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Song Stories

“Tell 'Em”

Sleigh Bells | 2010

The firestorm of a song saw the Brooklyn-based duo experiencing two moods simultaneously. “So something like “Tell ‘Em” is preach-y without being righteous,” Derek Miller, one half of Sleigh Bells, said. “It’s like we’re disappointed but optimistic. I love that in vocalists.” Miller decided to go for a heavier sound on this particular song. “It has this intense melody on it. I was afraid to do it for so long because I had abandoned heavy drone for a few years. But it was just there, always in the background and I was just craving it.”

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“Baby Got Back”
Sir Mix-a-Lot | 1992
Song Stories Main Next
“Everyday People”
Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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