"It's Your Thing" is a
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...
single by
The Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the anthem was an artistic response to
Motown chief
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...
'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, run: "It's your thing/ Do what you wanna do/ I can't tell you/ Who to sock it to". The song is ranked No. 420 on the ''
Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
History
Overview
After scoring one popular hit with the label, with the song "
This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", 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 British tour, where they had a bigger fan base than in America. A re-release of "This Old Heart" had reached number three on the
UK 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 was a record label founded by members of the R&B/soul group The Isley Brothers in 1964, which became notable for distributing the first nationally-released recordings of Jimi Hendrix, their guitarist, and which later became a suc ...
, which they had originally started a few years prior to their Motown signing. For
Buddah Records
Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label 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 foundin ...
, 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.
Release and reaction
Recorded in two takes and featuring the first appearance of 16-year-old
Ernie
Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to:
People
* Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive
* Ernie Adams (disambiguation)
* Ernie Afaganis (born ...
on
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
and
Skip Pitts on guitar. The song was released as a single on February 16, 1969, and quickly rose to the top of both the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' ( ...
and
R&B singles charts, peaking at No. 2 on the former, (behind
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
"Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" (commonly called "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", "The Age of Aquarius" or "Let the Sunshine In") is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical ''Hair'' by James Rado and Gerome ...
by
The 5th Dimension), and marking their first No. 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.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Cover versions and legacy
Over 60 artists have recorded their own version of the song.
* A version was recorded by
Memphis soul singer
Ann Peebles
Ann Lee Peebles (born April 27, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s for Hi Records. Two of her most popular songs are " I Can't Stand the Rain", which she wrote with her husband ...
for her 1969 debut album ''This Is Ann Peebles''.
* Saxophonist
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz alto saxophonist. 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 in ...
recorded an instrumental version on his 1969 album ''
Hot Dog''.
* In 1969 Atlantic recording artist
Lotti Golden
Lotti Golden (born November 27, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, poet and artist. Golden is best known for her 1969 debut album '' Motor-Cycle'', on Atlantic Records.
Winner of the ASCAP Pop Award for songwriting and RI ...
also recorded the song in a mash-up medley with "
Sock It to Me Baby", to promote her
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...
debut LP The medley included the only two covers that Golden recorded as an artist. In 2000, the medley featuring "It's Your Thing", was reissued in an Atlantic compilation, with Golden as the sole female artist in the line up.
* The song has been credited for being one of the first fully-fledged
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...
songs at the time that such artists as
James Brown and
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi- ...
brought their own funk anthems to the scene. Brown used the musical background from the song for the songs "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It to)", an answer song by
Marva Whitney
Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning; May 1, 1944 – December 22, 2012) was an American funk singer commonly referred to by her honorary title, Soul Sister #1. Whitney was considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brass ...
, and Brown's own 1974 single, "
My Thang".
*
Led Zeppelin would often perform an instrumental of the song in a medley format with "
Communication Breakdown
"Communication Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1969 self-titled debut album. It was also used as the B-side of the group's first single in the US, "Good Times Bad Times". A promotional video was released, ...
". Led Zeppelin included a four-bar snippet during the opening song sequence of their Playhouse Theater performance on June 27, 1969.
* In 1969
The Temptations recorded the song for on their ''
Puzzle People
''Puzzle People'' is the eleventh studio album released by American soul quintet The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label in 1969. Produced entirely by Norman Whitfield, ''Puzzle People'' expanded on the psychedelic soul sound of the Temptati ...
'' album.
* In 1970, jazz guitar player
Grant Green included the song in his album ''
Alive!''
*
The Jackson 5, who were not yet established artists, first performed the song at their television debut on the ''
Miss Black America
The Miss Black America beauty contest is a competition for young African-American women. The pageant has garnered the support of artists, activists and performers including Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Oprah Winfrey. After 40 years, in 200 ...
Pageant'', later recording it during sessions for their 1970 album ''
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
''. However, this recording remained unreleased until 1995's ''
Soulsation!
''Soulsation!'' is a 4- CD box set of music recorded by The Jackson 5 during their tenure at Motown Records from 1969 to 1975, when they left Motown for CBS Records. The box set was released in 1995 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Jack ...
'' box set.
* Former Motown label-mates
The Supremes and the
Four Tops recorded a duet version in 1971 that remained unreleased until 2009.
*
Adriano Celentano
Adriano Celentano (; born 6 January 1938) is an Italian musician, singer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is dubbed "''il Molleggiato''" (the springy one) because of his dancing.
Celentano's many albums frequently enjoyed both commercial and ...
's "
Prisencolinensinainciusol
"Prisencolinensinainciusol" (stylized on the single cover as "PRİSENCÓLİNENSİNÁİNCIÚSOL") is a song composed by the Italian singer Adriano Celentano, and performed by Celentano and his wife Claudia Mori, a singer/actress-turned-record ...
