← Back

Life

by Sly And The Family Stone

Released: September 15, 1968

Psychedelic funk, psychedelic soul

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Breakthrough.

The Album

"Life" is the third studio album by the funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in September 1968 on Epic/CBS Records. The album serves as a middle ground between the fiery A Whole New Thing and the more commercial Dance to the Music, featuring minimal studio effects and being more driven by frontman Sly Stone's compositions. Many of its songs, including "M'Lady", "Fun", "Love City", and the title track, became popular staples in the Family Stone's live show.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

Topics for the album's songs include the dating…

Topics for the album's songs include the dating scene ("Dynamite!", "Chicken", "M'Lady"), groupies ("Jane is a Groupee"), and "plastic" (or "fake") people (the Beatlesque "Plastic Jim", which references "Eleanor Rigby" in its chorus).

In the United Kingdom, the album was titled…

In the United Kingdom, the album was titled M'Lady.

Notably, the Family Stone's main themes of unity…

Notably, the Family Stone's main themes of unity and integration are explored in several songs ("Fun", "Harmony", "Life", and "Love City").

The subsequent Family Stone LP, Stand!, would focus…

The subsequent Family Stone LP, Stand!, would focus almost exclusively on these themes.

Much of Life has been heavily sampled for…

Much of Life has been heavily sampled for hip hop and electronica recordings, particularly Gregg Errico's drum solo on "Love City".

Start listening here

Essential Tracks

Dynamite!

Chicken

Plastic Jim

Fun

"Life" is the third studio album by the funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in September 1968 on Epic/CBS Records.

Into My Own Thing

The opening riff on "Into My Own Thing" was sampled for Fatboy Slim's 2001 hit "Weapon of Choice".

Watch and listen

Explore the Album

Sly And The Family Stone - Life

Open in Albums Gallery

Then

Reception

Unlike its predecessor Dance to the Music, Life was not a commercial success, although it has received mostly positive reviews from music critics over the years.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Life" is the third studio album by the funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in September 1968 on Epic/CBS Records. In the United Kingdom, the album was titled M'Lady.

Unlike its predecessor Dance to the Music, Life was not a commercial success, although it has received mostly positive reviews from music critics over the years. Many of its songs, including "M'Lady", "Fun", "Love City", and the title track, became popular staples in the Family Stone's live show. The album serves as a middle ground between the fiery A Whole New Thing and the more commercial Dance to the Music, featuring minimal studio effects and being more driven by frontman Sly Stone's compositions. Topics for the album's songs include the dating scene ("Dynamite!", "Chicken", "M'Lady"), groupies ("Jane is a Groupee"), and "plastic" (or "fake") people (the Beatlesque "Plastic Jim", which references "Eleanor Rigby" in its chorus). Notably, the Family Stone's main themes of unity and integration are explored in several songs ("Fun", "Harmony", "Life", and "Love City"). The subsequent Family Stone LP, Stand!, would focus almost exclusively on these themes.

Much of Life has been heavily sampled for hip hop and electronica recordings, particularly Gregg Errico's drum solo on "Love City". The opening riff on "Into My Own Thing" was sampled for Fatboy Slim's 2001 hit "Weapon of Choice".