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)
Shake It Up Baby
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Shake it up, baby)
Twist and shout
(Twist and shout)
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now
(Come on baby)
Come on and work it on out
Well, work it on out, honey
(Work it on out)
You know you look so good
(Look so good)
You know you got me goin', now
(Got me goin')
Just like I knew you would
(Like I knew you would)
Well, shake it up, baby, now
(Shake it up, baby)
Twist and shout
(Twist and shout)
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now
(Come on baby)
Come on and work it on out
(Work it on out)
You know you twist your little girl
(Twist your little girl)
You know you twist so fine
(Twist so fine)
Come on and twist a little closer, now
(Twist a little closer)
And let me know that you're mine
(Let me know you're mine)
Well, shake it up, baby, now
(Shake it up, baby)
Twist and shout
(Twist and shout)
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now
(Come on baby)
Come on and work it on out
(Work it on out)
You know you twist your little girl
(Twist your little girl)
You know you twist so fine
(Twist so fine)
Come on and twist a little closer, now
(Twist a little closer)
And let me know that you're mine
(Let me know you're mine)
Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now
(Shake it up baby)
Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now
(Shake it up baby)
Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now
(Shake it up baby)
The Isley Brothers' "Shake It Up Baby" is a high-energy dance song that invites listeners to join in and shake their bodies vigorously. The chorus repeats the exhortation to "shake it up, baby" and "twist and shout," accompanied by a pounding beat and joyful harmonies. The lyrics describe the scene of a dance floor, with the singer urging his partner to work it on out and showing admiration for the way she moves. The lines "you know you twist your little girl" and "let me know that you're mine" suggest a playful romantic flirtation between the singer and his dance partner.
Overall, the song is a celebration of the joy and abandon of bodily movement and the sense of unity and pleasure that comes from dancing with another person. The repetitive nature of the lyrics and the catchy melody make it a perfect anthem for a party or an evening of dancing.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, shake it up, baby, now
Encourages the listener to perform a dance move enthusiastically
(Shake it up, baby)
Repetition of the previous line, creating a catchy hook
Twist and shout
Specific dance instructions for the listener
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now
Urges the listener to participate in the dance routine immediately
(Come on baby)
Further encouragement to join in the dance
Come on and work it on out
Instructions to follow through with the previously mentioned dance steps
You know you look so good
Complimentary statement directed at the listener, possibly encouraging confidence while dancing
(Look so good)
Repetition of the previous line, possibly adding emphasis to the compliment
You know you got me goin', now
The enthusiasm and skill of the listener is impressing the artist
(Got me goin')
Repetition of the previous line, reaffirming the listener's effect on the artist
Just like I knew you would
The listener is meeting the singer's expectations and possibly displaying familiarity.
You know you twist your little girl
Possibly referring to the listener's playful demeanor while dancing
(Twist your little girl)
Repetition of the previous line, creating a distinct hook
You know you twist so fine
The listener's dancing style is highly appreciated and is attracting attention
(Twist so fine)
Repetition of the previous line, adding emphasis to the compliment
Come on and twist a little closer, now
Invitation for the listener to come closer and continue dancing
(Twist a little closer)
Rephrasing the previous line, possibly for effect or clarity
And let me know that you're mine
The dance and close physical proximity are creating a feeling of intimacy between the singer and the listener
Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now
Repetition of the earlier instruction, adding energy and enthusiasm
(Shake it up baby)
Repetition of the previous line, creating a loud and catchy hook
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Russell, Phil Medley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mike8903
@tacticalboi Bert Berns wrote the song and the first recording of it was by "the top notes" produced by Phil Spector. Berns hated Spectors production so Bert produced this version with the Isley Brothers.
@zhou_sei
interesting. and to think, phil was famous for his production style (although now infamous for his insanity)...
thanks for sharing
@cactuspixel
Great tune kids today (Millennials) dont know real music they only like having dreadlocks and not working at all while eating their avacodas,
my wife died in.1981 from gallbladder disease
-Ted Phillips
@zhou_sei
@Keith Sumner sucks about his wife, but ted phillips really sounds like a miserable and out of touch old fart with that there quote.
@cactuspixel
@zhou sei Gravey RRecipe googel
@burtbosma5200
The Top Notes version is appalling, so Berns got that right. This is good, and The Beatles clearly copied the arrangement, but their version makes it so much more exciting as a song, so deserves to be remembered as the standard.
@MuhammadFarukh
Can we appreciate both this version and The Beatles version without insulting either one of them?
@2bobaf
+Muhammad Farrukh Of course we can.
@brendanh792
yeah we can
@vashna3799
Well said, Paul McCartney would be embarrassed to read all these comments.