Earth, Wind & Firetook funk to the masses with such consistency, brilliance and soul that in trying to sum up just how big a cultural phenomenon they were in their commercial prime, "The Rolling Stone Album Guide" suggests, "It could be argued that 'The Best ofEarth,Wind&Fire' portrays the best singles band of the '70s."
You’ll get no argument from me.
Theywent Top 40 14 times that decade and met the '80s head on with another of their most enduring hits, "Let's Groove."
They lost the legendary Maurice White, who founded the group with his brother Verdine in 1969, in 2016.
But the surviving members are still out there revisiting the hits that made them famous on a co-headlining tour with another group known for its horn-driven chart hits, Chicago, playing Footprint Center in Phoenix on Thursday, Aug. 29.
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With September just around the corner, here’s a countdown of Earth, Wind & Fire’s greatest songs, an unapologetically subjective list written with nothing but love and respect for an amazing catalog that hasn’t aged a bit.
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There's also a Spotify playlist of all 20 songs at the bottom of this story just for you and your listening pleasure.
20. 'You and I'
This is the track that brought their final album of the ‘70s, the double-platinum “I Am,” to a deeply soulful finish. The chorus imagines a future of “You and I living together” and “You and I groovin' forever.” And with a groove as undeniable yet understated as the one that underscores those soulful harmonies, groovin’ forever seems like a perfectly viable option.
19. 'I’ll Write a Song for You'
This ballad ushers in the second side of “All n’ All.” It's a slow-burning epic that eases you in with a gently finger-picked guitar and spends the next five minutes working its way to a rousing crescendo as Philip Bailey’s voice takes flight.
It’s one of Bailey’s most impassioned vocals — an exhilarating blend of sweet falsetto and full-throated wailing. The way he shouts “baby” on “We write a song, we write a song, just you and me, baby” gets me every time. And the man is singing to an actual baby. Bailey is said to have written the lyrics after learning he was about to be a father.
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18. 'Can’t Let Go'
This is one of the funkier highlights of “I Am,” an album released at the height of the disco era. It’s not disco, but I can’t imagine any DJ could’ve thrown this on without packing the dance floor. It’s such a joyful record, from those horns that leave no doubt that what you’re hearing is Earth, Wind & Fire to the romance of that chorus hook: “I can't let go of a love that grows/ You're my woman, baby, love/ You know I love you so.”
This was a hit on the British soul charts, where it peaked at No. 12.
17. 'Wanna Be With You'
They picked up a Grammy for this jazzy highlight of “Raise!” — Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group — and deservedly so. Those harmonies are smooth as silk. But everything about this track contributes to the magic, from the slinky funk guitar groove to the handclaps and, of course, the horns. It peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 51 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
16. 'On Your Face'
This funky highlight of their seventh album, “Spirit,” peaked at No. 26 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. The arrangement is flawless, with horn accents riding the groove as White sets the scene with his soulful delivery of “Ain't it funny that the way you feel shows on your face? And no matter how you try to hide, it states your case?” The vocal interplay between White and Bailey on those high notes could not be more distinctively Earth, Wind & Fire.
15. 'Reasons'
If Bailey’s sweet falsetto on this deeply soulful, jazz-inflected ballad doesn’t give you chills, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m no doctor. But those high notes Bailey hits on songs like this have always been a huge part of his legendary status. And his phrasing is just impressive, his elastic delivery of “Please let me love you with all of my might” being one of several prime examples here.
He also makes a one-night stand sound so romantic people have been known to play this at their weddings.
14. 'In the Stone'
This is the song that welcomes listeners to “I Am” with an irresistible funk groove, horns that swing and insistent percussion to underscore the story of a love so strong and true, it’s written in the stone. The subtle use of strings is a nicely understated touch. This single peaked at No. 23 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart.
13. 'Fall in Love With Me'
This is the first song on our list that went Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 17 in 1983 as the first song released from the “Powerlight” album, their 12th. It also proved to be their last Top 40 entry on the Hot 100, but at least they went out with a banger.
The post-disco electro vibe of “Fall in the Love With Me” is a logical extension of what worked on the previous album’s breakout smash, “Let’s Groove.” But it’s no retread. That chorus is among their most contagious moments and that guitar lead by Roland Bautista is one for the ages, an electrifying exclamation point at the end of a record that already earned it.
12. 'Serpentine Fire'
The song that set the tone for “All n’ All” spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. And it’s no mystery how it managed that. This is one of their funkier triumphs, blessed with a gritty lead vocal from White. So what is this serpentine fire he keeps promising to tell the story, morning glory, all about? It was apparently inspired by Kundalini yoga, an ancient practice said to allow you to unlock a higher consciousness of energy.
I haven’t tried that, to be honest. But the energy they’ve unlocked is definitely operating on a higher level. This one also got to No. 13 on the Hot 100.
11. 'Can’t Hide Love'
This horn-fueled slow jam barely made a dent on Billboard's Hot 100, where it stalled at No. 39. But its appeal is more timeless than that, between those stabbing horns and White's achingly soulful delivery. It’s a rare case of Earth, Wind & Fire covering outside material, but they definitely made this song — originally recorded by an R&B group called Creative Source — their own. You can’t even hear the seeds of what Earth, Wind & Fire did in the original recording.
10. 'Getaway'
This hard-grooving escapist funk jam spent two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart and peaked at No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It also opened “Spirit,” one of their best albums.
Many great producers would’ve argued that they might do well to ease up on the energy a little, maybe scale back on the BPMs a bit in service to the greater glory of the groove. But the fact that it feels like they’re all hanging on for dear life to a runaway groove is half the charm of “Getaway.” It’s all forward momentum. And that just makes it that much more exciting.
