The Funk Hit That Changed The Sound Of Pop Music

The world is chock-full of everyday people, but there can only ever be one Sly Stone. His ability to combine and synthesize a wide variety of genres made him a pioneer across the musical landscape, including funk, R&B, psychedelic rock, and even pop music. That convergence of style and substance is encapsulated perfectly on his 1970 single, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," a song from 1970 that sounds even cooler today.

The track was released as a double-sided single along with "Everybody Is a Star" in January of 1970. The song's timbre was defined by one of the greatest self-taught bassists of all time, Larry Graham, whose "thumpin' and pluckin'" style is now commonly known as "slap-bass." The song's nearly five-minute groove is built around Graham's plucky basso continuo, providing a steady backbone for the flashy horns and uproarious group vocals.

In a 2007 interview with Bass Player, Graham described how he created such a percussive bass rhythm in tandem with the Family Stone's drummer, Greg Errico. "Greg had a drumming style that really complemented what I was doing," Graham said. "Greg plays on the money; he doesn't rush or lag ... 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)' had to be on the money because the bass line sets the pattern, and lot of stuff was built on it."

"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" was a massive hit in 1970 that introduced Larry Graham's technique to the masses. It spent five weeks as No. 1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart (now the R&B/Hip-Hop chart) and two weeks as No. 1 on the Hot 100. On their year-end compilation, Billboard placed it at No. 19 on its Top Records list of 1970. The track was never included on any of Sly & the Family Stone's classic, funk-defining albums, but it was released on the band's 1970 "Greatest Hits" record.

Over time, the track's most iconic elements seeped into the work of other artists. In 1980, the band Magazine recorded a cover for their album, "Play," and in 1989, Janet Jackson and her producer Jimmy Jam sampled the song for the title track of her album, "Rhythm Nation 1814." In 2017, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in the world of bass playing, Graham's slap bass technique has become a widely adopted playing style. "I always took the fact that they were imitating my playing style as a compliment," Graham said in his interview with Bass Player. "It means the most to know that I was able to contribute something to the world of music that is ongoing and will probably be around forever."