"Stand!" is a 1969 song by the

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

/ rock/ funk band

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...

Issued as a single that year by Epic Records, it reached number 22 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100 and number 14 on the Hot Soul Songs charts.

Overview

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 A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

. 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 San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

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 "I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/ rock/ funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their Top 30 hit " Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the '' Stand!'' album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; i ...

", the b-side of "Stand!", was also a hit single in 1969/1970. In 2004 the song was ranked #241 on

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

's list of the

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 ...

Personnel

* Lead Vocals by

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the ...

* Background Vocals by Rose Stone, Freddie Stone,

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 singl ...

, and Little Sister ( Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) *

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

by Rose Stone *

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

by Freddie Stone *

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

by Greg Errico * Horns by Jerry Martini (

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

) and Cynthia Robinson (

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...

) * Additional instrumentation by

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

studio musicians * Written and produced by

Cover versions

*In 1971,

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...

covered the song on ''

Electronic Magnetism Electronic may refer to: * Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

'' *

Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to: * Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player * Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer * Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist * Lonnie Liston Smith (born 1940), American jaz ...

included a instrumental version on his 1971 album ''

Mama Wailer ''Mama Wailer'' is an album by American jazz organist Lonnie Smith recorded in 1971 and released on the Kudu label.

''. *

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...

covered the song on their debut album, ''

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 ''Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5'' is the debut studio album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band the Jackson 5, released on the Motown label on December 12, 1969. The Jackson 5's lead singer, a preteenage boy named Michael (who late ...

'', 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 Sounds of Blackness is a vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B and Hot Da ...

included a version of "Stand!" on their debut album, ''

The Evolution of Gospel ''The Evolution of Gospel'' is the debut studio album by Sounds of Blackness, released May 7, 1991, on A&M Records. In 1992, the album received the Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awa ...

''. *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 Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended Jam session#Rock, jams, blending of Music genre, genres, and a dedicated Fandom, fan base. The band consists of guitari ...

covered the song in concert on June 13, 1997, at

SFX Hall SFX Hall, sometimes referred to as SFX Theatre or The SFX, was a theatre located on Upper Sherrard Street, in Dublin, Ireland. The venue was named after the St Francis Xavier Hall and constructed in 1957, although a theater had been located on ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stand! (Song) 1969 singles Sly and the Family Stone songs Song recordings produced by Sly Stone Songs written by Sly Stone 1969 songs Epic Records singles