Although the
Isley Brothers' tenure at Motown Records represents just one brief chapter in a recording career spanning seven decades, the period yielded some of the R&B legends' most accomplished work, including their fiery interpretation of the Kim Weston classic "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)."
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The Isley Brothers recorded "Take Me in Your Arms" in 1967 at the behest of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland, the premier writing and producing team of Motown's golden era. Eddie Holland himself cut the earliest recording of the song in September 1964, although his rendition remained shelved until the 2005 release of the second volume in the Cellarful of Motown! archival series, which states the track (originally titled "Baby Don't Hurry") was first assigned to the Vandellas. Weston, who the Holland brothers brought to Motown's Tamla imprint in 1962, recorded her version of "Take Me in Your Arms" in mid-1965 and scored the biggest hit of her solo career, reaching number four on the Billboard R&B chart and number 50 on the pop Hot 100.
The Isley Brothers joined forces with Holland, Dozier and Holland upon signing to Motown in 1965. The group - Cincinnati-born siblings Ronald, Rudolph and O'Kelly Jr. - achieved immortality in 1959 with the release of the frat-party landmark "Shout," a showcase for their potent brand of gospel-inspired vocals and doo-wop harmonies, followed in 1963 by their first Top 40 hit, the Bert Berns-penned "Twist and Shout." The Isley Brothers formed their own label T-Neck Records in 1964, around the same time the trio recruited a little-known guitarist named Jimi Hendrix to join their backing band. Hendrix features on a pair of Isleys singles, "Testify" and "Move On Over and Let Me Dance," but both failed to chart, and Hendrix, who'd grown tired of performing the same live set night after night, ankled the Isleys to sign on with Little Richard's touring band, the Upsetters.
The Isley Brothers scored their biggest Motown hit with their first single for the label, the 1966 Holland–Dozier–Holland masterpiece "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)," which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100 and soared to number six on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. Subsequent efforts like "Take Some Time Out for Love" and "I Guess I'll Always Love You" failed to generate the same excitement, however, so H-D-H dusted off "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" to spotlight the raw urgency of Ronald Isley's vocals; this version, released in March 1968, reached 22 on the R&B chart but stalled at number 121 on the Billboard pop chart, and the group exited Motown several months later.
Both the Isley Brothers and "Take Me in Your Arms" went on to bigger things. The Isleys relaunched T-Neck Records, added brother Ernie on bass, and signed a distribution deal with Buddah Records to issue 1969's Grammy-winning "It's Your Thing," which rocketed to number two on the Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart. The Isley Brothers remained a creative and commercial force throughout the 1970s, scoring a series of hits including "That Lady," "Fight the Power" and "For the Love of You." The Isleys continue recording and performing as of this writing, collaborating with Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg and Earth, Wind & Fire for the 2022 LP Make Me Say It Again, Girl.
"Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)," meanwhile, enjoyed its greatest mainstream popularity after the Doobie Brothers covered the song for their 1975 album Stampede, climbing to number 11 on the Hot 100. "I had been a fan of that song since it came out somewhere in the Sixties. I just loved that song," Doobies frontman Tom Johnston told Songfacts in 2009. "So somewhere around '72, I started lobbying to get the band to do a cover of that. And I didn't get anywhere until '75. Then we actually did it. And we got to have some chick singers –– which was to me the ultimate nirvana thing to do –– come in and sing on the thing with us. And then the strings were put on by [arranger] Paul Riser, who was the Motown string guy. I was in hog heaven. I absolutely love that song." 
