| "Dance to the Music" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single bySly and the Family Stone | ||||
| from the albumDance to the Music | ||||
| B-side | "Let Me Hear It From You" | |||
| Released | 17 November 1967[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Epic 5-10256 EMI Columbia DB 8369 (March 1968 UK release) Direction 58-3568 (June 1968 UK reissue) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Producer(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Sly and the Family Stone singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Dance to the Music" (audio) onYouTube | ||||
"Dance to the Music" is a 1967 hit single bysoul/funk/rock bandSly and the Family Stone for theEpic/CBS Records label. It was the first single by the band to reach theBillboardPop SinglesTop 10, peaking at #8 and the first to popularize the band's sound, which would be emulated throughout the black music industry and dubbed "psychedelic soul".[2] It was later ranked #223 onRolling Stone's list of the500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Dance to the Music" by Sly and the Family Stone was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.[6]
None of the band members particularly liked "Dance to the Music" when it was first recorded and released. The song, and the accompanyingDance to the Music LP, were made at the insistence of CBS Records executiveClive Davis, who wanted something more commercially viable than the band's 1967 LP,A Whole New Thing. BandleaderSly Stone crafted a formula, blending the band's distinctpsychedelic rock leanings with a morepop-friendly sound. The result was whatsaxophonistJerry Martini called "glorifiedMotown beats. 'Dance to the Music' was such an unhip thing for us to do."[7]
However, "Dance to the Music" did what it was supposed to do: it launched Sly and the Family Stone into the pop consciousness. Even toned down for pop audiences, the band's radical sound caught many music fans and fellow recording artists completely off guard. "Dance to the Music" featuredfour co-lead singers,black musicians andwhite musicians in the same band, and a distinct blend of instrumental sounds:rockguitar riffs from Sly's brotherFreddie Stone, a funkbassline fromLarry Graham,Greg Errico'ssyncopateddrum track, Sly'sgospel-styledorgan playing, and Jerry Martini andCynthia Robinson on thehorns.
An unabashedparty record, "Dance to the Music" opens with Robinson screaming to the audience, demanding that they "get on up...and dance to the music!" before the Stone brothers and Graham break into ana cappellascat before the song's verses begin. The actual lyrics of the song are sparse and self-referential. The song serves as a Family Stonetheme song of sorts, introducing Errico, Robinson, and Martini by name. After calling on Robinson and Martini for their solo, Sly tells the audience that "Cynthia an' Jerry got a message that says...", which Robinson finishes: "All thesquares go home!"[8][9] The Stone Brothers and Graham repeat the a cappella portion before the refrain of the repeated title is mentioned over and over with the sound of the instruments dropping out, except for the electric guitar, being played in the upper register, before the song's fade.
The song mentions the line: "Ride, Sally, Ride", a lyric from theWilson Pickett hit song "Mustang Sally" (1966).
"Dance to the Music" was one of the most influential songs of the late-1960s. The Sly and the Family Stone sound became the dominating sound in African-American pop music for the next three years, and many established artists, such asThe Temptations and their producerNorman Whitfield,Diana Ross & the Supremes,The Impressions,The Four Tops,The 5th Dimension, andWar began turning out Family Stone-esque material. The Temptations' single "Cloud Nine" was inspired by "Dance to the Music" and was a top ten hit, winning aGrammy Award. "Dance to the Music" and the later Family Stone singles also helped lead to the development offunk music.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums | |
| Compilations |
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| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
