| That's the Way of the World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| Released | March 15, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | September 16, 1974 - October 2, 1974, Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 38:23 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Maurice White, Charles Stepney | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
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| Singles from That's the Way of the World | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Billboard | (favorable)[1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+)[2] |
| Q | [3] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[4] |
| Vibe | (favorable)[5] |
| Virgin Encyclopedia | [6] |
| Yahoo Music | (favorable)[7] |
| Zagat Survey | [8] |
| BBC | (favourable)[9] |
That's the Way of the World is a 1975 album by Earth, Wind & Fire released on Columbia Records. It was also the soundtrack for a 1975 motion picture of the same name which featured several of the band members in cameo roles. Included on the album was the single "Shining Star", which was a #1 U.S. pop and R&B hit. Another popular single was the title track, which reached #12 on the pop chart. The album spent three weeks atop the Billboard Pop Albums Charts, five nonconsecutive weeks atop the Soul Albums chart and has been certified triple platinum.[10][11] That's the Way of the World was also the third bestselling pop album and the number one bestselling R&B album of 1975 respectively.[12][13]
In 2003, the album was ranked number 493 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Contents |
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Billboard described the album as "a very tightly produced and performed package" and added in their review that "EW&F has some of the finest musicians in any band and the compositions are all top-notch".[14] Music critic Robert Christgau noted that on the album "this unit can do so many things it qualifies as the one-man band of black music even though it has nine members"[15] and That's the Way of the World has also been described by Alex Henderson of Allmusic as "the band's best album" and "one of the strongest albums of the 1970s and EWF's crowning achievement".[16]
That's the Way of the World was nominated in 1975 and 1976 for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and also won a Rock Music Award in the category of Best Soul Album.[17][18]
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Shining Star" | Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 2:50 | ||||||
| 2. | "That's the Way of the World" | Charles Stepney, Maurice White, Verdine White | 5:45 | ||||||
| 3. | "Happy Feelin'" | Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Al McKay | 3:35 | ||||||
| 4. | "All About Love" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 6:35 | ||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 5. | "Yearnin' Learnin'" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 3:39 | ||||||
| 6. | "Reasons" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 4:59 | ||||||
| 7. | "Africano" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 5:09 | ||||||
| 8. | "See the Light" | Louise Anglin, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn | 6:18 | ||||||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shining Star" | Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 2:50 |
| 2. | "That's the Way of the World" | Charles Stepney, Maurice White, Verdine White | 5:45 |
| 3. | "Happy Feelin'" | Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Al McKay | 3:35 |
| 4. | "All About Love" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 6:35 |
| 5. | "Yearnin' Learnin'" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 3:39 |
| 6. | "Reasons" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 4:59 |
| 7. | "Africano" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 5:09 |
| 8. | "See the Light" | Louise Anglin, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn | 6:18 |
| 9. | "Shining Star (Future Star) [Original Sketches]" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Philip Bailey | 1:05 |
| 10. | "All About Love (First Impression) [Original Sketches]" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 3:12 |
| 11. | "Happy Feelin' (Anatomy of a Groove) [Original Sketches]" | Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Maurice White, Verdine White | 3:31 |
| 12. | "Caribou Chaser (Jazzy Jam) [Original Sketches]" | Larry Dunn, Maurice White | 1:39 |
| 13. | "That's the Way of the World (Latin Expedition) [Original Sketches]" | Charles Stepney, Maurice White, Verdine White | 1:41 |
"Reasons", the album's breakout love ballad, has been covered by Stanley Turrentine, Ramsey Lewis, Maxi Priest and other artists.[20] "Reasons" has also been sampled by Master P on Intro/17. "Reasons" featured on his album 99 Ways to Die.[21]
In 1988, saxophonist Najee covered the song from his album Day by Day.[22]
Reasons has been featured in the movies Love Don't Cost a Thing, Killer of Sheep and Hitch.[23][24]
"That's the Way of the World" was originally used as the theme to the John Ritter/Markie Post sitcom Hearts Afire and was the inspiration for the name of the series.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop Albums | 1 |
| Black Albums | 1 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Africano" | Disco Singles | 1 |
| "Happy Feelin'" | Disco Singles | 1 | |
| "Shining Star" | Black Singles | 1 | |
| Pop Singles | 1 | ||
| "That's the Way of the World" | Black Singles | 5 | |
| Pop Singles | 12 |
The information regarding accolades attributed to That's the Way of the World is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net,Soultracks.com and www.rockhall.com.[25][26][27]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pause & Play | U.S. | Albums Inducted into a Time Capsule, One Album per Week | 2008 | * | ||
| The Recording Academy | U.S. | Grammy Hall of Fame Albums and Songs | 2004 | * | ||
| Robert Dimery | U.S. | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | 2005 | * | ||
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | 493 | ||
| Vibe Magazine | U.S. | 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement | 2004 | * | ||
| Rickey Vincent | U.S. | Five Star Albums from "FUNK: The MUSIC, the PEOPLE, and the RHYTHM | * | |||
| National Association of Recording Merchandisers and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | U.S. | The Definitive 200 | 2007 | 187 | ||
| Soultracks.com | U.S. | The Greatest Soul albums of the 1970s | 2009 | 1 | ||
| (*) designates lists that are unordered. | ||||||
| Preceded by Chicago VIII by Chicago |
Billboard 200 number-one album May 17 - June 6, 1975 |
Succeeded by Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John |