Song Spotlight: Earth, Wind & Fire - September

Do you remember the seminal hit by Earth Wind & Fire, ‘September’? It’s that time of year again where this track consumes our collective brains, so it’s only right we take a deep dive into this groovy disco classic!

Image by Chris Hakkens via Wikimedia Commons

Written and released in 1978, leader of Earth Wind & Fire, Maurice White, called Allee Willis, a then-struggling Los Angeles songwriter, inviting her to co-write the band’s next album. White and the band’s guitarist, Al McKay, had initially worked on ‘September'’s intro, with McKay producing a chord progression and riffing the opening line "Do you remember". Upon hearing this in the studio, Willis immediately knew that she wanted to work on the song.

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Using McKay’s chord progression, White and Willis proceeded to write the song over the course of one month (September), evoking images of clear skies and dancing under the stars through their lyrics. During this process, Willis was initially bothered by White’s use of “ba-dee-ya” as a lyric, which he used to shape the song’s melodies. Willis requested for White to change it as it didn’t “make sense”, but White insisted on keeping it, with Willis later revealing that she learnt the “greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove”.

Image by Chris Hakkens via Wikimedia Commons

Although there are many theories over the significance of the 21st September, including that it was the due date of White’s son Kahbran, the specific date was reportedly chosen simply because it sounded the best.

Image by The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA via Wikimedia Commons

Since its release in November 1978, the song has reached the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart and remains one of the band’s signature songs, continuously being sampled, covered, remixed and re-recorded. Retaining a strong cultural legacy, ‘September’ was added in 2018 to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".

Image by All-Pro Reels via Flickr

From the radio airwaves to internet memes, this is a joyful, nostalgic classic we’ll forever be singing every September!

Image by Chris Hakkens via Wikimedia Commons

Thumbnail Image by Chris Hakkens via Wikimedia Commons

FeaturedImage by Chris Hakkens via Wikimedia Commons