Everybody Is a Star
| "Everybody Is a Star" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sly & the Family Stone | ||||
| from the album Greatest Hits | ||||
| A-side | "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" | |||
| Released | December 1969 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic soul | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label |
Epic 5-10555 | |||
| Writer(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Producer(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Sly & the Family Stone singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Everybody Is a Star", released in December 1969, is a 1970 hit single recorded by Sly & the Family Stone. The song, double a-sided with "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970 and was the final classic-era Family Stone recording. "Star" was intended to be included on an in-progress album with "Thank You" and "Hot Fun in the Summertime"; the LP was never completed, and the three tracks were instead included on the band's 1970 Greatest Hits LP. "Thank You" and "Star", the final Family Stone recordings issued in the 1960s, marked the beginning of a 20-month gap of releases from the band, which would finally end with the release of "Family Affair" in 1971.
Sly, his siblings Freddie Stone and Rose Stone, and Larry Graham trade bars for the lead vocal, delivering Sly's assurance that every person is special in their own way. The song with which "Star" originally shared a 7" single, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", marks the beginning of the Family Stone's second era, during which the music would take on a darker, more funk-based feel.
The song has been covered by several acts, including The Jackson 5, Madonna, Fishbone with Gwen Stefani and Family Stone member Rose Stone, and others. The Roots sampled the song for their 2004 single "Star", from their LP The Tipping Point. This version of the song, featuring Roots MC Black Thought commenting on how people attempt to earn fame in the wrong way, was also included on a Family Stone tribute/covers album, Different Strokes by Different Folks, released in July 2005. In 1977, the cast performed the song on an episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham
- Background vocals by Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham
- Piano by Rose Stone
- Guitar by Freddie Stone
- Bass by Larry Graham
- Drums by Greg Errico
- Horns by Jerry Martini (tenor saxophone) and Cynthia Robinson (trumpet)
- Written and produced by Sly Stone
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1970 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1970 (U.S.)
| Preceded by "Venus" by Shocking Blue |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single February 14, 1970 |
Succeeded by "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel |