Stand! (song)

For similarly named songs, see Stand (song).

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1969 single by Sly and the Family Stone

"Stand!"

Side A of the US single

Single by Sly and the Family Stone
from the album  Stand!
B-side| "I Want to Take You Higher"
Released| March 1969
Recorded| February 27, 1969[1]
Genre| Psychedelic soul, funk
Length| 3:08
Label| Epic
Songwriter(s)| Sly Stone
Producer(s)| Sly Stone
Sly and the Family Stone singles chronology
| "Everyday People" / "Sing a Simple Song"
(1968)  | "Stand!" / "I Want to Take You Higher"
(1969)  | "Hot Fun in the Summertime"
(1969)

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Music video
"Stand!" (audio) on YouTube
Audio sample

"Stand!"

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"Stand!" is a 1969 song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone Issued as a single that year by Epic Records, it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Hot Soul Songs charts.[2][3][4]

## Overview

[edit]

The song's title and lyrics are a call for its listeners to "stand" up for themselves, their communities, and what they believe in. Like nearly all of Sly & the Family Stone's songs, Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart was credited as the sole songwriter.

The original mix of "Stand!" garnered a warm, yet unenthusiastic, reaction when Sly Stone had an early acetate of the record played in a San Francisco club. As a result, Stone went back into the studio and had the song's final section, a fevered gospel music-styled break, rerecorded. Most of the Family Stone was unavailable for the session, and Stone resorted to using mostly studio musicians for the rerecorded section.

"I Want to Take You Higher", the b-side of "Stand!", was also a hit single in 1969/1970.

In 2004 the song was ranked #241 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5]

## Personnel

[edit]

* Sly Stone – vocals, organ
* Rose Stone – vocals, piano
* Freddie Stone – vocals, guitar
* Larry Graham – vocals, bass guitar
* Greg Errico – drums
* Cynthia Robinson – trumpet
* Jerry Martini – saxophone
* Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) – background vocals

## Cover versions

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* In 1971, Solomon Burke covered the song on Electronic Magnetism
* Lonnie Smith included a instrumental version on his 1971 album Mama Wailer.
* The Jackson 5 covered the song on their debut album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, with it also being the opening song from their first and second tours. It was later released on Goin' Back to Indiana
* Liquid Jesus recorded the song for the film Pump Up the Volume.
* In 1991, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul-based ensemble Sounds of Blackness included a version of "Stand!" on their debut album, The Evolution of Gospel.
* In 1995, Pedro Aznar recorded a Spanish version of the song on his album David y Goliath.
* In 1997, Christian rock band Geoff Moore & The Distance covered the song as a hidden track on their "Threads" album.
* Kathy Troccoli has also released a cover of the song on her album "K.T.'s Groovy Medleys"
* Tony! Toni Tone! released a cover on the CD Panther released in 1995.
* Phish covered the song in concert on June 13, 1997, at SFX Hall in Dublin.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Sly And The Family Stone* – Higher! - Liner Notes". Discogs. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
2. ^ Sly & The Family Stone: Stand!. Epic Records. 1969.
3. ^ "Stand!: Sly & The Family Stone (Hot 100)". billboard.com. Billboard.
4. ^ "Stand!: Sly & The Family Stone (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
5. ^ "Sly and the Family Stone, 'Stand!'". rollingstone.com. 11 December 2003.
6. ^ "Jun 13, 1997 Setlist - Phish.net". phish.net. Retrieved 2020-01-29.

* v
* t
* e

Sly and the Family Stone

* Sly Stone
* Freddie Stone
* Rose Stone
* Cynthia Robinson
* Greg Errico
* Jerry Martini
* Larry Graham

* Vet Stone
* Rustee Allen
* Pat Rizzo
* Andy Newmark
* Bill Lordan

Studio albums|

* A Whole New Thing (1967)
* Dance to the Music (1968)
* Life (1968)
* Stand! (1969)
* There's a Riot Goin' On (1971)
* Fresh (1973)
* Small Talk (1974)
* Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back (1976)
* Back on the Right Track (1979)
* Ain't But the One Way (1982)

Live albums|

* The Woodstock Experience (2009)
* Live at the Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968 (2015)
* The First Family - Live at the Winchester Cathedral 1967 (2025)

Compilations|

* Greatest Hits (1970)
* Different Strokes by Different Folks (2005)

Singles|

* "Dance to the Music"
* "Life"
* "Everyday People"
* "Stand!"
* "I Want to Take You Higher"
* "Hot Fun in the Summertime"
* "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
* "Everybody Is a Star"
* "Family Affair"
* "Runnin' Away"
* "(You Caught Me) Smilin'"
* "If You Want Me to Stay"
* "Frisky"
* "Time for Livin'"
* "Loose Booty"
* "Remember Who You Are"

Other songs|

* "M'Lady"
* "Somebody's Watching You"
* "Sing a Simple Song"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Sly Stone solo discography
* Little Sister
* Coming Back for More
* On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone
* Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
* Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (book)

* Category

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