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…
First time I heard this song was in the brilliant comedy Animal House by the fictional group Otis Day and the Knights. The movie was such a big hit that many people thought Otis Day And The Knights were a real group, so they went on tour. They did very well, selling out many of the places they played and released an album in 1989 called Shout. Otis Day’s real name is DeWayne Jessie.
This song was recorded in its first take during the studio session. Shout was never a big chart success (#47), but it sold over a million copies and became a rock and R&B classic. The Isley Brothers bought their mother a house in New Jersey with the proceeds from this. She was living in Cincinnati.
After Shout got some attention, RCA records signed the Isleys to a record deal despite concerns that people would not understand what they were singing.
From Songfacts
The Isleys wrote this on the spur of the moment at a Washington, DC, concert in mid-1959. As they performed Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops,” Ronald Isley ad-libbed, “WELLLLLLLLLLL… you know you make me want to SHOUT” and Rudy and O’Kelly joined in on the improvisation. The audience went wild and afterwards, RCA executive Howard Bloom suggested putting it out as their first RCA single. >>
This evolved out of the call-and-response style The Isleys grew up singing in church. The organist from their church, Professor Herman Stephens, played on the song.
The Isley Brothers did not consider this a song at first. It was just a “thing” they would do onstage and the crowd would go nuts. They knew they were onto something when Jackie Wilson, who they were opening for, started using the stop-and-go style in his show.
This song has its own dance. When The Isleys sing the “little bit softer now” part, you go a little lower, then gradually rise up for the “little bit louder now part.” For the rest of the song, you just jump around and go crazy. It’s an easy dance, which makes it popular at weddings, proms, and other events where many rhythmically-challenged people end up on the dance floor.
The 1978 movie Animal House featured this in a famous scene where the frat brothers danced to it. The movie starred John Belushi and became a classic, helping revive interest in the song as well as the dance associated with it. In 2003, the group MxPx recorded a new version for the 25th anniversary DVD release of the movie.
In the UK, this is the song that introduced the singing sensation Lulu. The Scottish singer came to London at age 15 and recorded a version of the song with her group Lulu & The Luvvers that made it to #7 on the UK charts. Early on, Lulu often performed in Blues clubs where the song was a great fit. She soon became a very successful actress as well, appearing in the film To Sir With Love and scoring a #1 US hit with the title track.
Lulu, just 13 at the time, was introduced to the song by the Scottish rocker Alex Harvey, who she saw perform it in a Glasgow club called The Scene. Lulu added it to her act with The Luvvers, and it became their first hit when Lulu sang it at an audition for Decca records. She had a terrible cold when she recorded it, which gave her a rougher sound that suited the song.
The Isleys developed this on tours of black theaters in the late ’50s. They were usually low on the bill with other R&B acts.
The B-side of the single was “Shout Part 2,” an even wilder version.
The Isley Brothers next 4 singles tanked. They did not have another hit until “Twist And Shout” in 1962.
A cover version by Joey Dee And The Starlighters was a US Top 10 hit in 1962.
Shout
Well
You know you make me wanna (Shout!) Kick my heels up and (Shout!) Throw my hands up and (Shout!) Throw my head back and (Shout!) Come on now (Shout!)
Don’t forget to say you will Don’t forget to say, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (Say you will) Say it right now baby (Say you will) Come on, come on (Say you will) Say it, will-a you (Say you will) Come on now!
(Say) say that you love me (Say) say that you need me (Say) say that you want me (Say) you wanna please me (Say) come on now (Say) come on now (Say) come on now
(Say) I still remember (Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop) When you used to be nine years old (Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop) Yeah yeah! I was a fool for you, from the bottom of my soul, yeah! (Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop) Now that you’ve grown, up (Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop) Enough to know, yeah yeah (Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop) You wanna leave me, you wanna, let me go (Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop)
I want you to know I said I want you to know right now, yeah! You been good to me baby Better than I been to myself, hey! hey! And if you ever leave me I don’t want nobody else, hey! hey! I said I want you to know-ho-ho-hey! I said I want you to know right now, hey! hey!
You know you make me wanna (Shout-woo) hey-yeah (Shout-woo) yeah-yeah-yeah (Shout-woo) all-right (Shout-woo) all-right (Shout-woo) come on now! (Shout) come on now! (Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (good sound) (Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (good sound) (Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (good sound) (Shout) all-alright (good sound) (Shout) it’s all-alright (good sound) (Shout) all-alright (good sound) (Shout) all-alright (aah)
Now wait a minute! I feel alright! (Yeah yeah, yeah yeah!) Now that I got my woman I feel alright! Every time I think about you You been so good to me You know you make me wanna (Shout-woo) lift my heels up and (Shout-woo) throw my head back and (Shout-woo) kick my heels up and (Shout-woo) come on now (Shout-woo) take it easy (Shout-woo) take it easy (Shout-woo) take it easy (higher) (Shout) a little bit softer now (woo) (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now (Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now (Shout) a little bit louder now
(Shout) Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Shout now! Jump up and shout now (woo) Jump up and shout now (woo) Jump up and shout now (woo) Jump up and shout now (woo) Jump up and shout now (woo)
Everybody shout now Everybody shout now Everybody, shout, shout Shout, shout, shout
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