The members of Sister Sledge were born and raised in Philadelphia and began singing in local Philadelphia churches like Williams Temple CME and Second Macedonia Baptist Church. They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams.
Their professional music career launched when they entered the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with "Mama Never Told Me". The young girl group released their first two albums, Circle of Love and Together in 1975 and 1977, respectively but, aside from scoring the Silver Prize at the 1975 Tokyo Musical for Gwen Guthrie's composition "Pain Reliever" and oft-recorded "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me," Produced by Bert Deco and Tom Bell.
The group attained pop success with their next album: 1979's We Are Family. The album would become the group's best selling. Singles included "He's the Greatest Dancer" (#9 US, #1 R&B) and "We Are Family" (#2 US, #1 R&B), the latter song becoming their biggest hit. The album was written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic.
Sister Sledge's next album was 1980's Love Somebody Today. The album included the songs "Got to Love Somebody" (#64 US, #6 R&B, #34 UK) and "Pretty Baby".
Collaborating with producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981, they released the album "All-American Girls", yielding the title track single, which reached No. 3 R&B and No. 79 Pop in the U.S. and No. 41 Pop in the UK; and the single "Next Time You'll Know", which reached No. 28 R&B in the U.S. The sisters continued singing new material throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although not matching the success of the late 1970s. They achieved a hit with "Frankie" in 1985 (#1 in the UK). In 1989 Kathy Sledge left the group to pursue her solo career. Joni Sledge produced and recorded the album "African Eyes" with her sisters Debbie and Kim Sledge in 1998 which was nominated for a Grammy as best produced CD, as well as the Live in Concert album in 1997. In 2003, Debbie and Joni Sledge performed with three other female singers which included Debbie's daughters Amber and Camille in the PBS special, My Music: 70's Soul Superstars, which is also available on DVD.
Their most popular songs have been re-released and re-recorded several times in Europe, often in newly-remixed versions. Their song "Il Macquillage Lady" written by Joni Sledge is believe to be sampled for French electronic duo Daft Punk's 2001 track Aerodynamic although Daft Punk have denied sampling the song.
The sisters continue to perform collectively and individually worldwide. The four original group members were reunited in 2011 on Oprah Winfrey's "Women Who Rock" episode, highlighting their song "We Are Family" as one of the most requested songs of all time.
Everybody Dance
Sister Sledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clap your hands, clap your hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Clap your hands, clap you hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Clap your hands, clap your hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Music never lets you down
Puts a smile on your face
Any time, anyplace
Dancing helps relieve the pain
Soothes your mind, makes you happy again
Listen to those dancing feet
Close your eyes and let go
But it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
Bop-shoo-wa, bop-shoo-wa, bop-shoo-wa
Clap your hands, clap you hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Clap your hands, clap your hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Clap your hands, clap your hands
Spinning all around the floor
Just like Rogers and Astaire
Who found love without a care
Stepping to our favorite tune
The good times always end too soon
Everybody's dancing
Lift your feet, have some fun
Come on everybody, get on your feet
Clap your hands
Everybody's screaming
Clap your hands, clap you hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Clap your hands, clap your hands
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Clap your hands, clap your hands
The lyrics of Sister Sledge's "Everybody Dance" are an invitation to the listeners to let loose and dance to the rhythm of the music. The repetition of the phrase, "Everybody dance, do-do-do" reinforces the idea that this is a song meant for dancing, and the clapping of hands adds an interactive element to the experience. The singer suggests that music can be a source of comfort and joy, with the power to relieve pain and soothe the mind. There is a reference to the idea of swing, which is a musical style characterized by a specific rhythm and feel. The song suggests that dancing is a way to connect with others, as the lyrics mention some famous dance partners like Rogers and Astaire, and the good times always seem to end too soon. The song ends with a repetition of the invitation to dance and clap your hands.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody dance, do-do-do
Let's all dance together
Clap your hands, clap your hands
Show your enthusiasm
Music never lets you down
Music is always reliable
Puts a smile on your face
Makes you happy
Any time, anyplace
Music is always there for you
Dancing helps relieve the pain
Dancing can ease emotional pain
Soothes your mind, makes you happy again
Dancing can improve your mood
Listen to those dancing feet
Pay attention to the rhythm
Close your eyes and let go
Let the music take control
But it don't mean a thing
It's not enough
If it ain't got that swing
Without the right beat or rhythm
Bop-shoo-wa, bop-shoo-wa, bop-shoo-wa
The sound of the music
Spinning all around the floor
Dancing with abandon
Just like Rogers and Astaire
As graceful as famous dancers
Who found love without a care
As carefree as those in love
Stepping to our favorite tune
Dancing to the perfect song
The good times always end too soon
The fun times always go by quickly
Lift your feet, have some fun
Get into the music
Come on everybody, get on your feet
Let's dance together
Everybody's screaming
Everyone is having a great time
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MACK GORDON, HARRY REVEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samaduampoma2449
@tony tookie Tony, this was not a lecture (and not meant to be interpreted as such). It was just a recognition of the facts of this performance, and a simple comparison of popular music (by young black people) in 1977 to popular music (by young black people) in 2022. That's all.
Lastly, although I mentioned about rappers/hip-hop artists with their "niggas/hos/bitches" etc., I can't remember any rap artist on interview, defend such language in their music. Shouldn't they be able to say to me "hey Sam, shut up! Talking about bitches/hos/niggas is a good thing!". If you have any footage/interview of a rapper saying just that, I really would like to see it.
See for me, I can (and will) defend "Boogie Oogie Oogie" along with all the disco chants etc., from the 70s all day! The melodies and musicianship was amazing! Even what you may see as "cheesy" lyrics and artists like "The Village People" and YMCA. Yes, I think their music is great (joyful), and will defend them too!
Once again if rappers feel as great about their language, as I do about disco music, they should be willing to defend it as publicly as I do for disco music.
If you have any of that footage I mentioned, please bring it to my attention.
In closing, keep enjoying the magic of Chic!
Sincerely, Sam.
@hamishkay3010
The bass is absolutely incredible and really powerful Chic songs will never get old.
@janekmachnicki2593
So does guitar ;)
@mazumusicstudio1036
CERTAINLY THE BASS LINE IS INCREDIBLE. Pleasure awswering you. matheus zugaib - Brazil
@troyledbetter6597
@MAZUMUSICSTUDIO the bass player is Nile Rogers. He is not only a talented musician but also an excellent song writer! I saw Chich in concert earlier this year and they were excellent!
@vincentberte7675
@Troy Ledbetter Niles Rodgers, dude is a genius, he writes or co writers everything for Chic and others I believe, very talented Man and still is lol y'all have a great weekend now, stay Cool forever
@stephenpreston9328
The bass player is Bernard Edwards. Nile Rogers is the other guitar player.
@domxem5551
Everything is good with this song. The bass, yes the bass. The singer’s voice and her beautiful face. The additional violins. The guitar and the happy simple lyrics
@Thejanjan39
Absolutely agree!
@NormAppleton
Did you mention Bernard?
@Longbeachliner
It really is, this is an awesome beat! I can listen to it over and over!