pancocojams: African American music and culture

Showing posts with label African American music and culture. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Sly And The Family Stone's 1968 Hit Song "I Want To Take You Higher" And Its "Boom Shakalaka" or "Boom Laka Laka" Lyrics

The Ed Sullivan Show, Nov 14, 2021

Sly And The Family Stone "I Want To Take You Higher" on The Ed Sullivan Show,
December 29, 1968.

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the hit 1968 song "I Want To Take You Higher" with a focus on its "Boom Shaka Laka" or "Boom laka-laka-laka" lyrics,

The content of this post is presented for cultural, historical, and entertainment purposes. cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sly and the Family Stone for their musical legacy. Thanks to Ed Sullivan for showcasing African American music on his television series during a time when it was controversial and daring to do so. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/06/sly-and-family-stone-performing-stand.html for the June 2025 pancocojams post entitled "Sly and the Family Stone Performing "Stand" & Five Of Their Other Hit Funk Songs From The Late 1960s & The Early 1980s".

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/10/part-ii-use-of-term-boom-shakalaka-in.html for the October 2025 pancocojams post entitled "Part II - The Use Of The Term "Boom Shakalaka" In One Of Geophysicist Stefan Burn's 3 I Atlas Podcasts & In That Podcast' Discussion Thread. That post presents some definitions of the term "Boom Shakalaka" as well as some examples of comments from that video's discussion thread that include the term "boom shakalaka". For context, this post also includes some other discussion thread comments that don't include the term "boom shakalaka".

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "I WANT TO TAKE YOUR HIGHER"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Want_to_Take_You_Higher
"I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their top 30 hit "Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the Stand! album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; instead, it is simply dedicated to music and the feeling one gets from music. Like nearly all of Sly & the Family Stone's songs, Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart was credited as the sole songwriter.[3]

Composition

"I Want to Take You Higher" opens with a bluesy guitar riff played by Freddie Stone. The song, one of the most upbeat recordings in the Family Stone canon, is a remake of sorts of "Higher", a song from the band's 1968 Dance to the Music LP. "Higher" itself has its origins in "Advice", a song Sly Stone co-wrote and arranged for Billy Preston's album The Wildest Organ in Town in 1966.

[…]

Chart performance

Even though it was a B-side, "I Want to Take You Higher" became a top 40 hit (No. 38) of its own in 1970. That same year, Ike & Tina Turner released a cover of the song that became a hit as well, peaking above the original Family Stone recording on the Billboard Hot 100 (at No. 34), and one position below the original on the R&B singles chart"....

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DID SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE SING "BOOM SHAKA LAKA" OR BOOM LAKA LAKA"?
According to various websites, including Wikipedia and Genuis.con's lyric's page for Sly And The Family Stone, their 1968 song has the words "Boom Laka Laka". However, some other websites such as https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858793137/ Song Meanings (I Want To Take You Higher" gives the lyrics Sly And The Family Stone sang as "Boom Shaka Laka".

Read https://www.reddit.com/r/MandelaEffect/comments/9kt0eg/sly_the_family_stone_i_want_to_take_you_higher/ for a discussion about commenters' remembrances of the lyrics for that song and why they think that people remember the lyrics as "Boom Shaka Laka" instead of "Boom Laka Laka".
-snip-
Here's a excerpt from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakalaka

"Shakalaka may refer to:

Music

Titles

"Boom Shaka Laka Laka", a 1970 song by Hopeton Lewis
- A 2010 cover of the same song, by UB40 on their album Labour of Love IV
"Boom Shack-A-Lak", 1993 song by artist Apache Indian
"Boom Shakalaka", a song from the 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island
"Shakalaka Baby", 2002 song from the film Nayaka
"Boom Shacka", a 2010 song by Brianna and Flo Rida
"Shakalaka", a 2018 original mix by Steve Aoki, Deorro, MAKJ & Max Styler
"Boomshakalaka", a 2019 song by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
"Shaka laka", a 2023 song by 6ix9ine featuring Kodak Black & Yailin la Más Viral

Lyrics

"I Want to Take You Higher”, a 1968 song by Sly and The Family Stone, with the lyric “boom lacka-lacka-lacka"
- A 1970 cover of the same song, by Ike and Tina Turner, with the lyric "boom shaka-laka-laka"

re"I an online wes

https://genius.com/Sly-and-the-family-stone-i-want-to-take-you-higher-lyrics gives the lyrics "Boom Laka Laka".

