"Family Affair" is a 1971 number-one hit single recorded by
Sly & the Family Stone for the Epic Records label. Their
first new material since the double a-sided single "Thank You
(Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/ "Everybody is a Star" nearly
two years prior, "Family Affair" became the fourth and final
number-one pop hit for the band.
Rolling Stonemagazine later ranked the song #138 on
their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Released on November 6, 1971, "Family Affair" was markedly
different from the earlier Sly & the Family Stone hits.
"Family Affair" is a somber, Wurlitzer electric piano based
record with a rhythm box (or drum machine) providing the
rhythm, making it the first number-one hit to feature a
programmed rhythm track. Sly Stone and his sister Rose sing
lead on the song. The lyrics reflect the good and bad aspects
of being family, with Sly delivering his part in a low
funk-styled tone instead of his earlier gospel-based shout.
"Family Affair" was the most successful hit of Sly & the
Family Stone's career, peaking at number-one on the Billboard
Hot 100 for three weeks, while achieving the same on the
Billboard R&B Singles chart for five weeks.. The band's
long-awaited fifth album,
There's a Riot Goin' On, debuted at number one on the
Billboard album charts during the same period.
There's a Riot Goin' Onwas typified by a deep, dark
style of funk, evident in "Family Affair", that earned the
album a place as one of the most influential albums of all
time.
Partially recorded in a Winnebago, Sly Stone did not utilize
the Family Stone for this recording, with the exception of his
sister Rose. His friends Billy Preston and Bobby Womack played
the keyboard and guitar lines, respectively, for the song, with
Sly playing the bass and programming the rhythm box.
According to the biography
Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History, Sly Stone
felt that this song wasn't strong enough to be released as a
single. His manager and Epic Records had to convince him
otherwise.
"Family Affair" has been heavily covered, with versions by
Tyrone Davis, The Brothers Johnson, MFSB, Iggy Pop, Bunny
Wailer, and many more. The song's drum machine-created rhythm
was duplicated in several early to mid-1970s recordings, in
particular The Temptations' "Let Your Hair Down" (1973), and
Stevie Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (1974).
A retooled cover was done in 1993 by Shabba Ranks featuring
Patra and Terri & Monica as a single for the
Addams Family Valuessoundtrack. This version charted on
the Billboard pop chart at number 84, number 16 on the R&B
chart, and number-six on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Madonna
featured this song as an intro to "Keep It Together" on her
Blond Ambition Tour in 1990. Prince samples the song on his
track 'Y Should Eye Do That When Eye Can Do This?'
In 2005, John Legend, Joss Stone, and Van Hunt recorded a
cover featuring elements of the original recording for
Different Strokes by Different Folks, a Sly & the
Family Stone tribute/remix album. This version of "Family
Affair" won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance
by a Duo or Group with Vocals.