“Everyday People” was the first single by Sly and the Family Stone to hit #1 on the charts and it’s today’s classic song of the day. Released in November of 1968, “Everyday People” grabbed the top position on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s R&B charts. Billboard ranked it as the #5 single for all of 1969.
Sylvester “Sly” Stone wrote “Everyday People,” which has a bit more of a rock beat than the group’s usual funk stylings. The song’s message is about peace and equality, which mirrored the band’s multi-racial, multi-gender makeup. The Family Stone consisted of Black guys Sly Stone (vocals), Freddie Stone (guitar), and Larry Graham (bass); white guys Greg Errico (drums) and Jerry Martini (sax), and female members Rose Stone (keyboards) and Cynthia Robinson (trumpet). Lead vocal duties on this one were split between Sly, Rose, Freddie, Larry, and Cynthia, with the other guys singing backup.
The lyrics are as inclusive as you can get:
Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I’m in
I am everyday people
There is a blue one who can’t accept
The green one for living with
A fat one tryin’ to be a skinny one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby-dooby-dooby
We got to live together
I am no better and neither are you
We’re all the same, whatever we do
You love me, you hate me
You know me and then
You can’t figure out the bag I’m in
I am everyday people
Notice that it’s “I am everyday people,” not “We are everyday people.” That’s important.
It’s thought that “Everyday People” was the first recorded instance of the slap bass technique, provided by bassist extraordinaire Larry Graham. Larry would go on to form the group Graham Central Station. He also hung out a lot with a certain purple-clad musician from the Twin Cities, introducing him to the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
For today’s daily bonus video of the day, here’s a real treat. It’s Sly and the Family Stone performing a mash-up of “Everyday People” and “Dance to the Music” live. Man, those cats could groove.
