“Everyday People” is the populist song to end all populist songs, and carries a message that’s as relevant now as it was fifty (fifty!) years ago. We’ve got to live together. No matter what.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to the discourse we currently have–particularly on social media. It often seems like tons of people are talking and not necessarily listening. Look, I am a proud lefty liberal progressive, but it’s getting to the point where a lot of the other proud lefty liberal progressive people are getting super annoying. The fact of the matter is that we have to live in this world together, and while that doesn’t mean we need to give everyone the time of the day, it does mean that there needs to at least be a baseline respect for humanity in order for there to be any substantial progress. Sly and his crew had it right, which is probably why their message resonated with so many music fans. “Everyday People” became the band’s first Number One hit.

As a child of the ‘80s, I initially came into contact with “Everyday People” via Joan Jett’s 1983 cover. Which holds up!