That's the Way of the World (Earth, Wind & Fire song)
| "That's the Way of the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album That's the Way of the World | ||||
| B-side | "Africano" | |||
| Released | June 18, 1975 | |||
| Format | 7", 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1974 | |||
| Genre | R&B, funk | |||
| Length |
3:12 (single version) 5:44 (album version) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Maurice White, Charles Stepney, Verdine White | |||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "That's the Way of the World" (audio only) on YouTube | ||||
"That's the Way of the World" is a 1975 song by the R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire and is also the title track of their album That's the Way of the World. Written by Maurice White, Charles Stepney and Verdine White for Columbia Records, "That's the Way of the World" was released as a single in many countries and reached number 12 and number 5 on the US Pop and Black Singles charts respectively.[1] It ranked #337 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.[2]
Samples
The song has been sampled by Frost on the song "Heaven & Hell" included on his album When Hell.A. Freezes Over, on the Do Ya Thing (Remix) by Cam'ron and on the West Coast remix of "Where Are They Now?" by Nas.[3]
Uses in other media
"That's the Way of the World" was used as the closing theme song for the sitcom Hearts Afire, which was also named after the song. It was also featured in the Cold Case episode "Fireflies".
Chart history
| Chart (1975)[1] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Black Singles | 5 |
Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to "That's the Way of the World" is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.[4]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2005 | 329 |
| Bruce Pollock | U.S. | The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000 | 2005 | * |
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
Renditions
On November 17, 1978, Peoples Temple member and Jonestown resident Deanna Wilkinson performed the song as part of a live performance for Congressman Leo Ryan during a visit to the jungle commune to investigate allegations of human rights violations. The Jonestown massacre took place the following day. Among the victims was Wilkinson.[5]
In 1980, trumpeter Herb Alpert covered the song on his solo album Beyond.
In 1988, Contemporary musician Najee covered the song on his album Day by Day.
In 1992, pianist Richard Tee covered the song on his album Real Time.
In 2001, Filipino singer Gary Valenciano covered the song on his album Revive.
In 2005, saxophonist Nelson Rangell covered the song on his release My American Songbook, Vol. 1.[6][7]
In 2009, another saxophonist Art Sherrod, Jr. released his Seasons album which contained a cover of the EWF song.[8][9]
References
- 1 2 That's the Way of the World – Charts on allmusic.com
- ↑ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire Music Sampled by Others". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Shining Star". Acclaimed Music. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Jonestown Singer". YouTube. 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Nelson Rangell – My American Songbook Vol. 1 overview". Allmusic.com.
- ↑ "Nelson Rangell – My American Songbook (Vol. 1)". SmoothViews.com.
- ↑ "Art Sherrod Jr – Seasons". SmoothVibes.com.
- ↑ "Seasons overview". Allmusic.com.
