Main content

We Are Family

Stories from the people on why Sister Sledge's disco hit ‘We Are Family’ is more than just a feelgood dance record. From 2019.

We Are Family written by Nile Rodgers and performed by the Sledge Sisters Kathy, Kim, Debbie and Joni was released in 1978 at the height of disco's popularity.

Kim Sledge says it has become the anthem for diverse groups of people around the world who come together on the dance floor to form a family.

Professor Tim Lawrence says disco at its best was an inclusive music movement that welcomed people of all races and genders, unlike rock music which in the early 1970s appealed to a predominantly white male audience.

We Are Family epitomised dance music's appeal to traditionally marginalised groups in the USA - African Americans, Latinos, women and gay men.

Listen to the stories of some of the people for whom the song is linked with some of the most significant experiences of their lives.

Produced by Maggie Ayre.

First broadcast on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 in December 2019.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Fri 10 Feb 2023 20:30

Broadcasts

  • Wed 18 Dec 2019 09:00
  • Wed 18 Dec 2019 21:30
  • Fri 10 Feb 2023 20:30

Why Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' became a Civil Rights anthem

Why Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' became a Civil Rights anthem

Watch the animation - Professor Mary King describes how the song became a symbol of hope.

Podcast