"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" is a 1969 song recorded by Sly and the Family Stone. The song, released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single with "

Everybody Is a Star "Everybody Is a Star", released in December 1969, is song written by Sylvester Stewart and recorded by Sly and the Family Stone. The song, released as the B-side to the band's 1970 single "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", reached number o ...

", reached number one on the soul single charts for five weeks, and reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 1970. ''Billboard'' ranked the record as the No. 19 song of 1970. The title is an intentional

mondegreen A mondegreen () is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes w ...

or sensational spelling for "thank you for letting me be myself again." The third verse contains specific references to the group's previous successful songs, " Dance to the Music", " Everyday People", " Sing a Simple Song", and "

You Can Make It If You Try "You Can Make It If You Try" is a song written by Ted Jarrett and recorded by Gene Allison in 1957. In 1958, Allison's recording peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. R&B singles chart, and at No. 36 or at No. 37 (sources differ) on the U.S. pop singles ...

". The song features co-lead vocals from Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Greg Errico and

Larry Graham Larry Graham Jr. (born August 14, 1946) is an American bassist and baritone singer, both with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. In 1980, he released the single "O ...

. On this song, Graham was widely credited with introducing the

slap Slap or slapping may refer to: * Slapping (strike), a method of striking with the palm of the hand * Slapping (music), a musical technique used with stringed instruments * Slap tonguing, a musical technique used on wind instruments * ''Slap'' ...

technique on the electric bass, which is heard prominently throughout the track. "Thank You" was intended to be included on an in-progress album with "Star" and " Hot Fun in the Summertime"; but 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. The song's length on the original hit single and the ''Greatest Hits'' LP is 4:48 and was re-channeled to simulate stereo on the popular ''Greatest Hits'' LP. The previously unreleased full-length version (6:18) was mixed by Bob Irwin in true stereo and its only issue was on a 1990 Columbia promotional CD ''Legacy: Music for the Next Generation''. On the subsequent (and available as of 2015) ''The Essential Sly & The Family Stone'' 2-CD set, the track is in stereo but is the standard 4:48 length hit version. The song was ranked number 410 on '' Rolling Stone'' magazine's "

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

's 1989 signature song " Rhythm Nation" is based on a guitar sample from the song. The song was followed by a re-working on the closing track, "Thank You for Talkin' to Me, Africa", from the group's subsequent 1971 album, ''

There's A Riot Goin' On ''There's a Riot Goin' On'' (sometimes referred to as ''Riot'') is the fifth studio album by American funk and soul band Sly and the Family Stone. It was recorded from 1970 to 1971 at Record Plant Studios in Sausalito, California and released lat ...

''.

Personnel

* Sly Stone – co-lead vocals, guitar, writer, producer * Rose Stone – co-lead vocals * Jerry Martini – tenor saxophone and co-lead vocals * Cynthia Robinson – trumpet and co-lead vocals * Freddie Stone – guitar, co-lead vocals *

– bass, co-lead vocals * Greg Errico – drums and co-lead vocals

References

{{Authority control 1969 singles 1970 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Funk songs Sly and the Family Stone songs Song recordings produced by Sly Stone Songs written by Sly Stone 1969 songs Epic Records singles

Personnel

See also

References