The Sly & The Family Stone Songs That Became Funk Anthems
From “Everyday People” to “Family Affair,” these songs capture the joy, protest and spirit that made Sly & The Family Stone one of funk’s most influential forces.
Photo illustration by Jefferson Harris for Okayplayer.
Some songs become more than the textbook definition of a hit because they do more than encourage a sing-along moment. Some records stop the world. Some help reshape a perspective. And others become cultural anthems over time.
They feel like three-minute moments. Like somebody just turned the volume up in the room and suddenly everybody’s moving the same way. Channeling their inner Mariah Carey, singing the same harmonies. The bass is bouncing off the floorboards, the horns cutting through the air, and for a few minutes, the only thing that matters is the feeling.
That was the magic of Sly Stone. A funk legend who had his way with words and sound.
With Sly & the Family Stone, the music never felt confined to the stage or even the record. It spilled out onto anyone dropping the needle or pressing play. It felt unifying, electric and alive. The kind of music that made strangers feel like family, even if for a few minutes, dancing next to each other like they’d known each other for years.
And that’s why so many of Sly’s songs became more than hits. They became anthems.
Take “Dance to the Music,” a song that practically introduces the band before exploding into pure rhythm. Or “I Want to Take You Higher,” which feels like a spiritual lift-off once the beat sinks in.
Sly’s music was multifaceted. It wasn’t just about joy or making a statement.
There was always something deeper running underneath the rhythm.
Then there’s “Everyday People,” which might be one of the most deceptively simple songs ever written. The melody is bright, the chorus feels almost effortless, but the message cuts straight to the heart of the social tensions that existed at that time and are still prevalent today. Meanwhile, “Stand!” feels exactly like what the title suggests. A call to stand your ground when the world feels like it’s shifting beneath your feet.
Even the band’s most confrontational record, “Don’t Call Me Ni**er, Whitey,” arrived with fearlessness. Sly wasn’t afraid to reflect the moment he was living in, even when the truth felt uncomfortable.
Then there are the songs that sit somewhere between celebration and reflection.
“Family Affair” moves at a slower, hypnotic pace. Its drum machine, sultry guitar strums and low melody create a sound that’s almost hard to define. “If You Want Me to Stay” rides on a steady bassline while Sly leans into a quieter kind of vulnerability.
And of course, there’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” the kind of record that reminds you how much funk can live inside a single rhythm. Bassist Larry Graham’s playing on that track alone would go on to shape decades of music, from funk to hip-hop and beyond.
These songs capture the full range of what Sly Stone was capable of: joy, protest and vulnerability. Universal feelings that remind us what it means to be human.
That’s the thing about anthems. They don’t just belong to the moment they were created in. They find new moments to give life to, new rooms to fill, and new generations to reach.
Even decades later, Sly’s still echoing through speakers, samples and the DNA of so much music that followed.
Below, revisit some of the songs that helped define his legacy. The records that didn’t just soundtrack an era, but helped shape the culture around them.
