Latest news with #SlyStone
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sly & The Family Stone's Streams Up 563% Following Sly Stone's Death
Welcome to Billboard Pro's Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry's attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Sly & the Family Stone's streams are way up following the passing of the group's iconic bandleader, Coldplay sees a heartbroken deep cut go viral for its frontman's rumored real-life heartbreak, Beyoncé gets a bump for a song she's not even playing on tour and more. More from Billboard Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Head to Florida for Stanley Cup Final Twenty One Pilots Drop New Single, 'The Contract,' Detail North American Tour Dates j-hope Heads to Memphis to Recruit GloRilla for 'Killin' It Girl' Single: Listen The legendary Sly Stone died earlier this week (June 9) at age 82, leaving behind a seismic impact on the worlds of funk, rock and soul. Though sadly brief in his run as a prominent recording artist – the original lineup of Stone's signature outfit Sly & the Family Stone fell apart within a decade, and Stone became reclusive not long thereafter – his imprint on future generations of artists remains indelible, with a pair of undisputed classic albums (1969's Stand! and 1971's There's a Riot Goin' On) and countless classic singles. Unsurprisingly, following his death, fans flocked to streaming services to revisit Sly & the Family Stone's most beloved works. His catalog combined for 2.5 million U.S. on-demand audio streams over Tuesday and Wednesday, the two days following his death – up 563% from 385,000 streams over the same period the previous week, according to Luminate. Among the most-streamed classics across those two days: 'Everyday People' (up 168% to 326,000 streams, following a Cher-and-Future-assisted bump two weeks ago), 'Dance to the Music' (up 408% to 174,000) and 'Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin' (up 378% to 169,000). – ANDREW UNTERBERGER Last week, news broke that Coldplay's Chris Martin and actress Dakota Johnson had reportedly called it quits after eight years of on-and-off dating. Although the couple has not publicly commented on the reports, Coldplay has spent the past few weeks playing stadiums as part of their years-long Music of the Spheres tour — and Martin's performance of the heart-wrenched song 'Sparks' during the shows has inspired some post-breakup gawking, and a significant streaming boost. 'And I know I was wrong/ But I won't let you down/ Oh yeah I will, yeah I will, yes I will,' Martin sings on the track from Coldplay's 2000 debut Parachutes, which he performs in a stripped-down version on acoustic guitar during the stadium tour. After the band performed for two nights at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium last week and at Denver's Empower Field at Mile High on Tuesday night (June 10), TikTok clips began to surface focused on Martin's pained facial expression during the song's chorus, with one popular clip captioned, 'Homie is heartbroken.' Whether it's capturing true feelings or just a projection, the viral boost has translated to streaming services, where 'Sparks' earned 1.5 million U.S. on-demand audio streams on June 9-10 — a 64% increase from its streaming total during the previous Monday and Tuesday, according to Luminate. We'll see if the 25-year-old track can keep surging, although Coldplay will play a pair of stadium shows in El Paso this weekend — and many phones will once again be trained on Martin during one of the show's more emotional moments. – JASON LIPSHUTZ With their fast-rising new Hollywood single, Cali rap stars YG and Shoreline Mafia (currently comprised of OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin) are looking to keep the West Coast's Kendrick Lamar-fueled momentum going for the rest of the year. The new single, which dropped on May 23, appears to be another (more upbeat and danceable) taste of the forthcoming project YG teased with March's '2004.' Featuring an assist from Shoreline Mafia and bars directed at Joey Bada$$ ('All the pretty hoes gon' play this/ Joey Bada$$ gon' hate this'), 'Hollywood' is an easy song of the summer contender that's quickly taken over socials. On TikTok, the official 'Hollywood' sound has garnered over 10,000 posts, thanks to the music video's viral Storm DeBarge-crafted choreography. According to Luminate, 'Hollywood' earned 3.28 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first full week of release (May 23-29). The following week (May 30-June 5), that figure jumped by 53.5% to just over five million official streams. On the Jun. 14-dated Bubbling Under Hot 100, 'Hollywood' debuted at No. 3, a promising sign for the rest of its chart run. Should its growth continue, 'Hollywood' could land YG his first Hot 100 entry as a lead artist in nearly three years. – KYLE DENIS 'All Night,' the sweeping ballad that wraps up Beyoncé's forgiveness narrative on her blockbuster 2016 Lemonade LP, has been a fan-favorite for nearly ten years. Now, thanks to a viral Cowboy Carter mash-up, it's become something of a streaming hit. On April 14, TikTok user @cowboydanny posted a mashup of 'All Night' and Cowboy Carter's 'Tyrant,' laying the latter's lead vocals over the former's instrumental and drawing a connection between the songs' shared theme of redemption. The moving mash-up quickly went viral on TikTok amongst the Beyhive, eventually spreading to the platform at-large once the Cowboy Carter Tour kicked off two weeks