****
LYRICS - "I WANT TO TAKE YOUR HIGHER"

(Sly Stone)

[Intro]

Hey, hey, hey

[Verse 1]

Beat is gettin' stronger

Music gettin' longer, too

Music is a-flashin' me

I want to, I want to, I want to take you higher

I wanna take you higher

Baby, baby, baby, light my fire

I wanna take you higher

[Refrain]

Boom laka-laka-laka

Boom laka-lak-goon-ka boom

Hey, hey, hey, hey

[Verse 2]

Beat is nitty-gritty

Sound is in your city, too

Music's still flashin' me

Don't ya, don't ya, don't, don't, don't ya wanna get higher?

Don't ya wanna get higher?

Baby, baby, baby, light my fire (Woo)

I wanna take you higher

See R&B shows near New York

Get tickets as low as $300

Monday, October 27, 2025

Giving Shout Outs To Baltimore's Black Neighborhoods Named In The 1996 Baltimore Club Music Track "Hey U Knuckleheads" (video & comments)

Baltimore & The Rest of U.S.,Nov 14, 2022

Baltimore's Own: Carnell Nichols does a rendition to Bmore Theme Song- Hey You Knuckle Heads

Top Dancer and Comedian from Baltimore Carnell Nichols makes a music video to a very popular song showcasing some of the most popular and notorious neighborhoods in the city.

#theghettostreetsofbaltimore

****

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about the Baltimore Club music record "Hey U Knuckleheads" (also given as "Hey You Knuckleheads".)

This post showcases a 2022 video of Baltimore dancer and comedian Carnell Nichols showing the world the streets that got a shout out in the now iconic 1996 Baltimore Club music song "Hey U Knuckleheads". The song track to that 1996 song is used for this 2022 video.

This pancocojams post also presents some comments about that song from the discussion thread of a 2008 YouTube sound file of DJDiamond K 7 Big Ria's record "Hey U Knuckleheads"..

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/10/baltimore-club-musics-1996-song-hey-u_27.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases Big Ria performing "Hey U Knuckleheads" in 2014 at a birthday party for DJ Diamond K, the composer of that song that she recoded in 1996.

Information about Baltimore Club music is presented in that pancocojams post along with information about DJ Diamond K's song :Hey U Knuckleheads".

Part I also includes the lyrics to that Baltimore Club music song.

The Addendum to Part I of this pancocojams series presents information about the military cadence "Oh You Knucklehead" for 1964 or earlier that inspired that Baltimore Club Music song with that similar title.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to DJ Diamond K and Big Ria for composing and recording "Hey U Knuckleheads".in 1996 Thanks to Carnell Nichols for this showcased 2022 video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
A lot of the comments in this discussion thread include the contemporary African American exclamation "Ayy" (also written "Ayyee" and similar spellings) and pronounced like an elongated letter "a" and not like the letter "i".

Those comments reminded me of this 2023 pancocojams post https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-contemporary-african-american.html "The Contemporary African American Exclamation "Ayee" ("Aaa", "Ayy") - Where Did It Come From & What Does It Mean?".I updaed that post with a few of the comments from this 2025 post.

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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT THE BALTIMORE CLUB MUSIC SONG "HEY YOU KNUCKLEHEADS"
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqRtjtrFwE "Baltimore Club Music- Knuckleheadz (Rep Ya Hood)" published by Sweetheart504, Aug 5, 2008

Big Ria. Another throwback joint. Is ya hood in this one?
-snip-
The lyrics for this song are included in Part I of this pancocojams series.

****

2008

1. @kellyray1

"heyyy cherryhill"

****

2009

2.@DESiB00107

"baltimore all day!! i miss it sooo much"

3.@kenet99

"ayy Park Heights all day"

4. @MOONALLURE

"Flag House, Chase & Biddle that's my spot. I love this song man,"

5. @jjtiojohn12

"Alameda and cold spring all day!"

