Day 317: Earth, Wind & Fire – That's the Way of the World
Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the best things I’ve discovered in the course of this project by a country mile, it’s just music that uplifts you and makes you happy. I was in the market for something that would make me feel a bit better today, so I went for an album of theirs that I haven’t listened to yet, That's the Way of the World.
Album cover courtesy of Columbia Records
I thought I’d done an introduction to the band since I’ve written about them three times already, turns out I haven’t, I guess I wasn’t bothering to do that when I started so this is long overdue. Earth, Wind & Fire was formed in 1967 in Chicago, when session drummer Maurice White joined two friends as a songwriting team, and their trio became known as The Salty Peppers.
They got a record deal and moved to Los Angeles while adding more members to their group, which to date has included at least 35 official members. They also changed their name into Earth, Wind & Fire after the three elements in bandleader Maurice White’s astrological chart, with air changed to wind, just because it sounded more dynamic.
The group became known for their upbeat messages and genre-blending sound, with the group dabbling in a number of different types of music to create their unique sound:
“Although we were basically jazz musicians, we played soul, funk, gospel, blues, jazz, rock and dance music…which somehow ended up becoming pop. We were coming out of a decade of experimentation, mind expansion and cosmic awareness. I wanted our music to convey messages of universal love and harmony without force-feeding listeners’ spiritual content.”
That's the Way of the World was released in 1975 as the group’s sixth studio album, as well as the soundtrack to a film of the same name – based on the trailer, it looks like a jaunty film about record executives that stars Harvey Keitel but doesn’t seem good enough to be worth watching, except maybe for the banging soundtrack. It also features the band’s first breakout hit, “Shining Star”, which went to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Like the previous Earth, Wind & Fire albums I’ve listened to, this is a spiritually uplifting and edifying album of pure joy from start to finish, and what a start it is, with the previously mentioned “Shining Star”. Apparently White took a walk at night while they were in Colorado to record the album and got overwhelmed and inspired by the stars he saw in the sky, and thought “We are all shining stars in our essence,” and thus one of the jolliest songs of all time was born. I love it, it’s one of my favourite Earth, Wind & Fire songs, I listen to it when I need a boost.
I have a theory that regularly consuming a bit of Earth, Wind & Fire is good for the spirit, and this one seems particularly convincing. Aside from the biggest hit, "Yearnin' Learnin'" and the instrumental “Africano” are some of the stronger songs from it, but there’s no track that’s even close to being bad enough to skip. Instead, it’s just a joyful ride from beginning to end.
I love these guys, my day so much better just from hearing today’s album. That's the Way of the World gets a strong 9/10 and it’s definitely going into semi-regular rotation. They’re currently touring America and they’ll be doing a nine-gig residency in Las Vegas, I’m keeping my fingers crossed they come to Europe soon, too.