Song · Sly and the Family Stone
“Family Affair” by Sly and the Family Stone
From the album There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
“Family Affair” by Sly and the Family Stone appears on 5 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1971 on the album There’s a Riot Goin’ On. Its best result is #128 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,844 indie & aaa song of all time and #127 of the '70s.
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Video from YouTube (SlyATFamilyStoneVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Family Affair" brought Sly and the Family Stone back after nearly two years without new music, the first fresh material since the double A-side of "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "Everybody Is a Star". Sly Stone wrote it alone, words and music, and produced it himself; it sits on There's a Riot Goin' On from 1971 and went out as a single on Epic. Even the title winks at the band's own name.
It went all the way to number one on the pop chart, the band's third and final trip to the top, and it has held its ground since: Rolling Stone ranked it 57th on its 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 529 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2007 | 754 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2020 | 1345 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2022 | 128 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2026 | 801 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
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