"Choosey Lover" is a 1983

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

song by

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

(Originally titled "Juicy Lover"). Released on their T-Neck imprint, the song was their second consecutive top ten R&B hit after their seminal " Between the Sheets" hit No. 3 on that chart. It was the second of two chart-topping singles the Isleys released off their aptly titled '' Between the Sheets'' album. "Choosey Lover" was also the last charting single to feature the ''3 + 3'' lineup of the band. A year later, younger brothers

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

(who played the memorable guitar solos on the song and co-wrote the lyrics),

Marvin Isley Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was the youngest member of the family music grou ...

and their brother-in-law

Chris Jasper Christopher Howard Jasper (born December 30, 1951)Allmusic biography/ref> is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the maj ...

left to form

Isley-Jasper-Isley Isley-Jasper-Isley was a splinter group of the Isley Brothers formed in 1984 by brother-in-law Chris Jasper (keyboards), Ernie Isley (lead guitar), and Marvin Isley (bass), due to creative differences that arose among the group. Jasper, a cla ...

while older brothers

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

Rudolph Isley Rudolph Bernard Isley (born April 1, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers. Life and career Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudy began singing in church at a youn ...

and

O'Kelly Isley O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers. Biography The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...

continued on under the "Isley Brothers" name. The song has similarities to the

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

song "

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

". The song was covered by R&B singer

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

as "Choosey Lover (Old School/New School)" on her 1996 album '' One in a Million'', with the "Old School" section very closely resembling the original before transitioning into the "New School" section, which features more of a hip hop beat and feel to match the contemporary feel of the rest of the album. The song was sampled and redone to make "Buddah Lovaz", a song dedicated to

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

, by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and the remix to " Street Dreams" by

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

featuring

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

. The song also has elements which have been used in

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give A ...

's "

Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters *Nobody (Kingdom Hearts), Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the ...

" and his 2002 single, One on One.

Personnel

– lead vocals, background vocals *

– guitar, drum machine programming, background vocals *

Marvin Isley Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was the youngest member of the family music grou ...

– bass guitar, background vocals *

– keyboards, piano, synthesizers, background vocals *

– background vocals *

O'Kelly Isley, Jr. O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers. Biography The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...

– background vocals *Produced, written, arranged and composed by

and

Charts

References

External links

Choosey Lover - List of Releases
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{authority control 1983 singles Contemporary R&B ballads Pop ballads The Isley Brothers songs Songs written by Chris Jasper 1983 songs Aaliyah songs T-Neck Records singles 1980s ballads Songs written by Ernie Isley Songs written by Marvin Isley Songs written by Rudolph Isley Songs written by O'Kelly Isley Jr. Songs written by Ronald Isley