We Are Family

Producers

“We Are Family” is the title track of Sister Sledge’s breakout album—celebrating the Sledge sisters’ family bond. Writers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (of the band… Read More

Mar. 18, 19793 viewers134.7K views

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We Are Family Lyrics

[Chorus]
We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up, everybody, and sing
We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up, everybody, and sing

[Verse 1]
Everyone can see we're together
As we walk on by
(And) And we flock just like birds of a feather
I won't tell no lie
(All) All of the people around us, they say
"Can they be that close?"
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose

[Chorus]
We are family (Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah)
I got all my sisters with me (Uh-huh, uh-huh)
We are family
Get up, everybody, and sing (Sing it to me)
We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up, everybody, and sing

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[Verse 2]
Living life is fun and we've just begun
To get our share of this world's delights
(High) High hopes we have for the future
And our goal's in sight
(We) No, we don't get depressed
Here's what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
You won't go wrong, oh-no, this is our family jewel

[Chorus]
We are family (Hey, hey, sing it to me)
I got all my sisters with me (Yeah, yeah, sing it with me)
We are family (Oh, I can hear you now)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Ooh-ooh)
We are family (Hey, hey)
I got all my sisters with me (Oh, yeah, yeah)
We are family (Get up, get up now)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Oh, hey, hey, hey)
We are family (I got my sisters with me)
I got all my sisters with me (Everybody, hey, hey, hey)
We are family (Hey, hey, hey, y'all, hey, hey, hey, y'all)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Yeah, get up and sing to me)
We are family (Uh)
I got all my sisters with me (Hey, we're having fun)
We are family (Love has just begun for me)
Get up, everybody, and sing

[Interlude]
Get up, get up, get up and sing it with me
Oh, I can hear you now
Ooh, everything, you and the things you do
Hey, hey, hey, oh, hey, hey, hey
Get up, get up now
Oh, hey, hey, woo
I got my sisters with me
Everybody, hey, hey, hey
Now, hey, hey, hey, now
Hey, hey, hey, now
Get up, get up and sing it to me
Oh, yeah, we're having fun
Love, love has just begun for me
Me, me and my family
Hey, hey, hey, uh-huh-huh
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh-huh-huh
Yeah, get up, get up and sing it
Sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it to me
Yeah, we flock together like birds of a feather
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Oh, oh, oh, hey, hey, hey
Get up, come on, y'all

[Chorus]
We are family (Yeah, sing it to me)
I got all my sisters with me (Sing it to me, come on and sing it to me)
We are family (Yeah, hey, hey, hey)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Uh, get up, get up and sing it to me, y'all)
We are family (We're having lots of fun now)
I got all my sisters with me (Get up and sing it, sing it to me)
We are family (Hey, yeah, hey, hey)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Hey, hey)
We are family (Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah)
I got all my sisters with me (Uh-huh, sing it now)
We are family (We're family)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Family)
We are family (Na-na-na, oh)
I got all my sisters with me (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
We are family (I got my sisters with me)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Get up, get up, get up and sing)
We are family (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
I got all my sisters with me (Yeah, yeah, ooh-ooh)
We are family (Hey, hey, hey)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Yeah)
We are family
I got all my sisters with me (My sisters with me, y'all)
We are family (Sing it to ya, sing it to ya, yeah)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
We are family (Hey, hey, oh)
I got all my sisters with me (Oh, oh, oh, oh)
We are family (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Get up and sing)
We are family (Get up, get up and sing, y'all)
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up, everybody, and sing (Come on, sing it with me)
We are family (Yeah, come on, now)
I got all my sisters with me (Hey, sing it to me)
We are family (Play your funky bass, boy)
Get up, everybody, and sing (Sing)

[Outro]
We are family (Everybody)
I got all my sisters with me (Sing it to me, sing it to me, baby)
We are family
I got all my sisters with me (Sing)

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About

“We Are Family” is the title track of Sister Sledge’s breakout album—celebrating the Sledge sisters’ family bond.

Writers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (of the band Chic) were inspired by a meeting they had with Atlantic Records executive Jerry Greenberg, who pitched them on the group:

He said, “Whenever they come to the label, everybody thinks that they’re wonderful girls, and they stick together like birds of a feather, and they’re really like family to us”
And we went home and we looked at what he had said and he had basically dictated the words to the song We Are Family, almost verbatim.
(Niles Rodgers, to Music Matters)

The recording session was heavily improvised—Joni Sledge called it “a one take party.”

Rodgers gave the girls the song a line at a time through their headphones as they recorded, so that it would feel more spontaneous.

We were used to coming in to the studio prepared. Our grandmother had trained us and she was a classical artist, an opera singer, so we were very disciplined. And the way Chic worked was the opposite.
They wouldn’t show us what they were doing because they said they wanted spontaneity. Everything with them was: “We want the spontaneity.”
“But we want to learn the part.”
“But we want the spontaneity.”
“But we want to know what we’re singing.”
(Debbie Sledge, to The Guardian)

The song became a radio and club hit, and was adopted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as their theme song—en route to a 1979 World Series victory.