Boogie Wonderland

"Boogie Wonderland"
"Boogie Wonderland"
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions
from the album I Am
B-side	"Boogie Wonderland (Instrumental) (Vinyl)"
Released	May 6, 1979
Genre	Disco; funk;
Length	4:49 (LP/7") 9:21 (12")
Label	ARC; Columbia;
Songwriter(s)	Allee Willis; Jon Lind;
Producer(s)	Maurice White; Al McKay;
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
Music video
	"Boogie Wonderland" on YouTube

"Boogie Wonderland" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions, released in April 1979 on Columbia Records.^[1] The song peaked at number 14 on the dance chart, number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.^[2]^[3] Boogie Wonderland was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA and Gold in the UK by the BPI.

Overview[]

The song was composed by Allee Willis with Jon Lind^[4] and produced by EWF leader Maurice White and Al McKay.^[1]

Critical reception[]

Rose Riggins of Gannett wrote "Boogie Wonderland is the hit. But it is more than just an average pop song. The song is an exploration is of times spent at house parties and at discos, when you wanted to be disco queen or king and the spotlight just wouldn't focus on you. You wonder why and look into the mirror and it says, Uh, Uh, baby it don't work you dance to shake the hurt. Like so many of EWFs hits, Boogie Wonderland, is bolstered by the blazing horns that have become the groups trademark. Teamed up with the talented vocal group the Emotions, EWF has created a song that will join the ranks of such past hits as Mighty Mighty, Getaway, Fantasy and September."^[5] Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone said Maurice White "takes simple dance formulas like 'Boogie Wonderland' and finds fresh possibilities within them."^[6] Matthew Greenwald of Allmusic stated "one of the few records that paired two full-fledged groups successfully, the combination of EWF and the Emotions worked wonders here and it remains a classic of the period."^[7] Allen Weiner of Morning Call wrote "Boogie Wonderland is the LP's most commercial tune, a tribute to both jazz/soul and disco fans that is pulsating and pleasing."^[8] Ace Adams of the New York Daily News also found that "The Emotions' Boogie Wonderland gets Earth, Wind & Fire off to a flying start on this album".^[9]

"Boogie Wonderland" was Grammy nominated in the categories of Best R&B Instrumental Performance and Best Disco Recording.^[10]

Covers[]

"Boogie Wonderland" was the basis for the dance song "I'm Alive" by Stretch & Vern Present "Maddog"; the song reached number 6 in the UK in September 1996.^[11]

Appearances in other media[]

"Boogie Wonderland" has been featured in the American films Roller Boogie, Madagascar, Happy Feet, Don't Look Under the Bed, Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Caddyshack and The Nice Guys, as well as the French films The Intouchables & Disco (2008 film).
It was in the 23rd episode of Season 9 of U.S. TV series The Office.
A remix of the song was used in the arcade game Dance Dance Revolution 3rdMIX, and the original version appeared later in Hottest Party 3.
The song is used in the Australian play, Priscilla: the Musical.
The song appeared in the video games, Rabbids Go Home and Just Dance 3.
The song is used as the theme for Pro Wrestling Noah wrestler Muhammad Yone.

Chart performance[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1979-2012)	Peak position
Australia Kent Music Report	5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[12]	4
Canada	11
France (IFOP)^[13]	2
Ireland (IRMA)^[14]	5
Netherlands^[15]	4
New Zealand^[16]	7
South Africa^[17]	17
UK Singles Chart	4
US Billboard Hot 100	6
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles	2
US Billboard Disco Top 80	14
US Cash Box Top 100^[18]	5

Chart (2012)	Peak position
France^[19]	39

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1979)	Rank
Australia^[20]	56
Canada^[21]	114
New Zealand^[22]	30
UK^[23]	22
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[24]	57
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[25]	33

Personnel[]

Maurice White - lead and background vocals, drums, kalimba
Philip Bailey - background vocals, congas, percussion
Verdine White - bass
Ralph Johnson - percussion
Al McKay & Marlo Henderson - guitar
Larry Dunn - Piano & Oberheim and Moog Synthesizers
Fred White - drums
Don Myrick - alto, tenor, and baritone Saxophones
The Emotions - backing vocals
Daniel Smith, Delores Bing, Jacqueline Lustgarten, Jan Kelley, John Walz, Kevan Torfeh, Larry Corbett, Miguel Martinez - cello
Barbara Korn, Sidney Muldrow, Richard Perissi, Marilyn Robinson - french horn
George Bohanon, Garnett Brown, Bill Reichenbach Jr., Louis Satterfield, Benjamin Powell, Maurice Spears - trombone
Johnny Graham - guitar
Fred Jackson, Jr., Herman Riley, Jerome Richardson - Additional Saxophones
Richard Lepore - Timpani
Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, Michael Harris, Jerry Hey, Elmer Brown, Rahmlee Michael Davis, Steve Madaio - trumpets
James Ross, Laurie Woods, Linda Lipsett, Marilyn Baker, Rollice Dale, Virginia Majewski - viola
Anton Sen, Sherman Bryana, Carl LaMagna, Cynthia Kovaks, Gina Kronstadt, Haim Shtrum, Harris Goldman, Henry Ferber, Henry Roth, Ilkka Talvi, Jack Gootkin, Jerome Reisler, Jerome Webster, Joseph Goodman, Joseph Livoti, Judith Talvi, Leeana Sherman, Marcy Dicterow, Pamela Gates, Pavel Farkas, Ronald Clarck, Rosmen Torfeh, Sheldon Sanov, William Henderson - violin

