Serpentine Fire
| "Serpentine Fire" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album All 'N All | ||||
| B-side | "Serpentine Fire (Instrumental)" | |||
| Released | October 15, 1977 | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Funk, disco | |||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Maurice White, Verdine White, Reginald Sonny Burke | |||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
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"Serpentine Fire" is a song by Earth, Wind & Fire which was ranked by Billboard magazine as the #1 R&B single for the year 1978.
Released October 15 1977 as the lead single from the album All 'N All, "Serpentine Fire" spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart from December 3 1977. The single also crossed over to the Pop-oriented Billboard Hot 100 charts with a #13 peak.[1][2][3]
A music video was prepped to promote "Serpentine Fire" featuring the band performing in a supposed pyramid.[4]
The song was written by founding band members Maurice White and Verdine White in collaboration with Reginald "Sonny" Burke. Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist Philip Bailey later commented on the "serpentine fire" metaphor: "Maurice [White] at that point in time in our career was studying a lot of metaphysics and a lot of Eastern philosophy, and the 'Serpentine Fire' – I’m not an expert on that whole thing, because I had to ask him myself [to explain] – but it's actually the sex drive – or sexual impulse".[5] Although Maurice White was evidently responsible for the song's title, Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist/musical director Larry Dunn credits the song's "basic premise" to Sonny Burke[6] a veteran arranger and keyboardist featured on many R&B recordings although his only credited connection with Earth, Wind & Fire is as the co-writer of "Serpentine Fire".
Instrumental versions of "Serpentine Fire" have been recorded by Jimmy Smith (album Unfinished Business/ 1978) and by Tom Scott (album Them Changes/ 1990). Bassist Nathan East released a version featuring Earth, Wind & Fire members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson in 2016. In 2015 Jack DeJohnette recorded a version with Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison for his ECM-Album In Movement.
Chart positions
| Chart (1977-1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Songs | 1 |
Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to "Serpentine Fire" is adapted from Acclaimed Music.[7]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Marsh | U.S. | The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made | 1989 | 307 |
| Bruce Pollock | U.S. | The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 | 2005 | * |
| pc muñoz | U.S. | Verse-Chorus-Verse: A Column Dedicated to Great Songs | 2005 | * |
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
References
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ↑ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (1978-02-11). "Billboard".
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 179.
- ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire - Serpentine Fire". YouTube. 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
- ↑ "'That Groove Was Undeniable': Making Earth, Wind & Fire's 'All 'N All'". The Atlantic. 2012-11-21. doi:10.1038/ncomms13155. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ↑ "Serpentine Fire". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