6. @myspacegirl5

"hey whitelock, hey park heightz, north & p(north & pulaski(my hood)), big ria my 2nd cuzzin luv her azz"

7. @lilklp86

"Im Originally From Kansas City But Lived On Carey And Gold St All Day WestSide!"

8. @LOLDHATSFUNNI

"RIDGEWOOD N GARRISON ALL DAY"

9. @ItsJadaSamira

"yo...the closest to mah street wud b tivoli....i def stayed around hugo and 28th...its coo tho....i love mah city!!!!!!"

10. @Dmsquad

"ayy Poplar Grove!!"

11. @Ike21218

"Tivoly..get in where u fit in"

****

2010

12. @manibbygil

"East Baltimore all day!

Ayy Harford Rd!!!"

13.@SuperLmc123

"park heights all day!!!!! dukeland all day !!! Biddle street all day !!! preston all day

PENN AVE ALL DAY 247"

14. @MrPrimetime00

"WOODLAWN!!!!!!!!!!"

15. @tjfire300, 2020

"Dion Reed yup! Woodlawn aka hoodlawn 😂💪🏽"

16. @aehoize

"East Baltimore Ayyyee!"

17. @damonte07

"chapel hill shordy ! we on dere"

18. @deerpark54321

"Yea dat baltimore"

19. @MOBBCITYMAFIA

"MONTFORD&LANVALE 1600 BLK...U ALREADY"

****

2011

20. @casper4470

"Cedonia all day Aye belair,moravia,parkside and sinclair"

21. @casper4470

"@shor410 no disrespect im just sayin ive been livin out here for 2 years now and its dead as sh-t* out here i havent been nowhwere live in rosedale yet"

-snip-

*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

22. @NaybaeWorld

"EAST BALTIMORE ALL DAY!!!!"

23. @timmurra013

"West side!! North and elamont!"

24. @eatmedeedee

"Wow I feel A. Old listening to this, and B. Like I'm driving around Baltimore"

25. @Callmekc27

"Ayeee Walbrook JCT ♥♥"

26. @ExtendedRandoms

"OULASKii, Park Heights, North Bidle Strrey Dukeland Westport, Throww Em upp"

27. @fridayoctober131987

"@sebaybay25 She said north and p right after she say sandtown dont worry she got to mention the best"

28. @dakidmotis

"@baltimore5518 i be up dere nd is be at sinclair nd erdman"

29. @cocoacarebear

"@ intellectualuva "poplar grove and ???" Its "poplar grove and EV" which is edmondson village :)"

30. @MrRhythm410, 2012

"EV FOR LIFE!!!!"

31. @AsesinaAppple

"Yheaa that MORAVIA"

****

2012

32.@Thugocratic

"Damn nobody knows where R&G is? That sh-t* must be deep in the hood if people are that scared to go down there."

-snip-

*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

33. @SpecialystMusic

"R&G is Reisterstown & Gwynns Falls"

34. @TheLovergirl92

"saratoga and 33rd all day"

35.@1992mjohnson

"park heights! yeah dat

zone 15"

36. @AmbitiousSteveJr

"Edmondson Village Upt Got It Tatted"

37. @Prettykeepit100

"North and long. North and dukeland I'm from there m"

38. @destinymariah4656

"ayye ( : GREENMOUNT"

39. @GodsChild28

"The Ave."

40. @jazzyjazz616

"Umm where's hilton, cooks lane, edmonson heights"

41. @tysongross40

"What about Liberty

where HAMILTON at?"

****

2013

42. @Tajberapping123

"Sandtown stand up"

43, @edgekiller3

"RANDALLSTOWN!!!!!!!"

44. @SWEETRENEEB

"Moravia AYYYY!!"

45. @Scorpioncé9

"WESTSIDEEEE !!"

46. @quantiajohnson6276

"Eastside all day tf √√√√"

47. @Rickiwaters

"Parkheights ❤❤"

48. @HappinessTheBrand

"Ayyy LT Lexington Terrace Saratoga ayyy West siiide!"

