That's the Way of the World (Earth, Wind & Fire song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"That's the Way of the World"
That's The Way Of The World - Earth, Wind & Fire.jpg
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire
from the album That's the Way of the World
B-side"Africano"
ReleasedJune 17, 1975
RecordedAutumn 1974
GenreR&B, funk
Length3:12 (single version)
5:44 (album version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Maurice White, Charles Stepney, Verdine White
Producer(s)Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"Sun Goddess"
(1975) 		"That's the Way of the World"
(1975) 		"Sing a Song"
(1975)

"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]

Overview[]

The song is the title track of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 album That's the Way of the World. The track was produced by bandleader Maurice White, who also wrote the song along with Charles Stepney and Verdine White.[1]

Critical reception[]

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."[4] Alex Henderson of Allmusic called the song "unforgettable".[5] 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."[6] Daryl Easlea of the BBC also said That's the Way of the World "remains irresistible: six minutes of ethereal, bossa nova-influenced soul."[7]

Chart history[]

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[]

The information regarding accolades attributed to "That's the Way of the World" is adapted from rollingstone.com and acclaimedmusic.net.[8][9]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Rolling Stone U.S. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 329
Bruce Pollock U.S. The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000 2005 *
Mark Ellingham U.S. The Rough Guide Book of Playlists: 5,000 Songs You Must Download 2007 *

(*) designates lists that are unordered.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World. Columbia Records. June 1975.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
  4. ^ Chesterton, George (April 2, 2012). "Old music: Earth, Wind & Fire – That's the Way of the World". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
  5. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  6. ^ Curwood, Stephen (July 18, 1975). "Records: Nelson, Earth etc., Bee Gees". newspapers.com. Boston Globe. p. 11.
  7. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2010). "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World Review". bbc.co.uk. BBC.
  8. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". acclaimedmusic.net.
  9. ^ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""