Sly & The Family Stone | "Family Affair"

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From 1971's classic There's a Riot Goin' On. #1 on the Hot 100 and Soul Singles chart.

Ranked #138 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. #55 on Pitchfork's 200 Greatest Songs of the 1970's:

A mother and her two grown children—one is highly favored; the other, not so much. A newlywed with a wandering eye, willing to risk a marriage for a fling. So much happens on the three-minute “Family Affair,” the lead single from Sly & the Family Stone’s 1971 album There’s a Riot Goin’ On, and it’s a miracle the song came out at all. The band’s previous work was decidedly upbeat, rooted in bright funk and rock-infused soul. Yet by the early 1970s, the group was in turmoil: longtime members had left, and Sly had isolated himself from bandmates.

So Sly composed most of Riot on his own, including “Family Affair,” a stripped-down track with a drum machine and light electric keys. Vocally, Sly opts for a grumbling, conversational cadence that adds a certain intimacy. The result is a song that feels like a personal conversation about life’s ups and downs. “Family Affair” turned out to be Sly’s last No. 1. pop single; he’d release other great songs, but never again would he sound so direct, so strained. –Marcus J. Moore

Love this. My favorite by them.