", which was released three years later in 1972, has a very similar feel and chord structure.
*
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
recorded the song for her 1982 album ''
Jump to It''.
* The song also has been heavily sampled by
hip hop acts, most famously by rap group
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, ''Hot, C ...
and DC
go-go band E.U.
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, who sampled it for "
Shake Your Thang" (1988).
* The 1989 album ''
Girl You Know It's True
''Girl You Know It's True'' is a 1989 album that served as the North American debut of German contemporary R&B duo Milli Vanilli. It is a version of Milli Vanilli's Europe-only release '' All or Nothing'' reconfigured and repackaged for the U ...
'' by
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as '' Girl You Know It's True' ...
contains a cover of this song.
* Like many of their earlier singles, the song has been featured in commercials. Some Canadian commercials for the
Ramada
Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. As of December 31, 2018, it operates 811 hotels with 114,614 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand.
Name
The ''Ramada'' name derives from ...
hotel chain have featured a cover version of "It's Your Thing", modified so the lyrics say "Do Your Thing" instead.
*
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz alto saxophonist. 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 in ...
's 1969 cover has also been sampled for multiple tracks, mostly hip-hop, including ''
Ghetto Red Hot'' by
Super Cat
William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mov ...
, ''
Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down'' by
Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees (Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and formerly three DJs (DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere, and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, '' One for All' ...
, ''
Bitties in the BK Lounge'' by
De La Soul
De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...
and ''Six Million Ways to Die'' by
Funkmaster Flex.
* The song was covered by
H-Town on the 1993 soundtrack album ''
Addams Family Values: Music from the Motion Picture''.
* It appears in the
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
movie ''
Muppets from Space
''Muppets from Space'' is a 1999 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Tim Hill (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Jerry Juhl, Joseph Mazzarino, and Ken Kaufman. The sixth theatrical film in ''The Muppets'' fran ...
'', the
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
film ''
Superbad
''Superbad'' is a 2007 American coming-of-age teen buddy comedy film directed by Greg Mottola and produced by Judd Apatow. The film stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about to graduate from high school. Before grad ...
'', the ending of the
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
movie ''
Sausage Party
''Sausage Party'' is a 2016 adult computer-animated comedy film directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan and written by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, and Jonah Hill. The film follow ...
'' and the beginning of the
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
movie ''
Smurfs: The Lost Village'', as well as in the teaser trailer for
DreamWorks Animation's
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
movie ''
The Boss Baby''.
* The song "
Power
Power most often refers to:
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events
** Abusive power
Power may ...
" by
Kanye West uses a sample from Cold Grits' instrumental cover of "It's Your Thing" in his 2010 album ''
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''.
*
Walk the Moon
Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walking on the ...
covered the song on their 2015 ''
Different Colors'' EP.
* It also appears in the English version of the adult animated film ''
Bad Cat
''Bad Cat'' ( tr, Kötü Kedi Şerafettin) is a 2016 Turkish adult computer-animated action comedy film directed by Mehmet Kurtuluş and Ayşe Ünal. The film is based on the comic strip ''Kötü Kedi Şerafettin'' by Bülent Üstün. This is an ...
'' (2016).
* The song is covered by
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series ''The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recur ...
in Season 1 Episode 5 of
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist'' is an American musical comedy-drama television series created by Austin Winsberg that premiered on January 7, 2020, on NBC. The series stars Jane Levy as Zoey Clarke, a software developer who discovers she has ...
.
* It was the last song to be played by English DJ
Janice Long
Janice Berry ( Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio. In a career that spanned five decades, s ...
on what would be her final radio show in her lifetime, for
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales ...
on 9 December 2021, before her passing over 2 weeks later.
Personnel
*Lead vocals by
Ronald Isley
*Background vocals by
O'Kelly Isley, Jr.
O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers.
Biography
The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...
and
Rudolph Isley
*Written, arranged and composed by
Ronald Isley,
O'Kelly Isley, Jr.
O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers.
Biography
The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...
and
Rudolph Isley
*Produced by
The Isley Brothers
*Drums by Woody Woodson
*Bass by
Ernie Isley
Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley.
Biography
Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers form ...
*Guitar by
Charles "Skip" Pitts
*Piano by
Herb Rooney
Herbert Louis Rooney (born 1940 - c. early 1990s) was an American record producer who was responsible for writing, producing and singing bass on songs by the Exciters and for writing and producing the sample staple Synthetic Substitution by Melvin ...
*Saxophone and arrangement by George Patterson
*Horns arranged by The Isley Brothers
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1969 singles
Funk songs
The Isley Brothers songs
Songs written by Ronald Isley
Songs written by O'Kelly Isley Jr.
Songs written by Rudolph Isley
T-Neck Records singles
1969 songs