49. @Envyim

"WhiteLock ✔✔✔♥♥"

****

2014

50. @wlessane

"Park Heights zone 15 west side"

****

2015

51. @aleopold8039

"parkHeights🔥"

52. @OURTIMEISNOW2009

"Park Heights where its at"

53. @beewalk34

"Perry Hall representin"

54. @msmith052

"CATONSVILLE!!!"

55. @OURTIMEISNOW2009

"Park Heights where its at"

****

2016

56. @yaboykelley4103

"the heights all up on here

57. @bigwoodie4425

"Park heights up in here"

58.@lordofdestruction8465

"o Donnell heights in the building"

59. @thegoat2975

"i been to every place she said"

60. @lormarcus9421, 2019

"The GOAT stop lying🤦🏽‍♂️"

61. @mariewest5158, 2022

"@lormarcus9421 they probably have ik i have.. baltimore isn’t really that big lmao💀"

****

2017

62. @samuelpace8730

"whitelock zone 17"

63.@edwardtucker237

"zone 6"

****

2018

64. @amirbrown9475
"Sandtown Zone 17 west side sh-t*💪💯"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

****
2019

65. @nikkibass2280
"I love my Hoods baby❤️❤️❤️"

66. @kamiahcampbell2530
"Greenmount 💚"

67. @Leeedabratt
"Cherry hill ❤️💯"

68. @_Dayy_
"Payson avenue💪🏾💯"

69. @ellleity5099
"Zone 15"

****
2020

70. @indiasatchell4391
"Preston street already"

****

2021

71. @darknminnie
"Park Heights!!"

72. @zonediac2710
"Green mount 🥵🥶🥵"

73. @DJSuPreme7
"Notice to All Out of Towners, These are the places to not visit after midnite no shade"

Reply
74. @betrapvideos, 2023
"Well she shoulda said the harbor too!!!"

75. @francisogbonna_, 2024
"@betrapvideos Fr Yo"

****

2022

****

2023

76. @lamontthomas2163
"Bro so many fights down the paradoxs ova this song…throw ur hood up 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾😂😂😂😂👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾"

77. @sureshotjeff
"Never forget where you from @all"

****

2024

78. @phenomenalwife5380
"BALTIMORE!! Stand up... Cherry 🍒 Hill let's get it baby 🎉🎉🎉"

79. @robertmosley8568
"Baltimore!! Born and raised over Bel-Air Edison!! Eastside in the house!! Love my hometown!! (410) 🔥🔥"

**
80. @410phee4
"They shouted out Catonsville, nah yo some these are just quiet spots 😂"

81. @nicholasmatthews6110, 2025

"@410phee4 right😂 i work there, a.t a bougie ass italian market"

**
82. @JosephWright-mp5io
"North n dukeland 12/20/24"

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2025

83. @sirmadbrazen45rs
"Green mount, 💚Barclay, Hardford road , north ave❤, Carswell 😢"

84. @prettypass
"Baltimore All Day ❤"

****

This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Baltimore Club Music's 1996 Song "Hey U Knuckleheads" (Part I - 2014 video, information, and lyrics)

DJ Diamond K, Aug 13, 2014

Big Ria performs "Hey You Knuckleheads" at Diamond K's birthday party in Baltimore.

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series about the Baltimore Club music record "Hey U Knuckleheads" (also given as "Hey You Knuckleheads".

This post showcases Big Ria performing "Hey U Knuckleheads" in 2014 at a birthday party for DJ Diamond K, the composer of that song that she recoded in 1996.

Information about Baltimore Club music is presented in this pancocojams post along with information about DJ Diamond K's song :Hey U Knuckleheads".

The Baltimore Club song "Hey U Knuclehead" consists of a roll call of the names of some streets and neighborhoods that are familiar to Black people living in Baltimore, Maryland.

Information about Baltimore Club music is presented in this pancocojams post along with information about DJ Diamond K's song :Hey U Knuckleheads".

This post also includes the lyrics to that Baltimore Club music song.

The Addendum to this post presents information about the military cadence "Hey You Knucklehead" that inspired thet Baltimore Club Music song with the same title. .

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/10/giving-shout-outs-to-baltimores-black.html_ for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post showcases a 2022 video of Baltimore dancer and comedian Carnell Nichols showing the world the streets that got a shout out in the now iconic 1996 Baltimore Club music song "Hey U Knuckleheads". The song track to that 1996 song is used for this 2022 video.

