This week, I’ve had Sly and the Family Stone’s version of “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” #OnRepeat. My mom used to sing this song to me all the time when I was younger and while browsing through YouTube recently, I came across this version.
Sly and the Family Stone is a Funk, Soul, and Rock band originally from San Francisco, California. This group was one of the pioneers of the psychedelic music “sound,” and were known for inserting social commentary into their lyrics. Their music had a strong influence on the Funk, Pop, Soul, R&B, and Hip-Hop music genres, and were subsequently inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Some of their most well-known songs are “Dance to the Music,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” and “Everyday People.”
“Que Sera, Sera” is a song that was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (a songwriting duo) in 1956, and made its debut in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Man Who Knew Too Much. It was sung by Doris Day and eventually would become her signature number. Each verse of the song tell of a different stage in the narrator’s life (childhood, falling in love, parenthood) and asking “what will happen?” This song has always been a favorite of mine because of the underlying theme of living life and going with the flow (whatever happens/whatever will be, will be).
Sly and the Family Stone’s version of this song is a funky, eclectic one, with a slower tempo, heavy on the Gospel and Funk music influences. Although this version sounds very different from the Doris Day version, you can still hear the waltz, lullaby-like melody within the arrangement and the singers in the group add to the child-like innocence of the song with their own intimate, individual performances.
Take a listen below:
Are there any songs or singers that you can’t stop listening to? Leave a comment below!