Isley Brothers – It’s Your Thing

Great song by the Isley Brothers…

It’s a fun song that never gets old….they produced it themselves. They had been recording for Motown but left the label in 1968 to take more control of their music. This was their first release after leaving Motown, and it was a huge success, hitting #1 on the R&B charts and selling over two million copies.

The group never had a bigger chart hit in America, but became one of the top acts of the ’70s, enjoying the creative control that came with recording on their own label. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts, #2 on the Billboard 100, and #3 in Canada in 1969. 

Ernie Isley, just 16 years old, played bass on this song…the first time playing that instrument on a recording. Isley had played the bass when they were rehearsing the song, but a studio musician was supposed to handle it on the recording. When this hired hand couldn’t match what Ernie did at rehearsal, Ronald Isley made the call to have his younger brother play it instead. Ernie later said he was in “complete fear” during the recording.

Barry Gordy evidently wasn’t a fan of the Isley Brothers after they left him. When this song took off, Motown head Berry Gordy filed a lawsuit claiming The Isleys were still under contract when they recorded it. The court case went on for 18 years before a federal judge ruled that The Isley Brothers had recorded it after the Motown contract had lapsed.

They use the phrase “sock it to me” which Aretha Franklin had made popular with the song Respect. It also started to be used on the 60s show Laugh-In. This song also won a Grammy for best R&B vocal by group or duo in 1970.The song was written by Ronald Isley, O’Kelly Isley, and Jr.Rudolph Isley.

Ronald Isley said that he wrote the song while dropping his daughter off at her school one day. He hummed it over and over so he wouldn’t forget the lyrics. After he reached his mom’s house…he sang it to his older brother O’Kelly Isley…his brother told him right away…that is a hit!

The guitar player in this session was Charles Pitts Jr. who later played the famous wah-wah on “Theme From Shaft” by Isaac Hayes.

It’s Your Thing

It’s your thing
Do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you
Who to sock it to

It’s your thing
Do what you wanna do now
I can’t tell you
Who to sock it to

If you want me to love you, maybe I will
I need you woman, it ain’t no big deal
You need love now, just as bad as I do
Make’s me no difference now, who you give your thing to

It’s your thing (It’s your thing)
Do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you
Who to sock it to

It’s your thing (It’s your thing)
Do what you wanna do now
I can’t tell you
Who to sock it to

It’s your thing (It’s your thing)
Do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you
Who to sock it to

I’m not trying to run your life,
I know you wanna do what’s right,
Ah, give your love girl, do whatever you choose,
How can you lose, with the stuff you use?

It’s your thing (It’s your thing)
Do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you
Who to sock it to

It’s your thing (It’s your thing)
Do what you wanna do
Don’t let me tell you
Who to sock it to

Let me hear you say it’s my thing (It’s your thing),
I do what I wanna do…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

37 thoughts on “Isley Brothers – It’s Your Thing”

  1. This really is a great song. What a talented and soulful group. Some new tidbits in there for me Max about the recording and I wasn’t aware of the lawsuit. Gordy was brilliant but one vindictive son of a gun!

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    1. Yea Gordy could be quite the character…but if your last name was Ross you got left alone lol.
      It is a great song…so full of energy.

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      4. Yes she did…i just wished they would have shared the wealth a little bit…of course the wealth being the lead singing…. it’s probably just me. I do like their music.

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      7. I thought Mary Wilson had a great voice also…I don’t understand why all the hits had to have Ross singing lead.
        I agree with both of those you said.

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  2. Good R&B song that for better or worse seems indelibly linked to several TV commercials by now. Funny thing is on the weekend we heard ‘Who’s that Lady’ and both my sweetie and I knew the song but had no idea who it was, I had to look it up. They really went through record contracts – they were on RCA, Atlantic, UA, Motown and more.

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    1. Yes they did…they must have been a little difficult to work with cause they had hits. I love the sound of this one… if they made it difficult for Gordy…I’m happy lol.

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      1. Berry G is a unique, interesting character. Excellent judge of talent, at least in the 60s, decent songwriter & how can you not respect a guy, of any race let alone Black in the 50s, who starts a music biz from nothing and makes it one of the most important star makers of the century? That said, the way he behaved, stole credit, and disrespected some of his stars makes you kind of think ‘total jackass!’
        I respect his son Rockwell for not using his family name to boost his sales.

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      2. He is smart and he knew talent…I give him that…but yea…suing a band over one lousy song…well that was a phrase…the song was anything but lousy…but you know what I mean.

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  3. For version nerds out there – there is a good psychedelic soul version of the song by The Temptations on their 1969 Puzzle People album, an instrumental version by Toddlin’ Town Sounds that can be found on a complication called Bustin’ Out and a slowed down saxophone-driven instrumental by The Crusaders on Blue Juice, a Blue Note complication.

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  5. Yet another group that had it all but aren’t as revered as some of their peers.
    In my mind that ‘sock it to me’ line is tied up with me seeing Goldie Hawn at her most ditzy ingenueish blonde bimboest, though (here he frantically looks up Wiki…) it was Judy Carne who said it most on Laugh-In.

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    1. Yes I agree…they should be more known.
      I remember seeing Goldie as a kid…instant crush. I remember seeing her on reruns.
      I would like to check that show out again…talk about topical…it is that.

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  6. I love the live video you share of them doing the song. I was struck that this song and Love the One You’re With sound an awful lot alike. The Isley Brothers beat out Stephen Stills by a year or so. I cannot imagine how frustrating it was for The Isley Brothers to have to shell out legal fees over the years for that silly lawsuit. I hope Gordy had to pay every cent of it. That’s a dirty deal he did on these guys.

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    1. Yea I’m sure with Motown he thought he could wait them out until they had to fold…didn’t work!
      Hopefully he did have to pay them.

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