That pancocojams post also presents some comments about that song from the discussion thread of a 2008 YouTube sound file of DJDiamond K 7 Big Ria's record "Hey U Knuckleheads".

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners,

Thanks to Big Ria and all those who were associated with composing and recording "Hey You Knuckleheads". Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT BALTIMORE CLUB MUSIC & INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "HEY U KNUCKLEHEADS"

Source #1
From https://tjsmithmedia.com/2018/10/10/dear-baltimore-thank-you , published by TJ Smith, 10 October 2018
..."In 1996, Baltimore club legends, Diamond K and Big Ria released a song entitled, “Hey You Knuckleheads”. The song pays homage to housing projects, neighborhoods, and well known open-air drug corners. But they are also communities that many of our families grew up in. Sadly, many of these same communities have deteriorated and it’s where we see much of our crime. The artists gave the city a blueprint, through song, of areas throughout the city that have historically and disproportionately been plagued with social ills, guns, violence, and drugs. "...

****
Source #2
From https://ra.co/features/4252 A History of Baltimore Club inTen Tracks " A History Of Baltimore Club In Ten Tracks" published by Kiana Mickles, 22 Feb 2024
"Before Baltimore club music splintered into other regional East Coast genres, spawning Philly and Jersey club music, it was a local powerhouse all to itself. The early sound as pioneered by artists like Scottie B, Rod Lee and the Unruly Records label was an intoxicating blend of house music, hip-hop and electro. Baltimore club tracks usually centre around famous breakbeats like the "Think" break, staggered in an instantly recognisable pattern, but also often feature MCs, more like fleshed-out songs than pure dance tools. The genre has adapted with the times, intertwining with hip-hop in more ways than one, but its herky-jerky rhythms and commitment to songcraft—and often humour—have stayed the same.

Last year, Unruly Records put out an excellent compilation that highlights the origins of Baltimore club, which makes a great place to start. But for the real meat of the genre, I spoke to Baltimore music journalist Lawrence Burney, who guided me through ten tracks that chart the modern evolution of the style from the '90s through to 2023, from viral sensations to cutting-edge rap collaborations. The annotations for each track are his.

[…]

Big Ria - Hey You Knuckleheads

You might not really be from Baltimore like you claim to be if you don't know this song. This is a marker of validity. When I came up this was an anthem. This was playing at the cookout, at the festival and at the party. When you hear this people are going to come together—and you're especially validated when the songs call out your section. Ria's Baltimore accent is so intoxicating. She has a squeaky, nasally voice but it's still very forceful and powerful. It's a perfect song. Early club music like this feels completely different than the club music that follows it. '90s club music was very call-and-response and neighborhood-specific."...
-snip-
In American English, a "knucklehead" is an informal term for a foolish or stupid person or a person who does or says something that can be considered stupid or foolish. However, people may also affectionately refer to someone as a "knucklehead". I believe that's the way "knucklehead" was used in the United States military cadence in the military cadence with that title and in the Baltimore Club music song "Hey U Knucklehead" that was inspired by that military cadence.

Read an example of the "Knucklehead" military cadence in the Addendum to this post

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LYRICS -HEY U KNUCKLEHEADS (Baltimore Club music)

(DJ Diamond K)

