It's Your Thing
Encyclopedia
"It's Your Thing" is an influential funk single by the Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the funk (and feminist) anthem was an artistic response to Motown
chief Berry Gordy
's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late-1968.
The lyrics of the chorus (which also serve as first verse lyrics) read: "It's your thing/Do what you wanna do/I can't tell you/Who to sock it to". The song is ranked #420 on the Rolling Stone
magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
", the Isleys felt typecast in the role as a second-tier act while well-established Detroit acts like The Temptations
, The Miracles
and The Four Tops got more promotion from the label Motown.
The brothers' decision to leave Motown came after a successful UK tour, where the brothers had a bigger fanbase than in America. A re-release of "This Old Heart" had reached number three on the UK pop singles chart. Similar success came with two more singles from their Motown catalog that were hits well after their Motown departure.
Berry Gordy allowed the brothers to leave the label, and the Isleys reactivated their own label, T-Neck Records
, which they had originally started a few years prior to their Motown signing. For Buddah Records
, the Isleys recorded "It's Your Thing" which Ronald
wrote upon arriving home after taking his daughter Tawana to school. The lead singer said that he thought of the melody and some of the lyrics in his head. His older brothers O'Kelly
and Rudolph
helped compose more lyrics.
on bass
, the song was released as a single on February 16, 1969, and quickly rose to the top of both the Billboard
pop
and R&B singles charts, peaking at #2 on the former and marking their first #1 hit in the latter. Upon the song's release and ascent to success, Gordy threatened to sue the group for releasing it in an attempt to bring them back to Motown, but he eventually cancelled his threat, and in February 1970 the brothers became the first former Motown act to win a Grammy Award
for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
album. Another version was recorded by Memphis
soul
singer Ann Peebles
and saxophonist Lou Donaldson
recorded an instrumental version on his 1969 album Hot Dog
.
The song also has been heavily sampled by hip-hop acts, most famously by rap group Salt 'N' Pepa and D.C. go-go band E.U.
, who sampled it for "Shake Your Thang" (1988), and like many of their earlier singles, the song has been featured in commercials. The song has been credited for being one of the first full-fledged funk
songs around the same time as artists like James Brown
and Sly & the Family Stone
brought their own funk anthems to the scene. Brown interpolated the melody in his 1974 song "My Thang".
Aretha Franklin
recorded the song for her album "Jump to It
" (1982).
Former Motown label-mates The Supremes
and The Four Tops recorded a duet version in 1971 that remained unreleased until 2009.
Some Canadian commercials for the Ramada
hotel chain have featured a cover version of "It's Your Thing", modified so the lyrics say "Do Your Thing" instead.
The 1988/89 album All or Nothing/Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli also contained a cover of this song.
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
chief Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late-1968.
The lyrics of the chorus (which also serve as first verse lyrics) read: "It's your thing/Do what you wanna do/I can't tell you/Who to sock it to". The song is ranked #420 on the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Overview
After scoring one popular hit with the label with "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)
"This Old Heart of Mine " is an Isley Brothers song from 1966 that was a hit for them during their brief tenure on Motown's Tamla label...
", the Isleys felt typecast in the role as a second-tier act while well-established Detroit acts like The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, The Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
and The Four Tops got more promotion from the label Motown.
The brothers' decision to leave Motown came after a successful UK tour, where the brothers had a bigger fanbase than in America. A re-release of "This Old Heart" had reached number three on the UK pop singles chart. Similar success came with two more singles from their Motown catalog that were hits well after their Motown departure.
Berry Gordy allowed the brothers to leave the label, and the Isleys reactivated their own label, T-Neck Records
T-Neck Records
T-Neck Records was a record label founded by The Isley Brothers in 1964.It's notable for having the Isleys becoming the first R&B band to form a record label, a rarity in black music. During the label's early years, the Isleys issued the records "Testify" and "Move Over And Let Me Dance", which...
