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)
Why When Love Is Gone
The Isley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
When Love Is Calling
When love is calling, listen
Her voice is your command
When love is calling, listen
Greet her with heart in hand
When love is calling, listen
To fill your life with pleasure
It could be now or never
When love is calling
It will come to you softly
Like a flower in a stream
When love is calling
The scenery changes
To a story from a dream
When love is calling
It will tell you
How to find me, where I am honey
In this crazy world of promises broken
In this crazy world of strange desire
When love is calling
So follow your heart
And come back to the one, who loves you
So follow your heart
Our dreams are written in the stars above you
So follow your heart
I will fill all your days with love
So follow your heart
I will give you all I have
When love is calling
You turn away from her
And you try hard to resist
When love is calling
Try to remember
Nothing's stronger than a kiss
When love is calling
It will tell you
How to find me, where I am honey
In this crazy world of promises broken
In this crazy world of strange desire
The lyrics to The Isley Brothers' song Why When Love Is Gone highlight the confusion and disappointment that often follows a breakup. The repeated question "why when love is gone" emphasizes the difficulty in understanding how two people who were once so in love can end up apart. The lyrics suggest that despite the pain, there is still a yearning for reconciliation and the possibility of rekindling the lost love.
The line "now I'm left to roam, without a home, without a love to call my own" speaks to the loneliness and sense of displacement that often follows the end of a relationship. The imagery of "roaming" and not having a "home" or "love" suggests a feeling of wandering aimlessly without a sense of purpose or direction. The use of the word "call" in "love to call my own" also adds a layer of emotional longing to the lyrics.
The song continues to express feelings of loss and regret with the line "the memory of her lingers on, like a haunting melody." The metaphor of a "haunting melody" suggests that even though the relationship has ended, the memory of it is still haunting the singer, like a song that they can't get out of their head.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexity of love and the pain of losing it, emphasizing the lingering desire for the return of that lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
When love is calling, listen
Pay attention when love comes your way
Her voice is your command
Follow what your heart feels when you hear love's call
Greet her with heart in hand
Embrace love wholeheartedly
This is your only chance
Don't let love slip away
To fill your life with pleasure
Love can bring joy to your life
It could be now or never
Seize the opportunity to experience love
When love is calling
When you feel that sense of love and connection
It will come to you softly
Love can approach gently and subtly
Like a flower in a stream
Love can be beautiful and calming
The scenery changes
The world around you can transform when you feel love
To a story from a dream
Love can feel like something from a dream
It will tell you
Love can guide you
How to find me, where I am honey
Love can direct you to where it resides
In this crazy world of promises broken
In a world where commitments are not always kept
In this crazy world of strange desire
In a world full of unpredictable attractions
So follow your heart
Trust your feelings and instincts
And come back to the one, who loves you
Return to the person who loves you
Our dreams are written in the stars above you
Our hopes and aspirations are determined by a higher power
I will fill all your days with love
I promise to make your life full of affection
I will give you all I have
I am ready to devote all of myself to you
You turn away from her
You push love away
And you try hard to resist
You make an effort to fight against it
Try to remember
Recall
Nothing's stronger than a kiss
The physical touch of love is powerful
Writer(s): Ivy Jo Hunter Copyright: Jobete Music Co. Inc.
Contributed by Owen O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Flute64
Motown fantastic, Go on, tune, tune, what a dancer. Still to this day i give it the Northern Soul shuffle love it. Thanks for the memories.☺
strictlynorton
R&B royalty. Did the brothers ever make a bad record? Killer post Brico. Ktf
Dan Frechette
#1 smash on my charts
Andrew Handley
Isley brothers anthem, hairs on back of my neck time
Flutetashea
Brilliant such a great dancer. Love to give the Northern Soul dance to tbis.x
Alison JAYNE james
Fantastic tune xx
Jermaine Braxton
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Phil Hongkins
Dancefloor killa . 💜❤💙😎