later on April 28. On TikTok, @cowboydanny's original post has collected over one million views, while the accompanying sound plays in around 35,000 posts. On YouTube, the creator's official upload of the mashup boasts nearly 640,000 hits. For the past eight weeks, 'All Night' has seen a steady, gradual resurgence on streaming as a new generation of consumers discover the Lemonade visual album for the first time. During the week of April 11-17, 'All Night' earned just under 940,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. Six weeks later (May 30-June 5), that number ballooned by 76% to over 1.65 million official streams. Even though Beyoncé does not perform 'All Night' on the Cowboy Carter Tour (she does, however, perform 'Tyrant'), the song is still connecting with listeners and gaining new fans nine years later. – KD Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Stevie Wonder: The superstar's charisma remains undimmed
Stevie Wonder did not go as far as Bruce Springsteen did six weeks ago when he proclaimed onstage that America had fallen into the hands of 'a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration'. But there was anger in the way Wonder talked of being 'very disappointed with the leaders we have – all of them' at the start of his set at the Lytham Festival in Lancashire, reminding them that they're supposed to make the world a better place. The 75-year-old set about doing just that with a joyful set that included lots of teasing interaction with the sell-out crowd of 20,000, plus a closing tribute to the recently departed Sly Stone as he rolled Superstition into Stone's Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) in one epic funk workout. It certainly wasn't hotter than July at the breezy venue on the west coast below Blackpool but Wonder had warmth to spare, opening with Love's in Need of Love Today, from his 1976 double album Songs in the Key of Life, with its message of love over hate, then getting the party started with As If You Read My Mind and Master Blaster (Jammin') from 1980. The latter matched the dazzle of Wonder's bright red suit, with its sequinned portraits of Bob Marley and Malcolm X. The size and stage presence of Wonder's band, two guitarists, two percussionists and a drummer, two keyboard players (plus himself), bass, multiple horns and backing singers made for a big, funky sound, perfect for a rare UK tour that will take in Manchester's Co-Op Live and BST Hyde Park. Dance tracks like Sir Duke sounded magnificent. Wonder's voice still has its rich timbre, and all its shades of expression – it growls, yelps and roars – only rarely showing its age in a few places such as the repeated, rising vocal runs on Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing. There's just the hint of increasing physical frailty, too, but Wonder's charisma is absolutely undimmed. Over a career that extends over more than six decades (he scored his first US number one in 1963 at the age of 13), the singer and multi-instrumentalist has created such a range of enduring works that it's easy to forget what a huge, playful presence he is on stage. He's almost unique in his ability to roll out great songs of such astonishing variety, from pure 1960s pop like Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours to radical soul like Living in the City to heartfelt love songs like If You Really Love Me. Wonder has deep soul, but he also just loves to muck about; he's a disruptor, exuberant, naughty – there's something uncontainable about him. Here, he had the band set up a slow reggae version of The Beatles' Love Me Do as he played harmonica on it; and he wanted the crowd to sing along with him so much, he sometimes gave them almost the whole song, as on his classic pop-cheese ballad, I Just Called to Say I Love You, 'It's just gonna be me playing piano, and y'all sing, you good with that?' We were good with that. Then he made the crowd choose between Do I Do and Superstition as the closer. That was no contest.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Sly Stone and Brian Wilson Changed Music
There was an odd symmetry to the near-simultaneous deaths of Sly Stone and Brian Wilson at age 82 last week. 'Both of them poets of summer,' Rob Sheffield says in the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now. 'Both chroniclers of the American dream in California. Both from pretty much the same era. Both of them also started out very young as musical prodigies, who figured out early that they needed to be in charge of their music.' More from Rolling Stone Brian Wilson's Last Playlist Inside Sly and the Family Stone's Great, Lost Live Album Zara Larsson: 'I Want to Be the Number One' As a Bay Area DJ, Sly Stone slipped Bob Dylan and the Beatles into R&B playlists, foreshadowing the genre-blurring of his own music. 'He was always trying to mix up boundaries,' says Sheffield. 'That's where he realized his eclectic taste was something that he needed to really establish aggressively in his band, or he'd always be pigeonholed.' The discussion also follows Stone's influence through Parliament-Funkadelic, OutKast, and even the Jackson 5 — Sheffield argues that band began as Motown's attempt to create 'Sly for kids' after Sly took too long between albums. To hear the entire episode, go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above. Wilson, meanwhile, was competing with the Beatles to push the formal limits of popular music, taking charge in the studio even as the rest of life proved challenging. 