Released March 9, 1983 Length 5:38 | Format 7" Label T-Neck
03797 | |
Recorded Bearsville Studios, New York; February 1983 Genre Quiet storm, soul, R&B, boogie, funk | ||
"Between the Sheets" is a quiet storm-funk song released by American R&B/soul/funk band The Isley Brothers in 1983 off their album of the same name on the T-Neck imprint.
Contents
History
By the early 1980s, the fortunes of the Isley Brothers were dwindling due to changing musical styles and the partnership between the family members losing ground. Chris Jasper and fellow members Ernie Isley and Marvin Isley were constantly producing music that they had initially intended to be part of their own splinter group. In the meantime, the elder three Isleys - vocalists Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley and Rudolph Isley - were dealing with tax debts and accusations they had evaded paying back taxes to the IRS. The Isley Brothers' musical heyday had peaked in the mid-seventies and while their late-seventies recordings found success, as they entered the eighties, they struggled to compete with a growing list of funk groups such as Cameo and The Gap Band. In 1982, their album, The Real Deal, failed to generate any hits and failed to go gold.
Later that year, the group returned to the studios in Bearsville, New York to work on their follow-up. "Between the Sheets" was different from previous recordings which primarily features synthesizer work by Chris Jasper (who also sang background vocals), drum machine beats, and assorted percussion, including simple handclaps, by Chris Jasper, Ernie Isley and Marvin Isley. The whole ending of the song was later added on by Chris Jasper on synths.
Reception
Like many of the group's releases, songwriting credit was shared with all six band mates, reflecting a business decision, not reflective of the creative dynamics. The music was written by Chris Jasper and Ernie Isley with additional lyrical contributions by Marvin Isley. "Between the Sheets" was recorded in November 1982 and was released in early February 1983 hitting the charts two months later. The song made a huge impression on the Isleys' long legion of R&B fans who took the song to number three on the Billboard Top R&B Singles chart while it peaked at number one on Billboard's Bubbling Under chart. The song's R&B success helped their Between the Sheets album go platinum, the brothers' first platinum album since 1978's Showdown.
Despite the success, it was already confirmed even before the album's release that the younger Isleys and Jasper would be leaving the older Isleys for their own group. Within a year after their final tour together, Ernie, Marvin and Chris did leave to form Isley-Jasper-Isley leaving the Isley Brothers back to their original position as a vocal trio.
Covers
Jazz band Fourplay recorded a hit cover version of the song in 1992 with Chaka Khan as the vocalist.
Samples of this song
Appearances in other media
The song "Between the Sheets" appears in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game soundtrack, on the fictitious radio station Bounce FM, and is also appears as one of three tracks played in the game's various strip clubs.
The Japanese funk band Omokage Lucky Hole makes reference to "Between The Sheets" in the lyrics for their song "Wet" on their album titled "On The Border".
Rapper Kendrick Lamar makes references to "Between The Sheets" in the song "M.A.A.D City" on his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.