Steve Poskitt - step in drummer for Boogie Wonderland recording

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[26] digital	Gold	45,000
Italy (FIMI)^[27] sales since 2009	Gold	35,000
United Kingdom (BPI)^[28] physical	Gold	500,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[29] physical	Gold	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades[]

The information regarding accolades attributed to "Boogie Wonderland" is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.^[30]

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Gary Mulholland	U.K.	This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock	2002	*
Dave Marsh	U.S.	The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made	1989	737
Bruce Pollock	U.S.	The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000	2005	*
The Guardian	UK	1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear	2009	*

(*) designates lists that are unordered.

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland. Columbia Records. April 1979.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 86.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 179.
^ Willis, Allee (25 November 2018). "How I wrote 'Boogie Wonderland'" Songwritingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
^ Riggins, Rose (August 25, 1979). "'Boogie Wonderland' more than just pop". The Californian. Gannett. p. 35 – via newspapers.com.
^ Marsh, Dave (August 29, 1979). "I Am". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
^ Greenwald, Matthew. "Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
^ Weiner, Allen (June 23, 1979). "Earth,Wind & Fire: I Am". The Morning Call. p. 52 – via newspapers.com.
^ Adams, Ace (June 22, 1979). "Mini Reviews". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 321.
^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
^ "The Official Charts Company Stretch 'N' Vern Presents 'Maddog' - I'm Alive".
^ "Ultratop.be – Earth Wind and Fire – Boogie Wonderland" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. June 22, 1979. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Boogie Wonderland". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
^ "NL Top40 - Search Results Boogie Wonderland". Retrieved October 30, 2018.
^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. July 22, 1979. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
^ http://www.rock.co.za/files/sa_charts_1969_1989_songs_(A-B).html
^ "Top 100 1979-07-14". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
^ Steffen Hung. "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions - Boogie Wonderland". Lescharts.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
^ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
^ "Top Selling Singles of 1979 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. December 31, 1979. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
^ "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. December 22, 1979. p. 27.
^ "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1979". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
^ "Danish single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire, The Emotions – Boogie Wonderland". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
^ "Italian single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 4, 2020. Select "2020" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Boogie Wonderland" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^ "British single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire & Emotions – Boogie Wonderland". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
^ "American single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
^ "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". Acclaimed Music.

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[Song-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland. Columbia Records. April 1979.

[2] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 86.

[3] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 179.

[4] Willis, Allee (25 November 2018). "How I wrote 'Boogie Wonderland'" Songwritingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2020.

[5] Riggins, Rose (August 25, 1979). "'Boogie Wonderland' more than just pop". The Californian. Gannett. p. 35 – via newspapers.com.

[6] Marsh, Dave (August 29, 1979). "I Am". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.

[7] Greenwald, Matthew. "Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". allmusic.com. Allmusic.

[8] Weiner, Allen (June 23, 1979). "Earth,Wind & Fire: I Am". The Morning Call. p. 52 – via newspapers.com.

[9] Adams, Ace (June 22, 1979). "Mini Reviews". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 321.

[10] "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.

[11] "The Official Charts Company Stretch 'N' Vern Presents 'Maddog' - I'm Alive".

[sc_Flanders_Earth_Wind_and_Fire-12] "Ultratop.be – Earth Wind and Fire – Boogie Wonderland" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.

[13] "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. June 22, 1979. Retrieved December 22, 2019.

[sc_Ireland2_-14] "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Boogie Wonderland". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2018.

[15] "NL Top40 - Search Results Boogie Wonderland". Retrieved October 30, 2018.

[16] "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. July 22, 1979. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

[17] ttp://www.rock.co.za/files/sa_charts_1969_1989_songs_(A-B).html

[18] "Top 100 1979-07-14". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2016.

