“Everyday People” – Single by Sly and the Family Stone from the album Stand!
B-side: “Sing a Simple Song”
Released: November 1968
Label: Epic
Songwriter: Sly Stone
Producer: Sly Stone
Charted No.5 in US, No. 36 in UK
The song is one of Sly Stone’s pleas for peace and equality between differing races and social groups, a major theme and focus for the band. The Family Stone featured white members Greg Errico and Jerry Martini in its lineup, as well as females Rose Stone and Cynthia Robinson; making it an early major integrated band in rock history. Sly and the Family Stone’s message was about peace and equality through music, and this song reflects the same.
Unlike the band’s more typically funky and psychedelic records, “Everyday People” is a mid-tempo number with a more mainstream pop feel. Sly, singing the main verses for the song, explains that he is “no better / and neither are you / we are the same / whatever we do.”
