Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire Songs

Photo: Chris Hakkens, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire Songs list takes a look at a band that dominated the music charts in the 1970s and 1980s. Simply put, they are one of the greatest bands of all time for many reasons. First and foremost, they recorded and released multiple great albums and singles. The group merged so many different styles of music together, from pop to R&B, soul, jazz, rock, Latin, and funk, into a sound that was as big and addicting as you could get. They are almost indescribable because they were so good at what they did and built a fan base across all musical genres. This list is just a tiny sampling of the band’s material. This one was a great deal of fun to do, and it took us so long because we couldn’t stop listening to all these Earth, Wind & Fire songs we were choosing from.

# 10 – Sunday Morning

We open our Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire songs list with the excellent track “Sunday Morning.” The horns blast you out of your seat as that comping keyboard lick sets the tone for a fun-filled ride of pure groove. Listen to those fantastic vocals and harmonies. What a way to open up this list. The song was released in 1993 on the group’s album entitled Millennium. It was Earth, Wind & Fire’s sixteenth studio album. The song was released as a single and succeeded on multiple music charts. It would also become the last Earth, Wind & Fire single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 9 – Got to Get You into My Life

Earth, Wind & Fire’s cover of The Beatles’ “Got to Get You into My Life” has been hailed as one of the best cover versions of a Beatles song of all time. The song was first released on the soundtrack to the motion picture Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Earth, Wind & Fire also included the song in their greatest hits package. The group released the cover version as a single, and it became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine in 1978.

# 8 – Devotion

No band recorded and released slow-grooving jams with out-of-this-world vocals like Earth, Wind & Fire did. “Devotion” stands as one of their best in that category. “Devotion” was released in 1974 on the Columbia Records album Open Our Eyes. It was the third single released from the album. The track peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Joe Wissert and Maurice White produced it, and White and Philip Bailey composed it. The lineup on the track includes Johnny Graham and Al McKay on guitar, with McKay also providing vocals; Verdine White on bass and vocals; Larry Dunn on piano; Fred White, Ralph Johnson, and Maurice White on drums, with Maurice and Philip Bailey also contributing vocals.

# 7 – Boogie Wonderland

Continuing with our Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire songs list, we turn to a song that represents Earth, Wind & Fire’s flirtation with dance music. This is not disco; it’s ten times better than disco. It’s funk dance inspired by disco. The song also featured The Emotions on vocals. It’s a great blend of nearly every R&B, pop, and soul style that had become popular in the 1970s, mixed into a big-time top 10 hit. The song was released in 1979 on the excellent album I Am.

# 6 – After the Love Has Gone

Earth, Wind & Fire produced many great mid-tempo ballads. “After the Love Has Gone” was the best of them. The song was released on the Double Platinum album I Am. “After the Love Has Gone” was written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin. The song became the second-highest-charting single of the group’s career, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979.

# 5 – Getaway

As we enter the second half of this Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire songs list, we turn to the excellent single “Getaway.” The single “Getaway” was released on the album Spirit. The album was the follow-up to their number one album, That’s the Way of the World, released a year earlier. Spirit did well as the follow-up, reaching number two on the Billboard 200. The single “Getaway” also did well, hitting number one on the soul charts and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s heavy, hard funk rhythms and arrangement echoed the success of their number one single, “Shining Star,” released a year earlier.

# 4 – That’s the Way of the World

The song “That’s the Way of the World” was released as the title track to Earth, Wind & Fire’s breakout album That’s the Way of the World. That Fender Rhodes piano intro set up a groove that became one of the song’s most memorable elements. This one will bring back memories of the mid-1970s. That’s the Way of the World was one of the group’s highest-charting albums, hitting number one on the Billboard 200 in 1975.

# 3 – Fantasy

This one is simply spectacular. Listen to that excellent fantasy-style opening that merges into a groove to die for. And then, of course, the magical vocals light up the verse. When that chorus breaks on through, you realize you’re listening to a masterpiece of a song and recording. The song “Fantasy” was released on the album All ‘n All. The album was released in 1977. “Fantasy” was released as the album’s second single in 1978. It became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 32. Maurice White, Verdine White, and Eddie del Barrio wrote the song.

# 2 – September

Do you remember? I am sure you do. Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” was a big one. It’s amazing how this group wrote such addictive, soaring melodies, bathed in splendid R&B grooves, surrounded by horns and vocals that were simply killer. The song “September” was released on the compilation album The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1. The group released it as a single, and it became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight. The song has appeared in various films over the years and has won multiple awards worldwide. This is just one of the songs that never gets old. Timeless!

# 1 – Tie – Shining Star / Reasons

We close out our Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire songs list with the band’s most successful single of their career. “Shining Star” stands as Earth, Wind & Fire’s only number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Of course, one of their most loved songs was the beautiful “Reasons.” So, in the end, instead of having to choose between the two, let’s call it a tie. As far as “Shining Star” goes, this one blew everyone’s minds when it was first released. Earth, Wind & Fire took their blend of funk to eleven on this one. Maurice White, Larry Dunn, and Philip Bailey wrote the song. “Shining Star” was released in 1975 on the band’s spectacular album That’s the Way of the World.

The song “Shining Star” hit number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s soul chart. It also earned Earth, Wind & Fire their first Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. The song made the group a household name worldwide. It opened fans’ and musicians’ eyes to the group. The song’s success would inspire countless musicians for the rest of the decade and beyond. Only two singles were released from the That’s the Way of the World album: the title track and “Shining Star.” “Reasons” was never released as a single from the album. Nonetheless, the song would become one of the band’s most loved songs.