"That's the Way of the World" is a song recorded by the band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in June 1975 on Columbia Records.[1] The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2][3]
| "That's the Way of the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album That's the Way of the World | ||||
| B-side | "Africano" | |||
| Released | June 17, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1974 | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul, funk | |||
| Length | 3:12 (single version) 5:45 (album version) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Maurice White, Charles Stepney, Verdine White | |||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4]
Overview edit
The song is the title track of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 album of the same name. The track was produced by bandleader Maurice White, who also wrote the song along with Charles Stepney and Verdine White.[1]
Covers edit
Soul artist Dwele covered of "That's the Way of the World" on the 2007 compilation album Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire. With his rendition of the tune, Dwele earned a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Urban/Alternative Performance.[5][6]
Critical reception edit
Cash Box said that it was "clean, mindbending and soulful."[7] George Chesterton of The Guardian noted that the song is "touched with the epic, which emerges as the scope of its message of hope and soulful majesty unfold."[8] Alex Henderson of Allmusic called the song "unforgettable".[9] Stephen Curwood of the Boston Globe wrote "The title cut comes into your consciousness the way a cool air-conditioned breeze rushes over your face when you've been out in the sticky heat. Sometimes the cool goes too dry for our taste, but then, that's a form of sophistication."[10] Daryl Easlea of the BBC also said That's the Way of the World "remains irresistible: six minutes of ethereal, bossa nova-influenced soul."[11]
Chart history edit
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles[3] | 5 |
Accolades edit
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[12] | 2004 | 329 |
| Bruce Pollock | U.S. | The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000[13] | 2005 | * |
| Mark Ellingham | U.S. | The Rough Guide Book of Playlists: 5,000 Songs You Must Download[14] | 2007 | * |
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
References edit
- ^ a b Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World. Columbia Records. June 1975.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#t
- ^ "Dwele". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathon (March 27, 2007). "Rock, fusion, soul in the mix this week". inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 28, 1975. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Chesterton, George (April 2, 2012). "Old music: Earth, Wind & Fire – That's the Way of the World". The Guardian.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ Curwood, Stephen (July 18, 1975). "Records: Nelson, Earth etc., Bee Gees". newspapers.com. Boston Globe. p. 11.
- ^ Easlea, Daryl (2010). "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World Review". bbc.co.uk. BBC.
- ^ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ Pollock, Bruce (1997). The Rock Song Index: The 7,500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era, 1944–2000. New York: Schirmer Books. p. 128. ISBN 0-02-8720687.
- ^ Ellingham, Mark, ed. (2007). The Rough Guide Book of Playlists: 5,000 Songs You Must Download (2nd ed.). Rough Guides. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-84353-728-1 – via Internet Archive.