Song of the Day: Sly and the Family Stone – If You Want Me to Stay

“If You Want Me to Stay” was Sly and the Family Stone’s last top-20 hit. It came out in 1973. Personally, I would have liked them to stay around a lot longer, although apparently at this juncture in their career the band really wasn’t much of a band anymore. As Sly sings “I got to be me” – which largely entailed lots of cocaine use, financial mismanagement and habitually bailing on live performances. While this song is generally regarded as a declaration to his lover, Sly’s probably talking to his band … and the resounding answer was “No, that’s okay. You can go away.”

Sly and the Family Stone – If You Want Me to Stay