If You Want Me to Stay

Recorded in 1972–1973 for the album Fresh at Record Plant in Sausalito, California, with Sly Stone handling the production and most of the parts himself. The single was issued by Epic as catalog number 11017. Released in 1973, the track became Sly & the Family Stone’s final Top 20 pop hit in the United States and reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also rose to No. 3 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. The song remained one of the group’s best-known later recordings and has been covered by artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers; its bass line and groove have also been widely sampled. That continued reuse kept it central to the band’s reputation well beyond the original release era.