Footsteps in the Dark

"Footsteps in the Dark" is a 1977 slow jam recorded by The Isley Brothers as an album track featured on the group's double-platinum album Go For Your Guns.[1][2][3][4] It was the B-side to "Groove with You", which reached #16 on the R&B singles chart. The track also marked Ron Isley's growing transition into singing more ballads, compared to the band's earlier funk approach. The song is featured in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional R&B radio station The Vibe 98.8.

For the 1941 movie, see Footsteps in the Dark (film). For the Cat Stevens compilation album, see Footsteps in the Dark: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2.
"Footsteps in the Dark"
Song by The Isley Brothers
from the album Go for Your Guns
A-side"Groove with You"
Released1977
RecordedBearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York, 1977
GenreRhythm and blues, soul, funk
Length5:07
LabelT-Neck
Songwriter(s)Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Chris Jasper
Producer(s)The Isley Brothers

Legacy

While the song didn't chart on the pop singles chart, it still garnered popularity initially for its laid-back grooves and the solemn lyrics (the song discussed infidelity) and later would be the basis of a sample years later first by rap group Compton's Most Wanted on their album Straight Checkn 'Em on the track "Can I Kill It?" and rapper Ice Cube, who used the musical instrumental of the song for his breakthrough hit, "It Was a Good Day".[5] While the song is well noted for its unique guitar timbre which can be heard on other Isley Brother tracks such as "Voyage to Atlantis"[6]. However, the track is most commonly sampled for its unique syncopated drum riff.

The song was again sampled by Black Milk on Slum Village's 2005 self-titled album on the track "Call Me" (which featured R&B singer Dwele), and Hip-Hop producer J Dilla reworked it into "Won't Do" on his posthumous album The Shining. Singer k-os used a sped-up sample from the song for his 2002 single "Heaven Only Knows", from his album Exit.

Although lesser known, the song was also sampled by Usher on his second album My Way in the song "One Day You'll Be Mine." The song is also sampled on the Rhymefest song "All Girls Cheat" from his 2006 album Blue Collar, although the portion of the song used is sung by Mario, and not a sample of the original recording. Alicia Keys heavily sampled on her song "A Woman's Worth", recorded for her 2005 live album Unplugged. The song was also sampled by Raheem DeVaughn on "Until", a song from his debut album, The Love Experience. Thundercat's "Them Changes" from his 2015 record The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam also quotes the famous drum kit opening of the song.[7]

Composition

Ernie Isley's playing on this track is heavily influenced by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, whose first recording session was actually with the Isley Brothers in 1964 with the track "Testify".[8]

Ernie Isley not only played guitar but also played drums and wrote the lyrics to "Footsteps in the Dark". The verse of the song is written in the key of D-major.

Cover versions

Credits

Written, Composed and Arranged by The Isley Brothers
Co-produced by The Isley Brothers, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff

Sources:[15][16]

References
  1. Pareles, Jon (January 1, 2002). "POP REVIEW; Two Brothers Who Are Carrying On the Family Act". The New York Times.
  2. Lipsitz, George (2007). Footsteps in the Dark: The Hidden Histories of Popular Music. University of Minnesota Press. p. 27. ISBN 9780816650194.
  3. Sumney, Moses (November 2, 2012). "Alex Isley Has Her Own Thing". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  4. Coker, Cheo Hodari (May 6, 1997). "A Playful Encounter With the Isley Brothers". Los Angeles Times.
  5. Hyden, Steven (October 25, 2011). "Ice Cube, "It Was A Good Day"". The A.V. Club.
  6. Go for Your Guns
  7. Hirway, Hrishikesh (July 30, 2015). "Episode 45: Thundercat". Song Exploder.
  8. Paule, Marty. “A Conversation with Ernie Isley...”. The HUB. 19 March 2014. http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/artist-interviews/conversation-with-ernie-isley-of-the-isley-brothers
  9. Body. “Easy to Love”. MCA. 6 March 1990. https://www.allmusic.com/album/easy-to-love-mw0000204090
  10. Body. “Footsteps in the Dark R&B”. YouTube: Finder lost-songs. 26 May 2016. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tfYUE9uxQ4U
  11. Jones, Kipper. “Footsteps in the Dark”. YouTube: Hisayukilsshiki. 13 May 2010. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lkZ43jclSk
  12. Nivea. “Footsteps in the Dark”. YouTube: Ben Hastings. 13 September 2011. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ULY01wt_r1k
  13. Zen. - Wavy (Memeulous Intro/Outro Song). YouTube: . 10 September 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdyR2eMtR0E
  14. "Footsteps in the Dark Pts. 1 & 2".
  15. The Isley Brothers. "Go For Your Guns" (Album notes). T-Neck / Epic. 1977.
  16. The Isley Brothers. "Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2". YouTube: The Isley Brothers - Topic. 18 February 2017. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyq9zlYMw9g
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