Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2

Infobox Single
Name = Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2


Artist = The Isley Brothers
from Album = The Heat Is On
Released = May 31, 1975
Format = 7" Single
Recorded = Kendun Recorders, Los Angeles, California
Genre = Funk
Length = 5:18
Label = T-Neck
2256
Writer = Rudolph Isley
O'Kelly Isley, Jr.
Ronald Isley
Ernie Isley
Marvin Isley
Chris Jasper
Producer = Rudolph Isley
Ronald Isley
Chart position =
*#4 (US Pop Singles)
**#1 (US R&B Singles
Last single = "Midnight Sky Pts. 1 & 2"
(1974)
This single = "Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2"
(1975)
Next single = "For the Love of You Pts. 1 & 2"
(1975)

"Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2" is a 1975 protest funk song by The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The anti-establishment song was originally thought of by Ernie Isley while the group was recording for another socially-conscious song, "Harvest for the World".

Co-written with music by Ernie, baby brother Marvin and in-law Chris Jasper, when brought to the older Isleys, including lead singer Ronald, the frontman decided to change up the lyric in the bridge of the song where Ernie wrote "And I roll with the punches/got knocked down on the ground by all this bullshit going down". It was actually Ronald who injected "bullshit" to the lyric while Ernie had originally wrote "nonsense".

When asked why he changed it, Ronald said "because that's what everyone needed to hear". Sung alongside his older brothers O'Kelly and Rudolph, the latter brother often singing in unison with Ronald, each of the older Isleys added in lead ad-libs in the group's final "fight the power" chant before all six Isley members furiously chanted "fight it!"

Released in May of that year, the song became a monumental record for the group, partly based on the interesting censoring of "bullshit" on radio stations, reaching #4 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart and #1 on the Hot R&B Singles, becoming the Isleys' second #1 hit on that chart and helped to send their "The Heat Is On" album to #1 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart. The Isleys inspired a rap version of its "fight the powers that be" battle cry by Public Enemy in their even more militant version fourteen years later.

Credits

*Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley & O'Kelly Isley, Jr.: lead and background vocals
*Ernie Isley: guitar, drums, percussion
*Marvin Isley: bass, percussion
*Chris Jasper: piano, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion
*Produced, written, arranged and composed by The Isley Brothers and Chris Jasper