Last night we watched the movie “Summer of Soul” (available on Hulu), about the Harlem Cultural Festival — a series of concerts that were filmed during the summer of 1969 but have only now been released as part of this documentary.
I knew I wanted to see it because so many of the songs were the soundtrack of my childhood. Of course, I didn’t always know who the artist was, because back then the radio was the main way I heard music and I often didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to band names.
But there was one song that made such an impression on me that I have always remembered the name of the group: Sly and the Family Stone.
“Everyday People” is the name of the song and I was thrilled that footage of them performing it during the Festival was included in the film.
Making it even better was the fact that everything was subtitled, so I could get all the lyrics for the first time ever. A part of me was a little amazed that — even as a preteen — these were the kind of lyrics that spoke to me.
I wanted to know more about the group and the song, and ended up stumbling on an article from 2016 that I found quite insightful. It’s too long to share here, but definitely worth checking out (Song ‘Everyday People’ applies now as it did in 1968, written by Chris Shields).
LYRICS
Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong / My own beliefs are in my song.
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then / Makes no difference what group I’m in.
I am everyday people, yeah yeah.
There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one / for living with a fat one, trying to be a skinny one.
Different strokes for different folks / and so on and so on and scooby dooby dooby.
Oh sha sha, we got to live together.
I am no better and neither are you / We are the same whatever we do.
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then / You can’t figure out the bag I’m in.
I am everyday people, yeah yeah.
There is a long hair that doesn’t like the short hair / for bein’ such a rich one that will not help the poor one.
Different strokes for different folks / and so on and so on and scooby dooby dooby.
Oh sha sha, we got to live together.
There is a yellow one that won’t accept the black one / That won’t accept the red one that won’t accept the white one.
Different strokes for different folks / and so on and so on and scooby dooby dooby.
Oh sha sha, we got to live together.
I am everyday people, yeah yeah.