Signature Songs, Vol. 7 - Earth, Wind & Fire

This week, I’m continuing my Signature Songs series with Earth, Wind & Fire!

Earth, Wind & Fire had an incredible hitmaking run from 1974 through 1983, including 16 Top 40 hits, 7 Top 10 singles, and one No. 1 song. But their signature song isn’t necessarily their best song, or even their biggest hit — it’s the song most tied to their public image.

So I’m looking at the major contenders, and I’ll make the case for the one song that became Earth, Wind & Fire's true calling card. It's all this week, on the Rock-N-Roll Show Podcast!

And then I want to hear from you - did I get it right? Let me know what you think, and check out this week’s Rock-N-Roll Show Podcast Playlist, featuring the band's chart hits and a few of my favorites on:

Apple Music 

Spotify

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Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Welcome to the Rock-N-Roll Show podcast. I'm your host Alex Gadd, and this week I've got another episode of Signature Songs for you. Get out your dancing shoes because this time I'm talking about a band that spanned R&B, soul, funk, arena rock, and even disco. This week I'm talking about Earth, Wind Fire. I've defined the term signature song to mean the one song that's most commonly identified with that artist or band, the one that even non-music fans associate with them most often. For Earth, Wind Fire, I had a personal pick that I thought would be their signature song, but I wanted to really dig in and validate the best song. To that end, I'll run through all of their biggest tracks and make the case for the one song that I believe is their signature song, and then I wanna hear what you think. I hope you'll join me coming up right now At this point, I think you know the drill. In this series, I'm trying to figure out an act's signature song, not necessarily their best song and not always their biggest hit, but the song most tied to their public image. It's their musical calling card, the one that pops into your mind as soon as you hear that act's name. Sometimes it's the breakthrough hit, sometimes it's the biggest chart hit. Sometimes it's a song that crossed over to a whole new audience. Usually, it's some combination of all of those, which is why this is more an art than a science, and why it's so fun to discuss this with your friends. I'm working through all of the members of the Rock Roll Hall of Fame, and so I'm really excited to bring up Earth, Wind Fire for the signature song series this week, because they were massive, but also not so easy to define. They were an R&B band, but not only an R&B band. They added funk to the mix, but they weren't just a funky R&B band. There was jazz also in their backgrounds, but they were never a jazz band. They crossed over into pop success, but they were definitely not just a pop band. They took a bunch of different musical genres and blended them together in a way that was fairly unique at the time. A funky soul band with jazz musicianship, rock and roll energy, Broadway-level stagecraft, and a cosmic visual identity that included everything from pyramids and astrology to extravagant sets, choreography, and some of the wildest costumes ever worn by human beings on a stage. I've been familiar with this band for just about all of my life, but I learned a lot more from the excellent new documentary about them put together by Questlove for HBO Max, which I highly recommend for any music fan. Earth, Wind Fire was inducted into the Rock Roll Hall of Fame in the year 2000, with all nine of their key members from the late '70s heyday included, plus the four Phoenix horns, 13 people in all. They produced 13 albums in their original run from 1973 to 1983, with their strongest period being the five albums released between 1975 and 1980. After their 1974 album Open Our Eyes broke into the top 20 on the US album chart, those next five albums all reached the top 10, with 1975's That's the Way of the World reaching number one, which was their only number one album in the Billboard 200 chart. They had six top 10 albums in all, and 14 top 10 albums on the Billboard R&B album chart, including five number ones. Their run of singles was just as impressive. 16 Top 40 singles between 1974 and 1983, 10 of which went Top 20, seven of those went Top 10. Now, they only had one number one single on the Hot 100 chart, but they had eight number one songs on the R&B chart. So this was a prodigious band during a very compressed period of time, and it all started with one man's vision, and that man was Maurice White. Growing up in Chicago, Maurice worked as a session drummer at Chess Records, which meant he was around one of the most important labels in the history of popular music. Chess was the home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Etta James, and a whole lot of the music that became part of rock's foundation. Maurice was also part of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, so he had jazz credentials before striking out on his own. That combination of influences hinted at what was to come, because Earth, Wind Fire was never just about the groove. The groove was there, obviously, but underneath it was serious musicianship, serious arranging skills, and a leader who had a much bigger vision than just making dance records. Maurice originally formed a group called the Salty Peppers in Chicago before relocating to Los Angeles and reshaping that band into Earth, Wind Fire. The name came from the elements of his own astrological chart, earth, air, and fire, though he switched air to wind because that's definitely a better name from a band name perspective. Earth, Air Fire doesn't sound very cool, but Earth, Wind Fire sounds like a band that might show up on stage in a spaceship. But Maurice didn't just want Earth, Wind Fire to be successful. He actually wrote down a mission statement. He wanted to achieve three things: First, make music for a universal audience, and they ultimately achieved that. Second, evolve