A column dedicated to great songs, old and new.
October 11, 2005
Written by Sly Stone
From Fresh, Columbia Records, 1973
I'm something of a champion of underrated pop songwriters, particularly underrated lyricists. I'm quick to defend Rick Springfield, for instance (there's a fine, often deep songwriter and excellent guitarist behind those dreamboat looks), and the rumors that I admire John Farrar (composer of most of Olivia Newton-John's sweet-flavored 70s hits) are quite true. I just think it's better to put aside scholarly loftiness, hipster distance, and received-perspective when listening to a song by a potentially-malignable artist... I find I appreciate more work that way.
Fresh
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly Stone is not really “underrated.” Most serious funkateers (and quite a few rockers) already rank him high in the pantheon as a groovemaker, performer, and vocalist. He's a huge personal hero of mine. However, most fans and critics (Greil Marcus naturally excepted) don't talk much about his lyrics. The truth is, Sly is often a stunning, gifted lyricist.
"In Time" is an extremely compelling track, musically and vocally. Funky-ass drums, organ stabs, horns, free-flowing guitar hook, liquid bass, perfectly placed backgrounds, undeniable Sly growlin'. But what I've always dug about the song is the lyrics, which comment on the current (1973) cultural climate as well as existential matters in concise little couplets. The first line has a unique metaphorical image:
"There's a mickie in the tasting of disaster
In time--you get faster"
I'm so jealous of Sly for applying the concept of "a slipped mickie" to the use of the word "taste" in this context. It's the kind of wordplay more commonly associated with folks like Loudon Wainwright or Kid Creole. But the substance of what Sly is saying here also hits home---disasters will most certainly come in life, and they possess powers to knock you for a loop, but in time, you'll get better at dealing with them. That's how I've always heard it, anyhow. My favorite lines of "In Time" actually come about halfway through:
"There's a wreck-yard in the mind of a quitter
In time--gonna get bitter
He don't give a heck or is he blind and makin' litter?
In time---gonna need a babysitter"
"A wreck-yard in the mind" is a great way to describe confusion, cluttered concerns, and emotional dissonance, and the "babysitter" line is pitch-perfect in capturing the potential co-dependency of someone on the downslide. It's difficult to discern whether these lines are aimed at himself, a musical compadre, or anyone in particular at all, but they take aim with an assured knowledge of self-destruction, something which Sly presumably knows a little about. Rumors and conjecture about Sly's retreat and struggles are practically mythical at this point, so it's a little emotional for those of us who love his work to hear his vocal here, strident and confident thoroughout the entire Fresh record, knowing that he would soon cease public music-making.
Nevertheless, "In Time", like "Family Affair", "Everyday People", and "Thank You For Talkin' to Me Africa", showcases the best of Sly's many gifts, and like every other Sly fan out there, I continue to hold out hope for his return.
In time.
pcm
Purchase:
Fresh
at Amazon.com
at Tower
Records
Also...
In 1986, Sly made a guest appearance on (former Time guitarist) Jesse
Johnson's record Shockadelica; he sang on the hit single "Crazay".
It's still the jam today. Check out Gemm and eBay for
best prices on vinyl, CD, or "Crazay" 12" single.