Old School Wednesday
Sly & the Family Stone ~ “If You Want Me to Stay” (1973)
When you see me again
I hope that you have been
The kind of person you really are now
I’ll be so good
I wish I could Get the message over to you now
Sly Stone passed away on Monday, June 9th. One of the greats ~ not just in funk, but foundational to music.
Sly & the Family Stone were pioneers. Heavily sampled, widely imitated, and culturally unmatched. This was the group that forced Motown to evolve, cleared the path for ’70s Stevie, and undeniably influenced Prince. Their music wasn’t just funky ~ it was full of life: honest, soulful, idealistic, poetic, critical, chaotic, and beautiful.
I thought about posting a deep cut today, or something instantly quotable, or one of the more heavily sampled tracks ~ and there are plenty ~ but sometimes you’ve got to go with what hits you deepest. For me, that’s always been “If You Want Me to Stay.”
From the opening bassline to Sly’s aching wail, the track is a slow, funky unraveling. A cathartic roller coaster of soul and grit. Sly, stripped down ~ still cool, but vulnerable. Still grooving, but raw. You feel it because he meant it.
🎹 Sly Was a Vibe. Period.
Musical prodigy. DJ. Producer. Civil rights icon ~ Sly led an integrated, co-ed band in the ’60s. Played both Woodstock and the Harlem Cultural Festival (aka Summer of Soul) in the summer of ’69.
His lyrics moved from utopian dreams to sharp social critiques ~ and somehow made all of it funky.
Crate-diggers still obsess over his catalog.
And the stories? Legendary.
San Francisco Music scene from DJ-ing to playing.
Black Panthers.
Manson-adjacent moments.
Getting Married at MSG.
Infighting. Death threats. Drug-fueled chaos.
Reclusiveness. Recording classics in a van.
Sly was charismatic & mercurial. Brilliant. Messy. Mythic. 1 of 1.
🎥 A Personal Memory
Years ago, I met a woman named Novena while working on a video project at Temple Bar in Santa Monica. She had this calm, magnetic presence ~ effortless cool.
We were talking one time, and it turned into an epic slow motion facepalm moment for me. We somehow got to talking about her family. She casually mentioned that her dad liked road trips and said something like:
“Sly loves cruising down the road in his camper.”
I still shake my head that I took so long to put it together. Her band’s name at the time? Babystone.
They even played some Sly & Family Stone covers in their set.
Her dad? Sly Stone.
I attempted to play it cool, but I’m sure I was hella awkward. I wanted to go full crate digging fan boy so bad!
A little later, Babystone had a show at Temple Bar and Noveena looked especially excited. I asked her why?
“My dad’s coming to the show.”
I get how valuable parental support is, but selfishly my head was exploding. I don’t know how often Sly showed up at her shows (I hadn’t seen him at any other shows), but I made sure I was there.
Sly was still known for being reclusive. And as a fan, I just wanted to be in the same room as him once ~ even if I was just standing in the back corner minding my own business the whole night.
What I wasn’t expecting:
After Babystone’s set, Sly got up on stage and played keys for a while.
No fanfare. No announcement. Just playing.
And then he got up and left the stage.
Just Sly, being Sly.
🧪 Sample Breakdown
Different strokes for Different Folks
Sly & the Family Stone aren’t just music legends ~ they’re foundational. Their grooves, lyrics, and basslines laid the blueprint for generations.
It wouldn’t be an Old School Wednesday without discussing some samples and interpolations. Here are just a few tracks that sample Sly:
Sly & Family Stone song sampled: “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”
Sly & Family Stone song sampled: “Trip to Your Heart“
Sly & Family Stone song sampled: “Sing a Simple Song“
Sly & Family Stone song sampled: “Everybody Is a Star“
Fatboy Slim ~ “Weapon of Choice”
Sly & Family Stone song sampled: “Into My Own Thing“
Sly & Family Stone song sampled: “If You Want Me to Stay“
There are so many other notables:
De La Soul, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Arrested Development, Kendrick Lamar, Beastie Boys, and so many more. WhoSampled has 1k+ listings for samples.
Want to go deeper?
🔍 Explore Sly samples on WhoSampled
🎤 Final Thoughts
Sly didn’t just change funk ~ he built a vocabulary that hip-hop never stopped speaking.
The rhythm, the rebellion, the joy, the mess ~ it’s all still sampling, still looping, still living.
Shout out to Novena. She’s now the host of Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW.
Check her out, she’s still cool as ever. Support public radio if you can, because It Matters!
I need to go digging through my archives, but I think I still have a burned CD somewhere with footage from that night at Temple Bar. If I can find it, I’ll share it.
Thank you, Sly.
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Extras
Here are some additional links and cool stuff:
- Eric Alper on Sly
- Questlove
- This interview is fantastic:
- One Song Podcast discuss “Thank You” w/ Noveena
- Check out “Sly Lives” on Hulu
- This collection of Sly guest hosting the Mike Douglas Show is amazing:
*Sly with Muhammad Ali and Richard Pryor. 30:02 Sly tells Muhammed Ali:
Muhammad! Im talking now man. Look Here
the only thing we can do for brothers is to do what we doing
and to be examples
and to be Hee-Hee-Hee happy
and to be intelligent, like you are
and like you always say.
