Welcome to the latest iteration of my Golden Nuggets series, where I take a look at the top single on the Billboard charts in the US from 50 years ago, and share my thoughts. I'm back to my lazy self again, as this post is about two weeks late, but hey, stuff happens. Anyway, this time I'll be looking at the hit single by Sly & The Family Stone, 'Thank You (Falletinme be Mice Elf Agin)'. If you're unfamiliar with the song or need a refresher, you can check it out here. Now let's dive in.
Sly & The Family Stone really pioneered the psychedelic soul and funk sounds, along with groups like Parliament/ Funkadelic and the Temptations, who I actually covered earlier in this series. However, where their hit songs were very much a cross over and a lot safer than their deep cuts a lot of the time, 'Thank You' is no such song. This song is 100% pure uncut funk with an undeniable groove, percussive guitar licks, and fat slap bass. When you look at the songs that surround it on the charts or even the number ones from the same period, it's hard to see how this song did as well as it did. I feel like the furthest the American public went down the African American music rabbit hole was stuff like Motown, which was still really geared towards a pretty safe AM radio audience, and then here comes Sly Stone and crew.
It actually took me a while to even understand the words in the parentheses, but if you speak it aloud it makes perfecrt sense. Strangely enough, this is the same way I'm finding myself reading Finnegans Wake. Anyway, all digressions aside, this song is awesome, and now that the Jackson Family Estate purchased the Sly & The Family Stone catalog, I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more of this song aand others from their discography soon in commercials in media. After all the problems Sly Stone has had with money, drugs and the law, it's about time he and his bandmates see some capital and recognition for their great muscial contributions (they haven't seen money from their recordings in decades due to contract problems, among other things).
All in all, a great song, but a little baffling how it became so popular with the American listening public of early 1970, given what other stuff was on the charts at the time. Maybe I underestimated the couple generations prior and their taste in music. (Coughs) If only I didn't have to live with their political choices (Coughs). Before rocking the boat too much, it's my time to head out. I'll be back soon for the next installment of the Golden Nuggets, which is a song that makes me tear up like a punk pretty much everytime I hear it, and cannot believe people wanted to cry to this song on the radio for 6 straight weeks at number one, 'Bridge over Troubled Water', by Simon & Garfunkel.
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