9. 'Got to Get You Into My Life'
As a movie, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band” is a disaster. But without it, we’d have never gotten this, one of the greatest Beatles covers ever laid to tape. It’s right up there with Stevie Wonder’s “We Can Work It Out,” a wholesale reinvention that bristles with energy and creativity while honoring the source material. Instead of throwing out the bathwater? They drew the kid a whole new bath.
It’s brilliant. That opening flurry of notes? That’s all Earth, Wind & Fire. That “Got to get you into my life, into my life” section? You won’t find that on the Beatles version. Every new idea these guys introduce is utterly transformative. And? They took the Beatles to the top of Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. It also peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and picked up a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, a well-deserved honor.
8. 'Sing a Song'
This effervescent celebration of the healing properties of music announces its intentions with a suggestion that “when you feel down and out, sing a song,” the backing vocals chiming in with “It’ll make your day.” And if this uplifting R&B jam doesn’t make your day, you may need something stronger than a song. The energy is just that contagious. “Sing a Song” spent two weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart and peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
7. 'Fantasy'
That chorus hook could not be more infectious, but what really makes this record are the harmonies — at least until Bailey unleashes those high notes near the end and effortlessly elevates what would’ve been a perfect record to a whole other level.
For a song that couldn’t feel more like a massive pop hit, this one somehow stalled at No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart and only got to No. 31 on Billboard’s Hot 100. White reportedly finished the lyrics after watching “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” one more reason to be glad that film was made (not that you needed one more reason).
6. 'After the Love Has Gone'
Their most successful ballad peaked at No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 (kept at bay by “My Sharona”) and the Hot Soul Singles chart. The music was written by easy-listening kingpin David Foster and Bill Champlin, with lyrics by Jay Graydon. The song was initially offered to Daryl Hall and John Oates, who turned it down to focus on their own material, which may be just as well. I can’t imagine they’d have come up with a better version.
The vocals do a brilliant job of bringing out the pathos of the lyrics as they sing of faded love in lines as sorrowful as “Something happened along the way, and yesterday was all that we had.” This picked up a well-deserved Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
5. 'Boogie Wonderland'
This is as close as Earth, Wind & Fire would come in the decade of disco to a full embrace of that aesthetic, sending out for the Emotions to add some female vocal power to the mix. And the results are truly glorious, filtering the more euphoric properties of disco through a heavy dose of funk.
The Emotions had already topped the Hot 100 two years earlier with “Best of My Love,” a song written by Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire, and the chemistry is undeniable as they share the vocal spotlight on a song about dancing the night away to shake the hurt of an unsatisfying life in a Boogie Wonderland with lyrics inspired by “Looking for Mr. Goodbar.”
This one peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, winning a Best R&B Instrumental Performance Grammy for the instrumental version on the flip side.
4. 'That’s the Way of the World'
This soulful slow jam was the title track to their first release to top the Billboard album chart and earned a spot on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
In his autobiography, Bailey wrote that when he heard the final mix, "I thought we sounded like angels,” adding, “It was as if God had been guiding us." And it’s easy to hear when it made him feel that way.
That gospel-flavored melody arranged by Charles Stepney, who also co-produced the track with White, is breathtaking. And White and Bailey do their best to take you high and higher, as the lyrics promise while delivering an uplifting message of leaving the sorrowful days behind and finding peace of mind.
It’s also brilliantly arranged. As White told BlueRailroad, “It reaches a climax and just stays there.” That it does — it peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 and No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart.
3. 'Let’s Groove'
Their most successful single of the ‘80s finds them embracing post-disco electro-funk without abandoning the horns that got them there, setting the tone with a classic robotic vocoder-ized vocal chant of "We can boogie down, down oh-oh down.” The chorus hook is sweet falsetto gold, while the soulful verses encourage a dancer to "glide like a 747 and lose yourself in the sky among the clouds in the heavens.”
This one spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, riding out the disco backlash with a groove that all but dares you not to dance.
2. 'Shining Star'
It's not only their funkiest funk hit, it’s also their first undeniable mainstream invasion, topping both the Hot 100 and the Hot Soul Singles chart in Billboard as their first chart-topping hit on either chart.
The James Brown-worthy groove is relentless, and the attitude in White’s lead vocal is beyond contagious. You'd almost swear he wrote the verses on the way home from a P-Funk show, which may be why the Roots and Public Enemy both sampled it. But the uplifting lyrics are closer in spirit to Sly & The Family Stone, holding out the promise, “You're a shining star, no matter who you are/ Shining bright to see what you could truly be.”
The Grammys definitely got it right when they named this one best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
1. 'September'
For what it's worth, I almost went with “Shining Star.” But this is their signature song for a reason (and their most streamed song on Spotify by quite distance with nearly 1.7 billion streams as of Aug. 20, 2024). We can say a song is timeless all we want, but this one has the stats to back it up.
They ease into the joyful effervescence that defines this track with slinky funk guitar and finger pops before the horns come charging in. But it's the sweet falsetto chorus hook that ultimately made this such a standout of the disco era, even if we're still not sure what "Ba-dee-ya" means.
Unless it means timeless.
In an interview with NPR, the song’s co-writer Allee Willis said she begged White to change what she saw as a placeholding lyric that would ruin everything.
"I just said, 'What the (expletive) does 'ba-dee-ya' mean?'” she recalled. “And he essentially said, 'Who the (expletive) cares?' I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.”
This classic topped the Hot Soul Singles chart but somehow stalled at No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and onFacebookas Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
