's what my mama said
Seek and you shall find
Help me somebody!
Oooh
Oooh
Oh
There is no happy ending
To this story I'm telling you
But I remember somewhere
True love, I know it's waiting there
I'm gonna keep on keeping on
You know that I'm gonna keep holding on
Cause I now if I keep trying
I can't lose, cause there's no denying
Seek and you shall find
I know that's what my mama said
Seek and you shall find
Ohhh
Seek and you shall find
If it's love that you're looking for
Seek and you shall find
It must be right around the corner
Seek
And You Shall Find by The Isley Brothers is a song about the journey of finding true love. The singer of the song starts off by asking his mother about his chances of finding true love. She warns him that true love is hard to find. However, the singer decides to embark on his journey anyway. Throughout the years, he asks everyone he meets if they have any insights on the matter of true love. Everyone he asks tells him that true love is hard to find.
After years of searching, the singer finds himself alone and not asking anyone anymore. Instead, he places his faith in his mother's advice to seek and you shall find. Despite getting lonely and feeling like he's not making any progress, he keeps on holding on and keeping on. He believes that he will find true love if he keeps trying because there's no denying what his mother said - seek and you shall find.
The song's chorus is the most memorable part of the song. It highlights the message of the song and encourages listeners always to keep seeking for their desires. It's a song that can be interpreted in different ways, but it ultimately hopes to inspire listeners to keep on searching for what they want in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I used to ask my mother
The singer recalls asking their mother about true love.
Would I ever find true love?
The singer asked if they would find true love.
She would tell me, true love is hard to find
The mother responds that true love is difficult to come by.
So I traveled on
The artist continued their journey through life.
Everyone I came upon
The artist encountered various people during their journey.
I would stop and ask
The singer would inquire about true love.
They would tell me
The people the singer spoke with responded.
True love is hard to find
The artist received the same response from everyone: true love is difficult to come by.
That's what they would say
The artist notes that the response was consistent.
The years that passed
Time goes by.
I'm all alone
The singer is currently alone.
No longer do I ask
The artist no longer inquires about true love.
I just place my faith
The singer believes in something.
In five little words
The singer believes in a simple phrase.
From way back in my past
The singer remembers the phrase from long ago.
My mama said
The artist recalls their mother's words.
Seek and you shall find
The phrase the artist believes in: that searching will lead to results.
That's what mama said
Repeating that what the singer believes in was said by their mother.
Sometimes I get so lonely
The singer feels lonely at times.
It seems useless to groan
The artist feels that complaining is unproductive.
But then I remember
The artist recalls something that gives them hope.
Somewhere true love has waited there
The artist believes that true love exists somewhere.
But I'll keep on holding on
The singer resolves to continue with their journey.
Keep on keeping on
The artist emphasizes their commitment to persisting.
But I know that I keep trying
The singer remains determined to keep searching for true love.
I can lose
The singer recognizes that they may not find what they're looking for.
Seek and you shall find
The singer repeats the phrase they believe in to motivate themselves.
That's what my mama said
Again, reminding the audience that the phrase is something the artist's mother said.
Help me somebody!
The artist makes a plea for assistance.
Oooh
The singer is wrapped up in their emotions.
There is no happy ending
The singer acknowledges that the story does not have a positive conclusion.
To this story I'm telling you
The artist acknowledges that this is their story.
But I remember somewhere
Despite the lack of a happy ending, the artist has hope.
True love, I know it's waiting there
The artist still believes in true love's existence.
I'm gonna keep on keeping on
Once again, the singer emphasizes their commitment to continue their search.
You know that I'm gonna keep holding on
The artist will not give up on finding true love.
Cause I now if I keep trying
The singer firmly believes that persistence is key.
I can't lose, cause there's no denying
The singer believes that they will eventually find true love if they keep searching.
If it's love that you're looking for
The singer addresses the audience directly, recognizing that they too may be searching for love.
It must be right around the corner
The artist believes that love is close by, within reach.
Seek
The song ends with a final repetition of the phrase the artist believes in: to seek is to find.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IVY JO HUNTER, WILLIAM STEVENSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind