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)
The Highways Of My Life
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makin' sure I stay to the right
Moving down the highways of my life
So I shan't be concerned
With the other side of the road
Reading all the signs along the way
Knowing where I am not what they say
So I can't concern
With the other side of the road
Da da dop da da ah
Down the highway da de ah
Da da dop da da ah
Down the highway da de ah
Da da dop da da ah
Down the highway da de ah
Da da dop da de ah
Down the highway da de ah
Leaving all the sorrows and the pain
There's no love between us that remains
Although you are the one
You're not the same
So the other side of the road
Can only take me back home
Da da dop da da ah
Down the highway da de da
Da da dop da da ah
Down the highway da de da
Da da dop da da ah
Down the highway da de da
Da da dop da de ah
Down the highway da de ah
In "The Highways of My Life," The Isley Brothers sing about their journey through life, moving towards their destination and leaving behind their painful past. The lyrics are metaphorical, comparing life to a highway, and the singer makes a conscious effort to stay on track, not getting sidetracked by the "other side of the road." He is reading the signs along the way, taking note of where he is, but not paying attention to what the signs say. He knows his destination is getting closer every day and doesn't want to be concerned with the other side of the road.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Da da dop da da ah/Down the highway da de ah," reinforcing the idea of movement on a highway. The verses emphasize leaving the past behind, with lyrics like "Leaving all the sorrows and the pain/There's no love between us that remains/Although you are the one/You're not the same/So the other side of the road/Can only take me back home." The singer is letting go of past relationships and experiences that no longer serve them, emphasizing that he can only move forward and not look back.
Line by Line Meaning
Moving down the highways of my life
I am progressing through my life's journey
Makin' sure I stay to the right
I am ensuring that I follow the right path
So I shan’t be concerned
I am not worried
With the other side of the road
About what is on the other path
Reading all the signs along the way
I am paying attention to the cues that come my way
Knowing where I am not what they say
I am aware of my current position, not what others think
My destination’s closer day by day
I am getting closer to achieving my goal every day
So I can’t concern
Thus, I am not bothered
With the other side of the road
About what the opposite path has to offer
Leaving all the sorrows and the pain
I am leaving behind all the heartaches and grief
There's no love between us that remains
The emotion of love no longer exists between me and someone
Although you are the one
Even though you were that special someone
You're not the same
You have changed
So the other side of the road
Hence, the path of no return
Can only take me back home
Can only take me back to where I belong
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