“I Get High on You” by Sly Stone

By 1975, Sly & The Family Stone had effectively dissolved as a cohesive unit due to Sly Stone’s heavy substance abuse, extreme paranoia, and erratic behavior, as well as interpersonal conflicts and outside political pressures. Their incredible zenith of the late '60s and early ‘70s, when they were critical darlings with a massive following of both rock and R&B fans, felt like a distant memory. Many of the founding members had defected by that point, and their fanbase had diminished considerably, with record sales steadily declining. 

However, that didn’t mean Sly had lost his groove mojo. His first and only solo album, High on You (released in 1975 on Epic Records), showed that he was still very capable of creating high-quality music when he locked in and blocked out the outside noise. The collection features underappreciated gems like the tremendously funky “I Get High on You.” Bobby Vega raises the funk level through the roof with a sick bass line. Twelve-year-old prodigy and Sly's first cousin Little Moses brings some church into the mix with his sanctified organ work. Sly expresses how good his lady makes him feel physically and emotionally, giving him a natural high. He sounds in top form here, delivering a strong, soulful vocal performance, complemented by the powerful backing vocals from Little Sister. Sly also played guitar and keyboards. The track features some funky horn charts played by Sly & The Family Stone founding members Jerry Martini (saxophone) and Cynthia Robinson (trumpet), joined by saxophonist Dennis Marcellino. 

“I Get High On You” was written, arranged, and produced by Sly. It was a big hit on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, peaking at #3, and it rose to #52 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the lead single from his solo album High on You, released on Epic Records in 1975. Its B-side is the exquisite “That’s Lovin’ You,” which features a gorgeous string arrangement.

“I Get High on You” was sampled on two Fatboy Slim songs, “Always Read The Label” (1998) and “Don’t Forget Your Teeth” (1999). Rose Banks, aka Rose Stone (Sly’s sister and founding member of Sly & The Family Stone), recorded a cover of the song for her solo debut album Rose released in 1976 on Motown Records.

Here’s the full lineup for “I Get High On You”: Bobby Vega (bass), Sly Stone (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Jim Straussburg (drums), Freddie Stone (guitar, background vocals), Cynthia Robinson (trumpet), Little Moses (organ), Jerry Martini (saxophone), and background vocals–Little Sister, consisting of Vaetta Stewart (Sly’s youngest sister), Rudy Love, Dawn Silva, and Tiny Melton.

High On You peaked at #11 on Billboard’s R&B album chart and #45 on the Billboard 200. It reached #98 on the Canadian RPM Album charts. 

In the subsequent years following the release of High on You, Sly wrote, arranged, and produced three more Sly & The Family Stone albums: Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back (1976), Back on the Right Track (1979), and Ain’t But The One Way. These albums were met with mainly mixed reviews and had modest performances on the R&B charts, except for Ain’t But The One Way, which failed to chart at all. However, each collection had a few truly inspired moments that reminded listeners of the band’s glory days when Sly’s genius shone the brightest, and Sly & The Family Stone were lauded as one of the baddest and most innovative acts to electrify the music scene in recent memory.

"I Get High on You" is available on Amazon