consciousness. That's pretty ambitious. Third, even more so, change the world. That's why this band never sounded cynical. Even at their funkiest, there was always a purpose behind their groove. The early versions of the band went through lineup changes and some growing pains, but the commercial breakthrough came in a big way in 1975 with That's the Way of the World, which went to number one, as I mentioned, and featured the single Shining Star, which was the band's first and only number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart Throughout the rest of the '70s, Earth, Wind Fire became one of the biggest bands in the world. They had the horns, the rhythm section, great vocals, amazing costumes, cool choreography. They even had dynamic album artwork. They had the whole visual and musical universe covered, and Maurice White drove everyone in the band to be perfect all the time, which is tough to live up to. A lot of acts chase crossover success and smooth out the thing that made them interesting in the first place, but Earth, Wind Fire was able to cross over without ever compromising their identity. Their records were tight, layered, beautifully arranged, and radio-friendly, but they still had that spiritual, funky, uplifting quality that made them sound like virtually nobody else. Ultimately, Maurice's drive created a level of stress that resulted in the band taking a four-year break starting in 1984 After their two albums released in 1983 underperformed and the band found themselves chasing new trends in electronic music that left their fans feeling somewhat cold. When they reformed in 1987, they had to rebuild first their trust in one another and then rebuild their trust with their audience because their 1970s vibe was no longer in fashion. But by the beginning of the '90s, they were figuring it out and starting to sell out larger shows, and they continue touring even today despite Maurice's passing in 2016. Okay, so with all that goodness, how do I go about identifying Earth, Wind Fire's signature song? Let's dig in chronologically. I'm gonna start with Shining Star from 1975. That was their first and only number one track, as I mentioned. This song has the advantage of being their biggest seller, and it won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. It has everything good associated with Earth, Wind Fire: the groove, the horns, a positive message, and a little bit of rock 'n' roll guitar in there. This one is a strong contender. Later in 1975, they released Sing a Song from their follow-up album, Gratitude, which went to number five on the singles chart. And while this is definitely an Earth, Wind Fire song, I don't think it really rises to the level of a serious contender. It really didn't break any new ground. It's a good song, After Gratitude, the band released two albums that did very well. Spirit, in 1976, went to number two on the album chart, and 1977's All 'n All got to number three on the album chart, but neither record produced any top 10 singles. Then in 1978, they recorded a new song to include on their first greatest hits album, a song written by Maurice with guitarist Al McKay and outside songwriter Ali Williams called September. September got to number eight on the Hot 100 chart, number one on the R&B singles chart, and became the band's highest charting song ever in the UK, reaching number three there. This one is their most streamed song on Spotify with more than 2.3 billion streams, which dwarfs their next most streamed song by more than a billion and a half streams. And it's their most sampled song according to Who Sampled. So September is another serious contender. In 1979, the band released I Am, which produced two major songs in their catalog. The first was their one real experiment with disco, Boogie Wonderland, which hit number six in the US and number four in the UK, and confirmed that Earth, Wind Fire could do disco. And it was huge for me personally as a 10-year-old going to Disco on Ice at the local ice rink in Stamford, Connecticut, where I grew up. If you asked 10-year-old me, I'd say Boogie Wonderland was Earth, Wind Fire's signature song, and I think it's a contender here. The other big song from I Am was their biggest ballad ever, After the Love Has Gone. It got as high as number two on the Hot 100 Singles chart and number four in the UK. On easy-listening radio, this song was played all the time back in the day because it is one of the smoothest, most beautifully performed records Earth, Wind Fire ever made. The vocals are gorgeous, the arrangement is pristine, and there are a number of acts throughout the Rock-N-Roll era that played mostly upbeat music, only to have one big ballad become their signature song. Think REO Speedwagon, Poison, or Extreme. So let's keep After the Love Has Gone in the conversation for now. The final song I considered was a late entry in their discography, Let's Groove, from the 1981 album Raise!. Let's Groove came out after the disco backlash when a lot of artists connected to that era were trying to figure out what came next. Earth, Wind Fire adapted. The sound here is sleeker and a little bit more electronic and very early '80s, but it still sounds like them. The rhythm is there, the vocals are there, the joy is there, and Let's Groove has lasted. It's a great dance song. It doesn't sound like some dusty old artifact from any specific year. This one is a real contender as well. So those are the candidates, and unlike so many of the previous acts I've reviewed so far, these songs are pretty well-aligned with my five favorite Earth, Wind Fire songs, which is kinda nice. My top five, are at number five, Fantasy from the All 'N All record. At four, Shining Star from the That's The Way of the World record in 1975. At three, as I mentioned earlier, Boogie Wonderland, my childhood favorite, from I Am in 1979. At number two is Let's Groove from Raise in 1981. And my favorite song is September, which was only released on their Best of Earth, Wind Fire Volume 1 album in 1978.