'In a studio is the only place where he had that ability to relate to people,' says Sheffield. 'He knew what he wanted in a studio and once he got outside of that environment, he had no idea how to relate.' The conversation also challenges the weirdly prevalent misconception that the Beach Boys' pre-Pet Sounds music isn't worthy of being taken seriously. Early songs from 'Surfer Girl' to 'The Warmth of the Sun' are arguably just as transcendent as Wilson's more self-consciously arty efforts. Our panel eventually decides that Stone and Wilson met most precisely in one particular band: the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who covered Sly and the Family Stone's 'If You Want Me to Stay' on Freaky Styley, and did an amazing, funked-up version of 'I Get Around' at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. 'Pet Sounds and There's A Riot Goin' On walked so Stadium Arcadium could run,' they joke. The discussion concludes by touching Wilson's final masterpiece, 'Summer's Gone,' from the Beach Boys' 2012 reunion album — a song Bruce Springsteen specifically recommended after Wilson's death. 'He's sitting on the beach, he's watching the waves, he's thinking about the end of it all,' Sheffield says. 'It's like Prospero at the end of The Tempest, where he breaks his wand.' Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone's weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out eight years' worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, SZA, Questlove, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Zara Larsson, Scott Weiland, Kirk Hammett, Coco Jones, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone's critics and reporters. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
NZ Herald
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
West Coast wizards: How Brian Wilson and Sly Stone's scored the California dream
Brian Wilson and, left, Sly Stone: Legacies endure long after the sun set on their vision. Photos / Getty Images The late Brian Wilson and Sly Stone embodied the different places in the Golden State's musical geography and history. As news helicopters swirled overhead, demonstrators and troops faced off and smoke rose over Los Angeles, California became the focus of world attention this month. It seemed bleakly ironic that two musicians who helped define the promise and dream of the Golden State should die within days of each other. In very different ways, Brian Wilson and Sly Stone, both 82, had shaped popular culture's view of California through the lens of sun, surf, psychedelia and unity. Wilson's world was initially one of blonde surfer girls and hot rods: his music on songs like Surfin' USA a clever amalgamation of Chuck Berry's storytelling rock'n'roll, doo-wop and close harmony groups such as the Four Freshmen. I Get Around and California Girls distilled teenage sentiments and dreams into little more than two minutes. Although the Beach Boys' first three albums had 'surf' in their titles (their fourth celebrated hot rods on Little Deuce Coup), Wilson's writing also offered evocative, inward-looking miniatures with sophisticated arrangements like the slow Surfer Girl and especially the prescient In My Room: 'There's a world I can go and tell my secrets to.' Within a few years he would write I Wasn't Made For These Times and the sublime God Only Knows (one of Paul McCartney's favourite songs) for the Pet Sounds album (1966). He brought a musical intelligence to pop arrangements and writing that hadn't been heard before. Wilson painted in delicate colours of sound and Good Vibrations – still a remarkable piece of work – evoked a mystical state of promise, summer breezes and the warmth of the sun. Wilson's music – described as 'baroque pop' or 'cosmic' – could only have come from California. Sly Stone in concert in 1973. Photo / Getty Images Like Wilson, multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart in Texas) was a product of his influences. He'd grown up with gospel, and as a young radio DJ in San Francisco, added music of the British Invasion (Beatles, Stones, etc) to the soul station's playlists. He produced white pop and rock bands (among them the Invasion-influenced Beau Brummels and pop star Bobby Freeman) and played on numerous sessions (Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Righteous Brothers). By the time he formed his Family Stone band in 1967 he could draw from a deep well of musical ideas. He also had an inclusive vision: the band was uniquely integrated – black, white, men and women – playing psychedelic soul, funk and rock. The album titles were announcements: their debut was A Whole New Thing. The title track of its follow-up, Dance to the Music, delivered their first chart hit. With bassist Larry Graham (rapper Drake's uncle) they had a funkmaster on hand for hits like Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). If Sly gave us a celebratory, psychedelic funk and politically progressive soul that influenced everyone from Miles Davis, George Clinton and Prince to Andre 3000, Wilson's journey was more inward. By the time Sly and the Family Stone emerged, Wilson had already retreated after a string of polished pop hits and the seminal Pet Sounds album, with session musicians on songs that rarely required the Beach Boys other than for vocal parts. No longer a member of the band in live appearances, Wilson's home was the studio where he created intricate music of layered harmonies and meticulous arrangements well beyond anything in the pop canon at the time. Pet Sounds shook