Between the Sheets (song)

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"Between the Sheets" was a hit recorded by the famed family music band, The Isley Brothers. Released in the spring of 1983, the single from the album of the same name brought the Isleys a new audience even as the group's 3 + 3 lineup was disintegrating. Celebrating the talents of Chris Jasper's synthesizer/keyboard work, lead vocalist Ronald Isley and harmonies from O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald (with brothers guitarist Ernie and bassist Marvin providing more of the musical background), the song was inspired by the group's old friend Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" single. The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and has gone on to be covered by jazz group 4Play while it has been a sample for such hip hop artists The Notorious B.I.G. (using the intro of the song as the sample for his Top 5 pop/R&B and #1 rap single "Big Poppa"), LL Cool J (who mentions the group and the song in his 1993 single, "Back Seat"), Da Brat (who sampled the intro part in her 1994 breakthrough hit, "Funkdafied") and others. It was also sampled by R&B diva Whitney Houston for her 2002 hit, "One of Those Days" and even gives credit to the legendary group and the song with the line: "Mr. Biggs is in the background/The Isley Brothers are gonna hold it down..." Recently, No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani has sampled it in her current single Luxurious for her debut solo album Love.Angel.Music.Baby.. The Diplomats member Jim Jones used the beat from the song to their song Summer Wit' Miami. The group often opens up the song with Ronald coming out to the tune of "Big Poppa" while brother Ernie plays a searing guitar and a female dancer gyrates onstage. "Between the Sheets" remains a classic and one of the standard Quiet Storm staples.

In October 2004 Between The Sheets appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on Funk radio station Bounce FM.