, which they had originally started a few years prior to their Motown signing. For Buddah Records
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
, the Isleys recorded "It's Your Thing" which Ronald
Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
wrote upon arriving home after taking his daughter Tawana to school. The lead singer said that he thought of the melody and some of the lyrics in his head. His older brothers O'Kelly
O'Kelly Isley, Jr.
O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Rudolph
Rudolph Isley
Rudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
helped compose more lyrics.
Release and reaction
Recorded in two takes and featuring the first appearance of sixteen-year-old ErnieErnie Isley
Ernest "Ernie" Isley is a member of the iconic American musical ensemble, The Isley Brothers.-Life and career:Ernie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his older brothers formed The Isley Brothers, first as a gospel group, then as a secular-singing group. In 1960 his family moved to Englewood and...
on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, the song was released as a single on February 16, 1969, and quickly rose to the top of both the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B singles charts, peaking at #2 on the former and marking their first #1 hit in the latter. Upon the song's release and ascent to success, Gordy threatened to sue the group for releasing it in an attempt to bring them back to Motown, but he eventually cancelled his threat, and in February 1970 the brothers became the first former Motown act to win a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
Cover versions and legacy
Over sixty artists have recorded their own version of the song including a not yet established Jackson Five, who first performed the song at their television debut on the Miss Black America Pageant, later recording it for their ABCABC (album)
-Recording Sessions:August 1969 - March 1970Other tracks from ABC recording sessionsI Was Made To Love HerI Hear A SymphonyYou Ain't Giving Me What I Want We Can Have FunHoney Chile...
album. Another version was recorded by Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
and saxophonist Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
recorded an instrumental version on his 1969 album Hot Dog
Hot Dog (album)
Hot Dog is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label in 1969 and featuring Donaldson with Ed Williams , Charles Earland, Melvin Sparks, and Leo Morris....
.
The song also has been heavily sampled by hip-hop acts, most famously by rap group Salt 'N' Pepa and D.C. go-go band E.U.
Experience Unlimited
Experience Unlimited is a Washington, D.C.-based go-go band that enjoyed its height of popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. Fronted by lead singer/bassist Gregory "Sugarbear" Eliot, the group has had a fluctuating membership over the years, but they have maintained a fairly loyal following...
, who sampled it for "Shake Your Thang" (1988), and like many of their earlier singles, the song has been featured in commercials. The song has been credited for being one of the first full-fledged funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
songs around the same time as artists like James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and Sly & the Family Stone
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
brought their own funk anthems to the scene. Brown interpolated the melody in his 1974 song "My Thang".
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
recorded the song for her album "Jump to It
Jump to It
Jump To It is a Gold-certified*, chart-topping Aretha Franklin album, produced by the late Luther Vandross and originally released in the summer of 1982....
" (1982).
Former Motown label-mates The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and The Four Tops recorded a duet version in 1971 that remained unreleased until 2009.
Some Canadian commercials for the Ramada
Ramada
Ramada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.- History :The lodging chain was founded in 1953 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W...
hotel chain have featured a cover version of "It's Your Thing", modified so the lyrics say "Do Your Thing" instead.
The 1988/89 album All or Nothing/Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli also contained a cover of this song.
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Ronald IsleyRonald IsleyRonald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
- Background vocals by O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Rudolph IsleyRudolph IsleyRudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:... - Written, arranged and composed by Ronald IsleyRonald IsleyRonald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
, O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Rudolph IsleyRudolph IsleyRudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:... - Produced by The Isley BrothersThe Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
- Bass by Ernie IsleyErnie IsleyErnest "Ernie" Isley is a member of the iconic American musical ensemble, The Isley Brothers.-Life and career:Ernie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his older brothers formed The Isley Brothers, first as a gospel group, then as a secular-singing group. In 1960 his family moved to Englewood and...
- Guitar by Charles "Skip" Pitts
- Piano by Everett Collins