"I Want To Take You Higher" just may be the Big Bang of Funk-Rock.
It drove half-a-million people to their feet in dancing ecstasy at Woodstock, and helped turn Funk music into the soundtrack of the '70s. From HipHop to Mixology, from Manchester to Iran to Japan, it continues to lift the world.
"I Want To Take You Higher/ Stand" 45rpm
Sly actually did it before and after he did it.
The central chant has been a work in progress across records and time. The trial run was an album track called "Higher" in 1968, and again on another epic track called "Dance To The Medley". (The Psychedelic Soul of the latter is virtually the template for Funkadelic.)
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE -"Higher" (1968)
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE -"Dance To The Medley" (1968) ("Higher" comes in at 7:45)
Those joyful Gospel choral chants of "Higher" finally reached fruition when the ultimate song "I Want To Take You Higher" ascended in 1969 on the essential album, STAND.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE -"I Want To Take You Higher" (studio version, 1969)
The roaring live performance of the song galvanized the Woodstock nation, and Sly And The Family Stone are still considered one of the crucial highlights of the Festival and the Documentary film.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE -"I Want To Take You Higher" (live at Woodstock, 1969)
Later he did the wry rewrite "I Get High On You" in 1975, and a playful bounce of it as "High, Y'all" in 1983.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE -"I Get High On You" (1975)
As the Music Player above reveals, the song became an instant classic and was either covered by everyone or referenced lyrically for years to come. The core of it is the "Higher!" chant. It summed up the utopian hopes of the progressive counterculture generation, while also winking about getting high.
If it wasn't being covered by Brian Auger, Tina Turner, or Googoosh (Iran), then the "Higher" chant was popping up in originals from The Temptations, The Chambers Brothers, War, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and beyond.
It gets a shout-out in the rapidfire pop history novelty "Life Is A Rock", gets quoted on the trail-out of "Play That Funky Music", and may be referenced sideways in Paul McCartney's banned single "Hi Hi Hi".
Into the '80s and '90s, it rises up in Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines", an unreleased song with the same name by Roger Taylor (Queen), a Curtis Mayfield homage by Lenny Kravitz, a Madchester trip-out by raving Moonflowers, a namecheck by Public Enemy, a pot anthem by Cypress Hill, and an electro resurge from Future Funk.
"I Want to Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965-1969",
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Museum (1997)
B O O M
S H A C K A
L A C K A
L A C K A
B O O M
As also heard on the Music Player, another key ingredient of the song that keeps coming back up is the lyric "Boom shacka lacka lacka, boom shacka lacka lacka, boom shacka lacka lacka boom". Everybody uses it, even if by now they don't know where it came from.
This chant has become a classic Reggae song, a Reggae band, and a Reggae magazine.
It jumps up in HipHop songs like "Whoomp! There It is!" and Pop hits like Was (Not Was)' "Walk The Dinosaur" and Brianna's "Boom Shaka Laka".
It's become slang in Basketball and in HipHop.
It's even been the name of a Bollywood film and an Indian fantasy TV series for kids!
ROCK Sex shows how a great song keeps its kick while taking on the flavors of each new artist.
Here's the Funk classic "Use Me" as an example.
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Bill Withers is one of those people whose songs are so cool they always come back around: "Lean On Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lovely Day", and "Two Of Us".
But besides perennial ballads, Bill could kick out some lean mean Funk with songs like "Who Is He And What Is He To You?", "The Same Thing That Made Me Laugh", and this stone classic.
BILL WITHERS -"Use Me" (1972)
Fred Wesley was the secret architect propelling The JB's behind James Brown, and the Horny Horns for Parliament/Funkadelic. This guy can say more with his saxophone than a hive of telemarketers.
FRED WESLEY -"Use Me" (1972)
Surprisingly, one of the first versions was by LIZA MINELLI, cruising on the heavy cred of the film CABARET, and she puts it to great use.
LIZA MINELLI -"Use Me" (1973)
Here's Jazz singer Kimiko Kasai finding it user-friendly.
KIMIKO KASAI -"Use Me" (1975)
As is her wont, Grace Jones upends everything over a slinky Reggae groove from Sly & Robbie.
GRACE JONES -"Use Me" (1981)
Mick Jagger did an inspired version of it with Lenny Kravitz, joined by his old friend and everyone's MVP, Billy Preston, on the funky clavinet.
MICK JAGGER And LENNY KRAVITZ -"Use Me" (19893)
Aaron Neville makes a fresh cruise with the groove in this moody video that lets us enjoy New Orleans before it got Bush-whacked. I like how he sings how his brother tried to talk sense into him and then you hear his actual brother Cyril ad-libbing along.
AARON NEVILLE -"Use Me" (1995)
D'ANGELO was another heir apparent to '70s Soul in the 1990s (along with Lenny Kravitz, Terence Trent D'Arby, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Dionne Farris). Here he is on a great musicians jam show with an alarmingly stellar backup band.
D'ANGELO + Friends -"Use Me" (live, 1998)
Fiona Apple has said she only listens to Classical and The Beatles, but clearly she's heard more than enough to shake her thang here.
FIONA APPLE -"Use Me" (live, 200?)
Ida Sand finds some new angles for Jazz, Blues, and Soul in hers.
IDA SAND -"Use Me" (2007)
From left field, Pete Yorn and the band Kinky (Mexico) make fine usage of Pyschedelia and Electronica.
PETE YORN And KINKY -"Use Me" (2008)
"Yeah, I want to spread the news
That if it feels this good getting used
You can keep on using me till you use me up!"
The running connection this time is a song title; "Don't Bring Me Down", or variations thereof.
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Who wants to be brought down? Nobody, so we all like a good defiance or uplift song on that score. Here's decades of both.
JOHNNIE DEE did an R'n'B song (which sadly I don't have a link for) that was covered by proto-garage band THE PRETTY THINGS and became a Top 10 hit in the UK.
THE PRETTY THINGS -"Don't Bring Me Down" (1964)
At the same time, THE ANIMALS asked hit-writing duo Gerry Goffin and Carole King for a song and they came up with this eternal.
THE ANIMALS -"Don't Bring Me Down" (1964)
On their first album, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE did a song called "Bringing Me Down".
Later John Lennon and THE BEATLES turned the warning to a hearfelt request.
THE BEATLES, with Billy Preston -"Don't Let Me Down" (1969)
Of a similar mind, NEIL YOUNG turned the sentiment to solace.
NEIL YOUNG -"Don't Let It Bring You Down" (live, 1971)
"Liberation for all. Everything must be rethought." ______________
Two great things hybrid a third great thing. ROCK SEX is a metaphor for the creative connections that link our shared culture together. This Pop Culture hub explores the roots and branches of Music, Film, Art, Comics, and more. _______________
Rock'n'Soul music is a baton relayed by everyone. Learn the holistic history with the most advanced Music Playlists online!:
BLUES, MAMBO, JAZZ, ROCKABILLY, SURF, BEAT, SOUL, GARAGE, PSYCHEDELIA, FUNK, GLAM, PUNK, NEW WAVE, HIPHOP, POSTPUNK, GRUNGE, RIOT GRRRL, ELECTRO, next! _______________
This is our party and everyone is invited!
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