The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati… Read Full Bio ↴The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that started as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over eight decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".

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)

You're Berside Me Parts 1 & 2
The Isley Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No, I'm not alone don't think I want to be gone
'Cause my thoughts always stay with you
There's no need to be sad, you know where my head is at
And my heart always stays with you
When I feel kind of lonely
When I need a reason to smile, yeah yeah yeah

You're beside me, everywhere I go

Most of all you stayed in my mind
You're beside me, I'm there with you
I'm feeling all the things that you do

Seeing you in my mind gonna bring you closer
Even though you're not around
Living every day I can see
I'm gonna have my share of ups and downs
When I feel kinda lonely
When I need a reason to smile

You're beside me, everywhere I go
Most of all you stay in my mind
You're beside me, you're everywhere
Here with me wherever I go

Everywhere I go
I like the way you give that good-time feeling
Everywhere I go
Right now you know the way you've got me feeling

No, you're not alone don't think I want to gone
'Cause my thoughts always stay with you
There's no need to be sad, you know where my head is at
And my heart always stays with you
When I feel kinda lonely
When I need a reason to smile

You're beside me, you're everywhere I go
Most of all you stay in my mind
You're beside me, you're everywhere
Here with me wherever I go

Everywhere I go
I like the way you give that good-time feeling
Everywhere I go
Right now you know the way you've got me feeling

Everywhere I go
Honey, I like the way you give that good-time feeling
Everywhere I go
Right now you know the way you've got me feeling

You're beside me, everywhere I go
Most of all you stay in my mind
You're beside me, everywhere
Here with me wherever I go

You're beside me, everywhere I go
Most of all you stay in my mind
You're beside me, you're everywhere
Here with me wherever I go

You're beside me, everywhere I go
Most of all you stay in my mind

Overall Meaning

These lyrics to The Isley Brothers' song "You're Beside Me Parts 1 & 2" speak to the power of love and the ways in which it can transcend distance and separation. The singer asserts that they are never truly alone because their thoughts and heart are always with their lover, and vice versa. Even when physically apart, the singer can imagine their lover by their side and feel the emotional connection between them. This is emphasized by the repetition of the lines "You're beside me, everywhere I go / Most of all you stay in my mind."

The song acknowledges that life has its ups and downs, and that the singer may feel lonely at times. But the presence of their lover, even in memory or imagination, can bring a "good-time feeling" and a reason to smile. Ultimately, the message of the song is one of enduring love and connection, despite challenges and obstacles. The repeated refrain of "You're beside me, you're everywhere / Here with me wherever I go" reinforces this theme.

Line by Line Meaning

No, I'm not alone don't think I want to be gone
I don't want to be alone, I want to be with you.

'Cause my thoughts always stay with you
I think of you all the time.

There's no need to be sad, you know where my head is at
Don't be upset, you know what's on my mind.

And my heart always stays with you
I love you always and forever.

When I feel kind of lonely
When I'm feeling alone.

When I need a reason to smile, yeah yeah yeah
When I need to feel happy.

You're beside me, everywhere I go
You're always with me, even when we're apart.

Most of all you stayed in my mind
You're always on my mind.

I'm feeling all the things that you do
I feel what you feel.

Seeing you in my mind gonna bring you closer
Thinking about you brings you closer to me.

Even though you're not around
Even when you're not here with me.