Alex Gadd 11:05

And while I've said many times that favorite song and signature song are not necessarily the same thing, this time around it's gonna be one of my favorites for sure. Out of the five songs I'm considering, the first two cuts have to be Let's Groove and After the Love is Gone. Let's Groove is a great song and one of my favorites, but it really is more of a reprise of the sound they had already established. And After the Love is Gone is a beautiful ballad, but too much of a departure from the band's signature sound to redefine them as a ballads band going forward from there, so I can't count it as their signature song. Great song, though. I think the three final candidates are Shining Star, September, and Boogie Wonderland. We'll start with Shining Star. It was their only number one pop single, and it won the Grammy. I mentioned that already. It also announced Earth, Wind Fire as a major crossover act without asking them to sound like anyone but themselves. It has the horns, the groove, the uplift, the musicianship, and that little flash of rock and roll guitar that reminds you how much range this band had. If I were picking based only on chart success, Shining Star would be the answer here. Boogie Wonderland has the strongest personal nostalgic case for me, and I think it has real public recognition case as well. It was a major hit. It crossed over in both the US and UK, and it captured Earth, Wind Fire at the height of the disco era without making them feel like they were chasing a trend. They were already a great dance band, so when they made a disco record, they did it better than almost anybody else. But I think Boogie Wonderland is still tied a little too closely to that specific late '70s disco moment to represent the full Earth, Wind Fire story. And that leaves September. It wasn't their biggest chart hit, and it wasn't attached to one of their classic studio albums the way Shining Star was, but signature songs are not always about what peaked highest in the moment. They're also about what lasts. September has become the Earth, Wind Fire song, the one most likely to be played at weddings and parties, the song that turns the band's whole philosophy of joy, positivity, musicianship, and uplift into three and a half perfect minutes. And after watching that HBO Max documentary, I was relieved to see that Questlove agreed, as the film ended with everyone from the Obamas to Jimmy Jam to Anderson Paak to Flea from the Chili Peppers to H.E.R. Acknowledging that September was the essence of the band's sound. Quest even confirmed it with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show about a month ago. Check it out.

13:31

September? September, yeah. Do you remember- Yeah, yeah. the 21st night of September? Yeah. Uh, what, what is, what is September about? I do remember the 21st night, but I don't know why. You know, it's weird, um- Ah, nee, ah. I love that jam. Most, like, sometimes the people have to decide, like, what the signature song is. Like, Earth, Wind Fire had so many iconic songs. Yes. September was just a throwaway song on, like, a, a greatest hits record. Um- No way Maurice's son was supposed to be born on September 21st, so technically it was about the joy of him finding out that his son was gonna be born. But he was born prematurely, but they still kept it 21st day of September. So it should've been, like, the 17th day of September? Maybe August 8th or something like that. August 8th? Yeah.

Alex Gadd 14:21

So I'm pretty confident in saying that Earth, Wind Fire's signature song is September Okay, what'd you think? Did I get it right or wrong? Let me know, because as I said at the start, I'm doing this podcast to have fun discussing great bands and great music, and I still got more than 100 Rock Roll Hall of Fame acts to get through. So if you like what you heard today, I'd appreciate it if you would like and either subscribe or follow this channel to make sure you get notified about each new episode. And please tell your friends. Also, a reminder that I release a playlist for every episode, so look for the Rock 'N Roll Show podcast playlist on playlist on Spotify and Apple Music every week, this week featuring all of Earth, Wind Fire's chart hits, plus some additional favorites of mine. Please check that out. Finally, as I said, I wanna know what you think, so please leave me a comment, and I will try to respond to every one of them. The Rock 'N Roll Show podcast is a World Highway Media production. I'm your host Alex Gadd, and until next time, remember that life is short, so get those concert tickets