Overview
Released on November 6, 1971, "Family Affair" was markedly different from the earlier Sly & the Family Stone hits. "Family Affair" is a somber, Hohner Pianet 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, sounding off rhythm and off key. Sly's screams is a variation of a child crying.
"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' On was 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.
Read more about this topic: Family Affair (Sly And The Family Stone Song)