Iggy Pop Covers “Family Affair” By Sly & The Family Stone

He Just Rediscovered It

Iggy Pop celebrated his 73rd birthday by releasing a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Family Affair” which he recorded with Bootsy Collins in 1985. He unearthed it from his archives after rediscovering the song during the coronavirus lockdown. (Xanax)

Pop told BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne, “I’ve always loved this song; it came out when I was kinda on the ropes in 1971. There’s a lot of truth in it, especially in the second verse, about all sorts of questions that are coming around again now.”

He added, “I loved the music and I love what Bootsy did with it. Bootsy’s a great star and there is so much life in his playing, and so much personality and truth in who he is. It was a big thrill to work with him and Bill Laswell. It just sat there for a long time because it just wasn’t right vis a vis the noise and constant shifting and churning of the horrible pop scene (sorry), and also in light of the other things I was doing. Then one day recently things had quietened down in daily life for everybody and for me, too, and I listened to it by accident. It just made me feel good and it was good company and I hoped that I could put it out and it would be company for somebody else, too.”

Iggy Pop has a couple of live performances scheduled between June and September but with the COVID-19 crisis, they might be postponed or even canceled altogether.

Check out the song below.