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 Better Come Home
The Isley Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You better
You better come home right now
Don't wanna keep waiting around
For you to make up your mind

Honey, you better read this letter
I ain't gonna wait too long

Yeah, you better
You better stop moving around
Don't wanna keep hearing from friends
That you found somebody new

Honey, you better read this letter
Or I'll find someone better than you

You write me and tell me
You're gonna crack
I believe that you're
Never, never coming back

Well, maybe, baby
That is true
Just how long you think
I'll wait for you

You better, better
Better, better, better
You better take a train right now
A little girl in town is waiting
For me to make up my mind

She wants to know if I'm free
Honey, you better fly to me
I ain't gonna wait too long

Better, better, better, better
Better, better, better, better
Take a train right now
A little girl in town is waiting
For me to make up my mind

She wants to know if I'm free
Honey, you better fly to me
I ain't gonna wait too long

You better, better
Better, better, better

I ain't going away, baby
Come home before it's too late

Overall Meaning

The Isley Brothers's song "You Better Come Home" is a plea to a lover who is indecisive about committing to the relationship. The singer is tired of waiting for their partner to make up their mind and warns them that they need to come home right now or risk losing them forever. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and frustration, as the singer is tired of being strung along and wants a clear answer.

The repeated use of "you better" in the chorus emphasizes the urgency and importance of the message. The singer is not willing to wait any longer and wants their partner to take action immediately. The line "Honey, you better read this letter" suggests that the singer has already attempted to communicate their feelings through writing, but their partner has not taken it seriously.

The final verse, where the singer reveals that someone else is waiting for them, serves as a wake-up call for their partner. They want to know if their partner is truly committed or if they are simply stringing them along. The chorus repeats "you better" multiple times, emphasizing that the time for indecision is over and action needs to be taken.

Line by Line Meaning

You better
I strongly advise you

You better come home right now
Return home immediately

Don't wanna keep waiting around
I don't want to waste my time

For you to make up your mind
Waiting for your decision is causing me stress

Honey, you better read this letter
Pay attention to this message

I ain't gonna wait too long
I won't be patient for much longer

You better stop moving around
Stop playing games

Don't wanna keep hearing from friends
I don't want to learn about your behavior from others

That you found somebody new
That you have started seeing someone else

Or I'll find someone better than you
If you don't come back, I'll find someone else

You write me and tell me
In your message you say