McCartney into exploring the studio's possibilities more, hence Revolver then their orchestrated Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was influenced by Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds. Photo / Supplied Wilson was hailed as a genius. But drugs exacerbated his mental instability. He had a breakdown while trying to complete his SMiLE album in 1967. His country appeared to have a breakdown, too. The multicoloured Summer of Love – soundtracked by Good Vibrations and Dance to the Music – collapsed and gave way to a rapid downward spiral: the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy in 1968, cocaine and heroin, the Manson Family, Black Panthers, Weathermen, Symbionese Liberation Army, anti-war protests, body bags coming in from Vietnam, the National Guard killing four students during a demonstration at Ohio's Kent State University … The Beach Boys released the acclaimed Surf's Up album (1971) with Wilson's sombre 'Til I Die and the title track masterpiece. Surprisingly for a band not known for any political stance other than vague patriotism, it also included Student Demonstration Time: 'The winds of change fanned into flames … the pen is mightier than the sword, but no match for a gun.' It was a timely rewrite of Leiber-Stoller's Riot in Cell Block #9 by the band's singer, Mike Love. The hook in both songs is 'there's a riot goin' on', coincidentally the title of the Sly and the Family Stone album later that year. It was Stone's reply to Marvin Gaye's world-weary classic What's Going On of a few months before. By this time, Stone was in a fug of drugs, his music becoming slower, darker and more claustrophobic. Like Wilson, Stone had gone inward: Just Like a Baby is a deep stoner groove, Luv n' Haight captured his inertia. 'Feel so good inside myself, don't need to move. As I grow up, I'm growing down.' On Poet, he is resigned: 'My only weapon is my pen and the frame of mind I'm in.' It was exceptional but different from his previous music, however, it captured the zeitgeist. Stone's descent is as well documented as Wilson's. Nevertheless, he left an enduring legacy of innovative soul, funk and rock in songs like Dance to the Music, Everyday People and I Want to Take You Higher (from 1969's political-funk album Stand!), which had its apotheosis at Woodstock. Wilson's music following his golden period was uneven but detailed, sometimes glowing and personal. The Last Song (2015) was moving: 'Don't be sad. There was a time and place for what we had. If there was just another chance for me to sing to you …' But that time and place was long the mid 1970s, the sun had set on the vision of California the songs of Brian Wilson and Sly Stone seemed to promise. Yet even now, despite recent events, their music can still be transporting.
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Sly And The Family Stone Owns Half Of A Billboard Chart After The Singer's Death
Following Sly Stone's passing, Sly and the Family Stone return to Billboard's R&B Digital Song Sales ... More chart with five tracks, including 'Everyday People' at No. 2. Headshot of American singer and songwriter Sly Stone performing with his band Sly and the Family Stone on the television series 'Midnight Special, ' circa 1974. (Photo by Fotos International/NBC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images) Sly Stone, one of the most innovative musicians in recorded music history and the leader of Sly and the Family Stone, passed away on June 9 at the age of 82. Throughout his storied career, Stone was responsible for some of the catchiest R&B and pop tracks ever, which stormed the charts throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Following his passing, Americans began buying some of the group's most famous singles once more. All that renewed love has led to quite the chart takeover for Sly and his namesake group. Sly and the Family Stone claim five spots on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart this week. The musicians occupy half of the entire 10-position ranking of the top-selling R&B-only tracks in the U.S. Most of the band's current wins are new to the tally, while one returns and reaches a new peak position. 'Everyday People' ranks as Sly and the Family Stone's biggest win on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart this frame. The track returns for just its second stay on the purchase-centric list, arriving at No. 2. Sly and company are held back from the summit by 'Type Dangerous,' Mariah Carey's latest launch, which conquers the R&B Digital Song Sales ranking. The other four Sly and the Family Stone tunes that land on the R&B Digital Song Sales roster this week are all new entries. 'Dance to the Music,' 'Hot Fun in the Summertime,' 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),' and 'Family Affair' debut at Nos. 4, 5, 7, and 10, respectively. It's a crowded week for debut appearances on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, as 60% of the spots on the 10-position list are occupied by tracks that have never landed on this roster before. In addition to Sly and the Family Stone and Carey, Keith Sweat and Athena Cage launch 'Nobody' at No. 8. Before this week, Sly and the Family Stone had only landed one hit on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, and it was 'Everyday People.' Now, the group is up to five career placements on the tally. The band likely would have dominated this kind of ranking during its heyday had this specific Billboard tally existed decades ago.