[19] Steffen Hung. "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions - Boogie Wonderland". Lescharts.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

[20] "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

[21] "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

[22] "Top Selling Singles of 1979 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. December 31, 1979. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

[23] "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. December 22, 1979. p. 27.

[24] "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

[25] "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1979". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

[DenmarkEarth,_Wind_&_Fire,_The_EmotionsBoogie_WonderlandsingleCertRef-26] "Danish single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire, The Emotions – Boogie Wonderland". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 4, 2020.

[ItalyEarth,_Wind_&_FireBoogie_WonderlandsingleCertRef-27] "Italian single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 4, 2020. Select "2020" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Boogie Wonderland" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".

[United_KingdomEarth,_Wind_&_Fire_&_EmotionsBoogie_WonderlandsingleCertRef-28] "British single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire & Emotions – Boogie Wonderland". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 4, 2020.

[United_StatesEarth,_Wind_&_FireBoogie_WonderlandsingleCertRef-29] "American single certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 4, 2020.

[acclaimed-30] "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". Acclaimed Music.

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show v t Earth, Wind & Fire
Philip Bailey Verdine White Ralph Johnson B. David Whitworth Myron McKinley John Paris Philip Bailey, Jr. Morris O'Connor Serg Dimitrijevic Maurice White Michael Beale Leslie Drayton Wade Flemons Yackov Ben Israel Sherry Scott Carl Carwell Alexander Thomas Chester Washington Don Whitehead Roland Bautista Jessica Cleaves Larry Dunn Ronnie Laws Johnny Graham Al McKay Andrew Woolfolk Fred White Beloyd Taylor Sonny Emory Sheldon Reynolds Dick Smith Vance Taylor Freddie Ravel Morris Pleasure David Romero Mike McKnight Robert Brookins Gordon Campbell Bobby Gonzales Daniel de los Reyes John Johnson Krystal Bailey Kim Johnson Greg "G-Mo" Moore Vadim Zilberstein Don Myrick
Studio albums	Earth, Wind & Fire The Need of Love Last Days and Time Head to the Sky Open Our Eyes That's the Way of the World Spirit All 'n All I Am Faces Raise! Powerlight Electric Universe Touch the World Heritage Millennium In the Name of Love The Promise Illumination Now, Then & Forever Holiday
Compilations and live albums	Another Time Gratitude The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 The Collection The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2 The Very Best of Earth, Wind & Fire The Eternal Dance The Very Best Dance Tracks Elements of Love: Ballads Boogie Wonderland: The Very Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Greatest Hits Live Greatest Hits The Ultimate Collection That's the Way of the World: Alive in 75 Live in Rio The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire The Greatest Hits The Classic Christmas Album
Singles	"Evil" "Keep Your Head to the Sky" "Mighty Mighty" "Kalimba Story" "Devotion" "Sun Goddess" "Shining Star" "That's the Way of the World" "Sing a Song" "Can't Hide Love" "Getaway" "Saturday Nite" "Serpentine Fire" "Fantasy" "Got to Get You into My Life" "September" "Boogie Wonderland" "After the Love Has Gone" "In the Stone" "Star" "Let Me Talk" "You" "And Love Goes On" "Let's Groove" "Wanna Be with You" "I've Had Enough" "Fall in Love with Me" "Side by Side" "Magnetic" "Touch" "System of Survival" "Thinking of You" "Evil Roy" "Turn on (The Beat Box)" "Heritage" "For the Love Of You" "Sunday Morning" "When Love Goes Wrong" "September 99" "All in the Way" "Hold Me" "The Way You Move" "Pure Gold" "To You" "Change Your Mind" "Guiding Lights" "My Promise" "Why"
Soundtracks	Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Videos	Earth, Wind & Fire: In Concert The Eternal Vision Live in Japan Earth, Wind & Fire: Live Earth, Wind & Fire: Live by Request Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at Montreux 1997 Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire – Live at the Greek Theatre
Related articles	Ramsey Lewis The Pharaohs Joe Wissert Charles Stepney The Phenix Horns Earth, Wind & Fire Horns The Emotions Wayne Vaughn Chicago Kalimba Music
Lists	Discography Awards and nominations Tribute albums Personnel
Category

show v t The Emotions
Studio albums	Untouched (1972) Flowers (1976) Rejoice (1977) Sunbeam (1978) Come into Our World (1979) Sincerely (1984) If I Only Knew (1985)
Compilation albums	Sunshine (1977)
Singles	"Heart Association" "Show Me How" "My Honey and Me" "Flowers" "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" "Best of My Love" "Don't Ask My Neighbors" "Smile" "Shouting Out Love" "Boogie Wonderland" "What's the Name of Your Love" "You're the One" "You're the Best" "All in the Way
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