We Are Family – Sister Sledge | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#2), R&B (#1) and Dance (#1); 1979

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

In 1978 Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were hard at work on two album projects at the same time: Chic’s second, C’est Chic, and one for Atlantic Records’ newly-signed Sister Sledge.

Rodgers and Edwards had already slated the sisters to record I Want Your Love, while their own group would do He’s The Greatest Dancer; a song Nile had tagged as the lead-off single from C’est Chic. The creative duo had also picked We Are Family as Sister Sledge’s first 45: a choice the label execs nixed.

With deadlines looming, they gave Dancer to the girls. By the time Dancer reached its #9 peak on the Hot 100, demand for We Are Family had driven it into the Top 30. In June, 1979, the Sledge’s Family took over the #2 spot for two weeks; blocked from the top by Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff.

As for I Want Your Love, it became Chic’s follow-up single to Le Freak and turned in a Top 10 R&B/pop crossover performance.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Bernard Edwards
• Nile Rodgers

Lyrics Written by:

• Bernard Edwards
• Nile Rodgers

Awards:

• The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1980