Today – thirty songs from the rock era with the word “boogie” in their title.
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Tunes Du Jour Presents Earth, Wind & Fire
Few bands have shaped the landscape of funk, soul, and R&B quite like Earth, Wind & Fire. Founded in Chicago in 1969 by Maurice White, the group created a signature sound that blended African and Latin musical elements with funk, soul, jazz, disco, and rock. Their innovative fusion approach, coupled with spiritual lyrics and elaborate stage shows, helped establish them as one of the most successful and influential bands of the 1970s and early 1980s.
The band’s commercial peak came with a string of hits that remain iconic today. Songs like “September,” “Shining Star,” and “Let’s Groove” showcase their masterful combination of uplifting lyrics, tight horn arrangements, and irresistible rhythms. The distinctive falsetto of Philip Bailey complemented by Maurice White’s tenor vocals created vocal harmonies that became a hallmark of their sound, particularly evident in songs like “That’s the Way of the World” and “Sing a Song.” This dynamic vocal partnership could shift seamlessly between unison power and intricate interplay, while their individual strengths added another dimension to the group’s vocal arsenal.
What set Earth, Wind & Fire apart was their ability to transcend musical boundaries while maintaining broad appeal. “That’s the Way of the World” and “Fantasy” exemplify their talent for creating music that was both commercially successful and artistically ambitious. The incorporation of African instruments like the kalimba (thumb piano), along with their integration of jazz elements and complex orchestrations, brought a unique sophistication to popular music of the era.
The group’s influence extended beyond their musical innovations. Their positive messages of universal love, spiritual awareness, and self-empowerment resonated with audiences across racial and cultural lines. Their elaborate live performances, featuring disappearing acts, levitation, and Egyptian-themed costumes, set new standards for concert spectacle and influenced generations of performers who followed.
Looking at their body of work, represented in this playlist of their most celebrated songs, it’s clear why Earth, Wind & Fire has endured as one of popular music’s most respected acts. Their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their lifetime achievement Grammy, and their Kennedy Center Honors all speak to their lasting impact. Perhaps most telling, though, is how their music continues to bring joy and inspiration to new generations of listeners, proving that their message of positivity and musical excellence truly transcends time.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 12-17-22
Today’s playlist celebrates the December 17 birthdays of R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks, Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth, Free/Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, The Meters’ Art Neville, Paul Butterfield, Bananarama’s Sara Dallin, Emotions’ Wanda Hutchinson, and Dave Dee; and the December 18 birthdays of Billie Eilish, The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, Julia Holter, Christina Aguilera, Sia, DMX, slowthai, Martha and the Muffins’ Martha Johnson, Angie Stone, The Gories’ Mick Collins, and Shonen Knife’s Naoko Yamano.
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A Prince Playlist
I missed Prince’s debut album, For You, when it was released in 1978. My first exposure to him was hearing “I Wanna Be Your Lover” on the radio. It became a hit when I was in high school. Good song. Then I saw the video. Not what I expected. Before then I thought Prince was a trio of Black women, like The Emotions. My first visual exposure to Prince and already he was throwing my expectations.
His third album, 1980’s Dirty Mind, got a fair amount of press in music magazines, and its cover art made an impression. I was interested in the guy.
“Controversy” was a single my freshman year in college. The song grabbed me, and so I bought the 45, my first Prince record.
The life-changing moment came the following year, when I heard “1999” on KISS-FM in Boston. Holy crap! It blew my mind. It sounded like nothing else on the radio at that time or any other time. At that moment I became a big fan. I got a ride into Harvard Square, went to the Harvard Coop (the university’s bookstore/ record store/ probably other things I can’t remember store) and bought the 1999 album. (The same day I bought Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Can you believe the two albums came out a month apart? What a time to be alive!)
From that point on I was a certified Prince fanatic. I bought the first four albums. I bought subsequent albums on the days of release. I bought the twelve-inch singles, and eventually the CD singles. And for quite a stretch there Prince continued to blow my mind. I’m still awed by his genius and marvel at how he thought to do unconventional things with his music, such as removing the bassline from “When Doves Cry,” the only number one on the dance chart to not have a bassline.
I’ve met many great talents over the years. Brian Wilson. Tina Turner. Smokey Robinson. Norman Fell. But nothing compared 2 meeting Prince. It was in 1988. He didn’t say a word, though he did sign my work stationery:
Putting together a Prince playlist and disciplining myself to keep it to thirty songs is a tough task, especially as a Prince fanatic, but I persevered. I’m not saying these are his thirty best songs, nor are they his thirty most popular songs, nor are they my thirty favorites of his songs. It’s a mixture of all three of those categories (which, of course, have a lot of overlap). I threw in some of the hits others had with songs he wrote. It’s by no means complete, but it’s a start.
(The Spotify embed feature is STILL broken. Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TrbpWDHR6CzcYRHmvSrRA?si=4367f868ddcf4e52)
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (12-19-20)
Inspired by the season and the December 19 birthdays of Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, Lady Sovereign, Phil Ochs, KajaGooGoo’s Limahl, Walter Murphy and Lenny White.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (12-17-20)
Inspired by the season and the December 17 birthdays of The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks, Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Bananarama’s Sara Dallin, The Emotions’ Wanda Hutchinson, Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth,The Meters’ Art Neville, and Dave Dee.
The Ultimate Christmas Playlist
Today is the day after Thanksgiving here in the United States of America. You’re officially allowed to start listening to holiday music now. To get you started, I compiled a playlist of what I consider to be 100 of the best Christmas songs. Okay, 98 songs, a stand-up routine and a skit. It’s a mix of standards, versions of standards with which you may not be familiar, and obscure but delightful tunes.
Enjoy!
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It’s Friday And I Need To Dance – Maurice White Edition
The world lost another great music artist this week when Maurice White, founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, passed away from the effects of Parkinson ’s disease at age 74.
Formed in 1969, Earth, Wind & Fire have sold over 90 million records; been nominated for 17 Grammy Awards, winning six; been nominated for 12 American Music Awards, winning Favorite Soul, R&B Band, Duo or Group in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1980; were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; won the Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award from the American Society of Composers and Publishers; won a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the BET Awards; received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; were inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame; won the Soul Train Music Awards’ Legend Award; became the first African-American performers to receive the Columbia Records Crystal Globe Award for selling more than five million albums outside the United States; and became the first African-American act to sell out Madison Square Garden.
Outside of Earth, Wind & Fire’s nominations, Maurice White received an additional four Grammy nominations, winning one. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. As a producer, songwriter, vocalist or musician, he has worked on records by Weather Report, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Neil Diamond, Minnie Riperton, The Emotions, Ramsey Lewis, The Tubes, Barry Manilow, Deniece Williams, Atlantic Starr and Jennifer Holliday.
Earth, Wind & Fire scored seven platinum-certified albums, with 16 top 40 albums on the pop chart and 23 top 40 albums on the r&b chart. They’ve had 16 top 40 pop singles and 38 top 40 r&b singles. Many of their best-known songs are ballads – “That’s the Way of the World,” “After the Love Has Gone,” and “Reasons” among them – but Friday is dance day at Tunes du Jour, so today’s playlist will focus on the group’s uptempo work, with tracks co-produced by White for The Emotions and Deniece Williams thrown in.
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