Dust in the Wind

"Dust in the Wind"
Single by Kansas
from the album Point of Know Return
B-side "Paradox"
Released January 16, 1978
Recorded June–July 1977
Genre Soft rock[1]
Length 3:27
Label Kirshner
Songwriter(s) Kerry Livgren
Producer(s) Jeff Glixman, Kansas
Kansas singles chronology
"Point of Know Return"
(1977)		 "Dust in the Wind"
(1978)		 "Portrait (He Knew)"
(1978)

"Point of Know Return"
(1977)		 "Dust in the Wind"
(1978)		 "Portrait (He Knew)"
(1978)
Point of Know Return track listing
10 tracks
  1. "Point of Know Return"
  2. "Paradox"
  3. "The Spider"
  4. "Portrait (He Knew)"
  5. "Closet Chronicles"
  6. "Lightning's Hand"
  7. "Dust in the Wind"
  8. "Sparks of the Tempest"
  9. "Nobody's Home"
  10. "Hopelessly Human"

"Dust in the Wind" is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album Point of Know Return.

The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 22, 1978, making it Kansas's only top ten Billboard Hot 100 charting single. The 45-rpm single was certified Gold for sales of one million units by the RIAA shortly after the height of its popularity as a hit single. More than 25 years later, the RIAA certified Gold the digital download format of the song, Kansas' only single to do so certified as of September 17, 2008.[2]

Background and writing

A last-minute addition to the track lineup for Point of Know Return, "Dust in the Wind" would also be its greatest success.

The guitar line for this song was written by Kerry Livgren as a finger exercise for learning fingerpicking. His wife, Vicci, heard what he was doing, remarked that the melody was nice, and encouraged him to write lyrics for it.[3] Livgren was unsure whether his fellow band members would like it, since it was a departure from their signature style. After he played the demo for the band, there was a "stunned silence" and the band asked him, "Kerry, where has this been?"[4][3]

The title of the song is a Bible reference, paraphrasing Ecclesiastes:[5]

A meditation on mortality and the inevitability of death, the lyrical theme bears a striking resemblance to the well-known biblical passages Genesis 3:19 ("...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.") and Ecclesiastes 3:20 (All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.) as well as to the famous opening lines of the Japanese war epic The Tale of the Heike ("...the mighty fall at last, and they are as dust before the wind.") and from a book of Native American poetry, which includes the line "for all we are is dust in the wind."[3]

Kansas's lyrics of "Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky" also appear to be derived from The Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:4 ("Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.)

"Dust in the Wind" was one of Kansas's first acoustic tracks; its slow melancholy melody and philosophical lyrics differ from their other hits such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Point of Know Return". The guitar track comes from two guitarists playing six-string guitars in unison, one in standard tuning and the other in Nashville tuning, to create a chimy sound similar to a twelve-string guitar. The instrumental bridge contains a distinctive melodic line and harmony for violin and viola.

Kansas also released a live version of the song on their album Two for the Show and a symphonic version on Always Never the Same.

Personnel

Chart performance

  • In the 1989 movie, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted encounter a language barrier when they meet the Greek philosopher, Socrates. With Bill's suggestion, Ted 'philosophises' that "All we are, is dust in the wind," while making pertinent gestures.
  • In the 1990s sci-fi fantasy TV series Highlander: The Series, in the Season Two episode "The Darkness", the song was played in the scene when Duncan MacLeod was remembering his times with his girlfriend, Tessa Noël, who died in the end of that episode. The song was also played in the Season Two episode "Unholy Alliance: Part Two", the scene when Duncan MacLeod returns to his barge in Paris, France.
  • Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of songs deemed lyrically questionable distributed by Clear Channel.
  • In the 2003 film Old School, Frank, played by Will Ferrell, sings the song at Blue’s funeral.
  • It is used twice in the 2011 film Final Destination 5: once at the beginning as a sign of the impending bridge collapse, and once at the end just before the Flight 180 explosion.

References

  1. ↑ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - November 10, 2015". Riaa.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "In the Studio with Point of Know Return, featuring Kansas". In The Studio. September 7, 1992. Archived from the original on December 28, 2004. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  4. ↑ Kansas - We Knew It Was Going to Be a Hit, interview (posted to YouTube on January 28, 2015)
    Kerry Livgren tells the story of how Dust In The Wind was written, and how the band reacted to hearing it for the first time.
  5. ↑ "A Once Wayward Son Carries On". Christianity Today. March 6, 2006. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind". Biblehub.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "Radio2 top 30: 7 november 2015". Radio2.be. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Dust in the Wind in Canadian Charts". Collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Dust in the Wind in Canadian Adult Contemporary Charts". Collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Discografie Kansas". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Infodisc : Tous les Titres de chaque Artiste". Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Discography Kansas". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  16. ↑
  17. ↑
  18. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - November 10, 2015". Riaa.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
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