That's the Way of the World (Earth, Wind & Fire song)
"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]
| "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 17, 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 | ||||
| ||||
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]
Covers
The song was covered by Ramsey Lewis on his 1975 album Don't It Feel Good, saxophonist Najee on his 1988 album Day by Day and drummer Norman Connors on his 1988 album Passion.[5]
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.[6][7]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2005 | 337 |
| 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
- Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World. Columbia Records. June 1975.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
- Chesterton, George (April 2, 2012). "Old music: Earth, Wind & Fire – That's the Way of the World". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". whosampled.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". acclaimedmusic.net.
- "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
