Song Clearance Sheet
3 sources citedSing a Simple Song
Funk1960s101BPM
B minKey
More around 100 BPM → · More in B minor →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →, Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriter of record (Sly Stone, credited sole writer despite the full-band performance), no dispute found, and the band’s single most-sampled track (500+) across five decades.
Sampled 500+ times
Quick Facts
Released1968
AlbumStand!
GenreFunk, Soul
LabelEpic Records
ProducerSly Stone
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Epic Records; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — the band’s single most-sampled track (500+), and widely covered (Miles Davis, The Meters, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Prince).
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter of record, no dispute found, extensive real precedent.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
Connected via the band’s catalog — but the song sampled there is a DIFFERENT Sly track, “Trip to Your Heart,” not this one (already in this catalog)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The band’s most-sampled track by far
Per WhoSampled, Sly and the Family Stone’s most-sampled track (500+) — Ike & Tina Turner, 2Pac, Wu-Tang, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Digital Underground’s “Humpty Dance,” Cypress Hill, Gorillaz, even the Spice Girls.
WhoSampled · read it →
Snoop’s first-ever Dre appearance
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg’s “Deep Cover” (1992) — Snoop’s first official recorded appearance on a Dre track — directly samples this song.
The Vinyl Factory · read it →
How it connects to Mama Said Knock You Out
A DIFFERENT Sly song, “Trip to Your Heart” (1967), is the one actually sampled in LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” (already in this catalog), alongside Funky Drummer — the band’s catalog connects to this catalog through multiple separate songs, not this one directly.
WhoSampled · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
500+
Times sampled
Sly’s most-sampled track; in “Deep Cover”
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used it2Pac · Wu-Tang Clan · Digital Underground
Who to Contact
SS
Sly Stone (Epic Records)
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 8)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass