Stand! (song)

For similarly named songs, see Stand (song).

"Stand!"
Song

"Stand!" is a 1969 song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone. 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.

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 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", the b-side of "Stand!", was also a hit single in 1969/1970.

In 2004 the song was ranked #241 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Personnel

• Lead Vocals by Sly Stone
• Background Vocals by Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, Larry Graham, and Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton)
• Piano by Rose Stone
• Guitar by Freddie Stone
• Bass by Larry Graham
• drums by Greg Errico
• Horns by Jerry Martini (tenor saxophone) and Cynthia Robinson (trumpet)
• Additional instrumentation by Los Angeles studio musicians
• Written and produced by Sly Stone

Cover versions

• The Jackson 5 covered the song on their debut album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5
• Liquid Jesus recorded the song for the film Pump Up the Volume.
• In 1991, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul-based ensemble Sounds of Blackness included a version of "Stand!" on their debut album, The Evolution of Gospel.
• In 1995, Pedro Aznar recorded a Spanish version of the song on his album David y Goliath.