Chords + Lyrics | We Are Family
Intro
||: A (A6) | G (G6) | D (Dadd9) | G11 :|| x4
Chorus 1
||: A (A6) | G (G6) | D (Dadd9) | G11 :||
We are family, I got all my sisters with me.
We are family, get up everybody, and sing
We are family, I got all my sisters with me.
We are family, get up everybody and sing.
Verse 1
||: A | Em7 D | A | Em7 D :||
Everyone can see we’re together, as we walk on by.
(And) and we fly just like birds of a feather, I won’t tell no lie.
(All) all of the people around us they say, can they be that close.
Just let me state for the record, we’re giving love in a family dose.
Chorus 2
We are family (hey, y’all), I got all my sisters with me. a-ha, a-ha.
We are family, get up everybody and sing (sing it to me).
We are family, I got all my sisters with me.
We are family, get up everybody, and sing.
Verse 2
Living life is fun and we’ve just begun to get our share, of this world’s delights.
(High) high hopes we have for the future and our goal’s in sight.
(We) no, we don’t get depressed here’s what we call our golden rule.
Have faith in you and the things you do, you won’t go wrong, oh no, this is our family jewel.
Chorus 3
We are family (hey, hey, sing it to me), I got all my sisters with me (yeah, ‘cause I do, sing it to me).
We are family (oh, I can hear you now), get up everybody and sing (oh).
We are family (have faith in you and the things you do, hey, hey), I got all my sisters with me (oh, aw, hey, hey, hey, hey).
| A (A6) | G (G6) | D (Dadd9) | D#5 E5 F5 G G# A |
We are family (get up, get up y’all), get up everybody, and sing.
Chorus 4
We are family (I got my sisters with me), I got all my sisters with me. Everybody, hey, hey, hey.
We are family, (hey now, hey, hey, hey now, hey, hey, hey, now) get up everybody and sing (get up and sing it to me).
We are family.
We Are Family Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning We Are Family. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 448Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Defining exactly what Nile Rodgers plays using just chords is almost impossible—he constantly adds and removes notes in quick succession.
Chorus
For the chorus, I’ve indicated this with chords in brackets:
||: A (A6) | G (G6) | D (Dadd9) | G11 :||
The 6 extensions on the A and G, along with the add9 on the D, are subtle—remember to add them briefly and then take them away just as quickly. A single 16th note is enough!
To get the details of this perfect, you need TAB (and lots of it!), keep scrolling down this guitar lesson to find it,
Overall, the chorus balances between two tonal centres, as if it exists in both the keys of A and D simultaneously. You could describe this as a modal interchange.
- In A, the progression is I – bVIIx – IV – IVm. The G11 or F/G functions like a Dm, which is chord IVm.
- However, in D, the progression resembles V – IV – I – Im, similar to I Heard It Through the Grapevine, where chord I is minor.
The reason I lean towards A as the home key is that the melody clearly follows an A minor pentatonic scale. Playing a minor pentatonic over a major progression is extremely common and originates from blues phrasing.
Verse
The verse, however, fits cleanly in the key of D with V – II – I, but in A, it appears as I – Vm – IV, which still feels strangely natural:
||: A | Em7 D | A | Em7 D :||
The verse melody is built on A minor pentatonic with an added 9th, which is why it doesn’t settle into a single, definitive key.
Talking about music—or worse, reading about it—is like dancing about architecture. The best way to understand this is to play along with the backing tracks, only by trying all the chord variations, and even experimenting with the melody will all start to make sense.
Here’s a chord chart for We Are Family. In the extended 8-minute version, we simply stay on the final chorus for longer, occasionally adding the chromatic line played at the end of the third chorus. This line is also a great ending for the working band.
We Are Family Chord Chart | PDF + iRealPro Download
Should you want to download my chord chart to help you on a gig, here’s a PDF: We Are Family chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: We Are Family iRealPro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key—a feature I’ve relied on more than once when a singer was feeling a bit under the weather.
Dropping it down a tone or so isn’t particularly challenging, but having the iRealPro app handle the transposition brings a certain peace of mind.
We Are Family | TAB
Let’s work out how to play We Are Family in an improvised way by studying ten examples. Once you can play these, stop staring at the TAB and let it happen naturally!
Here’s Example 1. Use the loop further down this guitar lesson, or one of the full backing tracks above to practice.
The goal here is to play without any extra muted strums; keep it as clean as possible.
Here’s Example 2. In this one, we add muted strums. Try not to add more than what’s written, and play along with me using the loops.
It may seem like a small addition (just one muted strum), but this is all about control and accuracy. In reality, it’s actually quite difficult!
Here’s the next example.
Now we’ve added more muted strums. If you haaven’t already, this is a good point to start playing along with one of the backing tracks.
Here’s Example 4. We’re no longer playing the root note. Your aim should be to play all of these examples perfectly.
Here’s Example 5. Now we’ve added some extensions. Notice the note that changes in bar four. It’s an F/G or G11, and the note added is a G on string 2.
Here’s Example 6. There are more muted strums in this one. Can you play it exactly as written?
The final example for the chorus features that chromatic chord sequence at the end—this is a great way to end the song.
Verse
Let’s move on to the verse; here’s Example 8 (play along with the loop below).
Here’s Example 9. There are a few more things happening here.
The final example moves this down the neck.
Once you can play all the examples exactly as written, it will be easy to let go and jam it out – try it using this backing tracks above.
Want to hear all this TAB played? See below.
Sister Sledge’s signature song
Not only is We Are Family the defining track of Sister Sledge’s career, but it also lent its name to their most successful album and remains one of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards’ most recognisable compositions.
Initially rejected by their record label, Atlantic, We Are Family went on to become one of the world’s best-known songs.
In 2017, it was recognised by the National Recording Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” for the way it informs or reflects life in the United States. High praise indeed!
For the working guitarist, this all boils down to one thing—you must learn how to play the chords to We Are Family with a rhythm at least close to Nile Rodgers’ signature style!
We Are Family Chords: Continue Learning
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