Hey You Knuckle Heads

Walking Down the Avenue

A few more streets and we'll be through

Sandtown, North and P

Park Heights, R and G

Whitelock, CherryHill

North and Long and Dofield

Murphy Homes, EA

Greenmount, Barclay

Walbrook JCT

Popular Grove, and EV

Flaghouse, LT

28th, Tivoly

Alameda, Mount Street

Edmonson and Pulaski

Saratoga, Garrison

North and Dukeland

Westport, Cedonia

Parkside, Moravia

Sinclair, Wolfstreet

Middle, Chase and Biddle Street

York Rd, Preston Street

24th, Bernice street

21st, 20th

Bethel and LaFayette

North Bend, Catonsville

Warwick and Rosedale

Hey You Knuckle Heads

Walking Down the Avenue

A few more streets and we'll be through

Yeah this BigRia

Representing from ParkHeights

Ya I mean

I wanna know where all my ladies at

Let me hear ya make some noise

And if ya representing

I want ya to say

Straight like that

Are my ladies representing

Straight like that

Are my fellas representing

Straight like that

Yeah I like to give big thanks

To big house productions

In the 96 and I'm out

online source; https://genius.com/Dj-diamond-k-hey-u-knuckleheads-lyrics

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ADDENDUM- MILITARY CADENCE
The United States military cadence "Oh You Knucklehead" (or similar titles) undoubtedly inspired the 1996 Baltimore Club music track "Hey U Knuckleheads".

Here a three versions of that military cadence:
(with numbers given for referencing purposes only)

1.Here's a 1964 version of that military cadence:
From https://www.facebook.com/groups/1102549541173343/posts/1230800698348226/

Never Forgotten Fort Ord, California ·

Don Wilkison
August 14, 2024

"Remember this one from marching in Basic?

"Oh you knucklehead,

Marching down the avenue,

Two more weeks and you'll be through,

Yur left-Yur left,

Yur left-right-left!"

Don, Ft. Ord BCT A-1-1, 1964"

****
2. Here's another version of that military cadence:

From https://www.military-quotes.com/forums/threads/knucklehead.92956/ submitted by CdtCplMarshie, Oct 25, 2011

"Heeeeey you knuckleheads

Heeeeey you knucklheads

You dumb dumb knuckleheads

You craaazy knuckleheads

Marching down this avenue

more miles then we're through

I'm so happy how 'bout you

Are weee going strong? We're strong

Am I right or wrong? Your right

Sound Off. 1 2

Round Off. 3 4

Turn them all around and bring them on the down then, 4 3 2 1, 4 3 2 1!"

**
3. Here's a third version of that military cadence and I'm sure there were (are?) many more

"HEY YOU KNUCKLEHEADS

Hey you knuckleheads,
(reply: Hey you knuckleheads)
You dumb dumb knuckleheads,
(reply: You dumb dumb knuckleheads)
You crazy knuckleheads
(reply: You crazy knuckleheads)
Marching down this avenue
(reply: Marching down this avenue)
...(number, starting with ten) more miles and we'll be through
(reply:... more miles and we'll be through)
Are we going strong?
(reply: we're strong)
Am I right or wrong?
(reply: You're right)
Sound off
(reply: One, two)
Round off
(reply: Three, four)
Turn em all around and bring em back down now
(reply: 4,3,2,1 4,3,2,1)

Keep repeating that, changing the number of miles each time, going down from ten to zero =)

Hope that helps! xxx"
-GUEST, ILUVCOSFORD, 10 May 09, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10803&messages=150&page=1&desc=yes Cadence or Marching Songs

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Friday, June 13, 2025

Sly and the Family Stone Performing "Stand" & Five Of Their Other Hit Funk Songs From The Late 1960s & The Early 1980s

The Midnight Special, Dec 1, 2024

August 9, 1974

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases five YouTube videos of Sly & The Family Stone performing six of their hit songs (presented in no particular order: "Stand";

Information about Sly & The Family Stone is also included in this post.

The content of this pancocojams post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sly & The Family Stones for the musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

Rest in Peace, Sly Stone.

Also, Rest in Peace Brian Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025), musician, songwriter, & singer who founded the Rock/Pop group The Beach Boys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson

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INFORMATION ABOUT SLY and THE FAMILY STONE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sly_Stone
"Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development of psychedelic soul and funk with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel in the 1960s and 1970s. AllMusic stated that "James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it," and credited him with "creating a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds".[3] Crawdaddy! has credited him as the founder of the "progressive soul" movement.[4]"...

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sly_and_the_Family_Stone
"Sly and the Family Stone was an American funk rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. They are considered to be pivotal in the development of funk, soul, R&B, rock, and psychedelic music. Their core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's brother and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, sister and singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Greg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham. The band was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup.[2]

Formed in 1966, the group's music synthesized a variety of disparate musical genres to help pioneer the emerging "psychedelic soul" sound.[1][4] They released a series of Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits such as "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Everyday People" (1968), and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), as well as critically acclaimed albums such as Stand! (1969), which combined pop sensibility with social commentary.[5] In the 1970s, it transitioned into a darker and less commercial funk sound on releases such as There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and Fresh (1973), proving as influential as their early work.[2] By 1975, drug problems and interpersonal clashes led to dissolution,[6] though Sly continued to record and tour with a new rotating lineup under the name "Sly and the Family Stone" until drug problems forced his effective retirement in 1987.[7]

The work of Sly and the Family Stone influenced the sound of subsequent American funk, pop, soul, R&B, and hip hop music. Music critic Joel Selvin wrote, "there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone".[8] In 2010, they were ranked 43rd in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time,[9] and three of their albums are included on the most recent version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993."..

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These YouTube videos are presented in no particular order.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #1
This video is given at the top of this post.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Sly And The Family Stone "I Want To Take You Higher" on The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show, Nov 14, 2021

Sly And The Family Stone "I Want To Take You Higher" on The Ed Sullivan Show,
December 29, 1968.
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Want_to_Take_You_Higher
"I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their top 30 hit "Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the Stand! album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; instead, it is simply dedicated to music and the feeling one gets from music. Like nearly all of Sly & the Family Stone's songs, Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart was credited as the sole songwriter.[3]

Composition

[…]

Chart performance

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - NEW * Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) {4K-Stereo} 1969

Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine, Feb 3, 2023

"Rest In Peace, Sly.

1969-70......#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 U.S. Billboard Soul

Original video edited and AI remastered with HQ stereo sound.

"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" is a 1969 song recorded by Sly and the Family Stone. The song, released as a double A-side single with "Everybody Is a Star", reached number one on the soul single charts for five weeks, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 19 song of 1970.

The title is an intentional mondegreen or sensational spelling for "thank you for letting me be myself again." The third verse contains specific references to the group's previous successful songs, "Dance to the Music", "Everyday People", "Sing a Simple Song", and "You Can Make It If You Try". The song features co-lead vocals from Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Greg Errico and Larry Graham. On this song, Graham was widely credited with introducing the slap technique on the electric bass, which is heard prominently throughout the track.

"Thank You" was intended to be included on an in-progress album with "Star" and "Hot Fun in the Summertime"; but the LP was never completed, and the three tracks were instead included on the band's 1970 Greatest Hits LP. "Thank You" and "Star", the final Family Stone recordings issued in the 1960s, marked the beginning of a 20-month gap of releases from the band, which would finally end with the release of "Family Affair" in 1971.

The song's length on the original hit single and the Greatest Hits LP is 4:48 and was re-channeled to simulate stereo on the popular Greatest Hits LP. The previously unreleased full-length version (6:18) was mixed by Bob Irwin in true stereo and its only issue was on a 1990 Columbia promotional CD Legacy: Music for the Next Generation. On the subsequent (and available as of 2015) The Essential Sly & The Family Stone 2-CD set, the track is in stereo but is the standard 4:48 length hit version.

The song was ranked number 410 on Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Janet Jackson's 1989 signature song "Rhythm Nation" is based on a guitar sample from the song.

The song was followed by a re-working on the closing track, "Thank You for Talkin' to Me, Africa", from the group's subsequent 1971 album, There's A Riot Goin' On."

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4 - Sly & The Family Stone "Everyday People & Dance To The Music" on The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show Feb 16, 2021

#EdSullivan #Sly #SlyTheFamilyStone

Sly & The Family Stone "Everyday People & Dance To The Music" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 29, 1968

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Sly And The Family Stone's 1968 Hit Song "I Want To Take You Higher" And Its "Boom Shakalaka" or "Boom Laka Laka" Lyrics

Music

Titles

Lyrics

Monday, October 27, 2025

Giving Shout Outs To Baltimore's Black Neighborhoods Named In The 1996 Baltimore Club Music Track "Hey U Knuckleheads" (video & comments)

Baltimore Club Music's 1996 Song "Hey U Knuckleheads" (Part I - 2014 video, information, and lyrics)

Friday, June 13, 2025

Sly and the Family Stone Performing "Stand" & Five Of Their Other Hit Funk Songs From The Late 1960s & The Early 1980s