We Are Family - 1995 Remaster

This feel-good disco song is fitting for Sister Sledge, a vocal group of four Sledge sisters: Kathy, Debbie, Kim and Joni (who died in 2017). The song could certainly apply to their family bonds, particularly the line, "I got all my sisters with me," but it's a more universal message. "It is so much more than just a family thing," Debbie Sledge told Hello magazine in 2023. "It means unity and it reaches beyond family. It can go through any group of people who align for the purpose of building each other up or accomplishing something for good."

"We Are Family" was written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers; their band Chic had a hit at the time with "Le Freak." Rodgers and Edwards got the idea for the song's title when they first met the sisters and learned about their tight family connection.

Sister Sledge are from Philadelphia and released their debut single, "Time Will Tell," in 1971 and sang backup for Philly groups like the Stylistics. They released albums in 1975 and 1977, but didn't get much attention until their third album, We Are Family, was issued in 1979 with the lead single "He's The Greatest Dancer," which climbed to #9 in the US (their only chart entry to this point was "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me," which reached #92 in 1975). "We Are Family" was the next single, and it was huge, going to #2 in June 1979, held off the top by two other disco-rific hits: "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer and "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward. The group had a few more minor hits in America (including a cover of "My Guy") and landed a #1 UK hit with "Frankie" in 1985.