| "In the Stone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album I Am | ||||
| B-side | "You and I" | |||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Disco [1] | |||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"In the Stone" is a song by R&B/funk band Earth, Wind & Fire issued as a single in 1979 on Columbia Records. The song rose to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart. [2] [3]
"In the Stone" was produced by Maurice White, who composed the song with Allee Willis and David Foster. The single also came off Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 album I Am. [2]
In an interview with Questlove Supreme, songwriter Allee Willis explained the story behind the song saying : "The first thing Maurice ever said to me was "What do you know about Eastern philosophies ?" and I said I didn't know anything so he gave me a list of books and sent me to a store in L.A. called The Bodhi Tree. He gave me 10 books and said the one you have to start with is The Greatest Salesman in the World and I thought it's about advertising I got this down and I opened it up and it's not about advertising, it's about the prophets and they're in the old Egypt. I got so confused immediately." [4]
"But In The Stone was supposed to be the song that got all their philosophy in there so I never understood it as we were writing. He would basically tell me what he wanted to say and I would give him 10 different lines that said that. Now of course I understand everything it's very much about the fact that everything is pre-written, there's this mindset for what men is and he very much believed in past lives and future lives but that one I was flying by the seat of my pants." [5]
In Maurice White's autobiography, he explained : "One thing that I wanted Allee (Willis) and all the people who collaborated with me to understand is that non-conformity and curiosity always lead to a heightened creativity. The reason I wanted her to read certain books was twofold. One, it was not so much to hip her to this or that as just to expose her to different things, break her out of the norms of conventional thinking. Inhibitions kill imagination. Mysticism helps keep it alive. Secondly, I wanted to give her a language that would hip her to write lyrics in a philosophical manner, even so-called love songs. That language would really manifest itself in the song “In The Stone.” [6]
About the songwriting process, Willis said : "I don't remember with that particular song that I was in the same room at the same time with David Foster. He started it with Maurice then Maurice brought it to me and we like finished it." [7]
Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote "In the Stone is less imaginative than many of Earth, Wind & Fire's previous efforts, but performing gusto compensates for the slim substance." [8] [9] Ace Adams of the New York Daily News called "In the Stone" one of the album's "best songs." [10] Cash Box said it was "an irresistable dancing cut" that "moves to a swinging mixture of catchy percussives and intricately woven harmonies." [11] James Johnson of the Evening Standard proclaimed "the slightly curious cosmic overtones of their lyrics remain in evidence on..In the Stone". [12]
Production [13]
Engineers
Performers
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 58 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 23 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Top Singles | 39 [14] |
All 'n All is the eighth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 1 on the US BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. All 'n All has also been certified Triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Gold in Canada by Music Canada and Silver in the UK by the BPI.
That's the Way of the World is the sixth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on March 3, 1975, by Columbia Records. This was also the soundtrack for a 1975 motion picture of the same name. The album rose to No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Soul Albums charts. That's the Way of the World has also been certified Triple Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.
"After the Love Has Gone" is a song by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in 1979 as the second single from their ninth studio album I Am on ARC/Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. "After the Love Has Gone" was certified gold in the US by the RIAA and silver in the UK by the BPI.
Faces is the tenth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire released on October 14, 1980, on ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, number 2 on the Billboard Top Soul albums chart and number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. Faces was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
I Am is the ninth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in June 1979 by ARC/Columbia Records. The LP rose to number one on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and number three on the Billboard 200 chart. I Am has been certified Double Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA, Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and Platinum in Canada by Music Canada.
Rejoice is an album by American vocal group the Emotions, issued in June 1977 by Columbia Records. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Rejoice has also been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
"Let's Groove" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as the first single from their eleventh studio album, Raise! (1981). It is written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White. The song was a commercial success, and was the band's highest-charting single in various territories. It peaked inside the top 20 in countries including the United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and other component charts in America. In 1979 and the early 1980s, there was a severe backlash against disco music. In spite of this, the band decided to revive the disco sound that was included on their previous works and later records. Musically, "Let's Groove" is post-disco, pop and funk which includes instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards along with live electric guitars.
"Serpentine Fire" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire that was issued in October 1977 by Columbia Records. The single rose to numbers 1 and 13 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs and Hot 100 charts, respectively.
Touch the World is the fourteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1987 on Columbia Records. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Touch the World was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
In the Name of Love is the seventeenth studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in July 1997 on Rhino Records. The album reached No. 19 on the UK R&B Albums chart and No. 25 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart.
Sunbeam is the fifth studio album by the girl group the Emotions issued in April 1978 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 12 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the Billboard 200 chart. Sunbeam has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
"Thinking of You" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in January 1988 on Columbia Records as the third single from their fourteenth studio album, Touch the World (1987). It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number three on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.
Electric Universe is the thirteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1983 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 8 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Electric Universe also reached No. 17 on the Swedish Pop Albums chart, No. 18 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart, No. 20 on the Japanese Pop Albums chart and No. 22 on both the Dutch Pop Albums and Swiss Pop Albums charts.
"Star" is a song by the R&B/funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in September 1979 on ARC/Columbia Records. The single reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Sailaway" is a song written by Maurice White, Eddie del Barrio, Philip Bailey, and Roxanne Seeman and recorded by American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire for their 1980 album Faces. It was produced by White and recorded during the Faces sessions in Montserrat at George Martin's AIR Studios and in Los Angeles at The Complex/ARC Studios 1980, engineered and mixed by George Massenburg.
"Touch" is a song by R&B/funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in January 1984 by Columbia Records. The song reached No. 23 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 36 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart.
Come into Our World is a studio album by the girl group the Emotions issued in October 1979 on ARC/Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 35 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 36 on the UK Blues & Soul British Soul Albums chart. Come into Our World was produced by Maurice White, who went on to be Grammy nominated in the category of Producer of the Year Non-Classical.
"You" is a song by the band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in November 1980 on Columbia Records. The single reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
"Cruisin" is a love ballad by American band Earth, Wind & Fire. It is featured in the film Get On The Bus and was released on the soundtrack album by Interscope Records on October 8, 1996. The song features the falsetto singing on the lead vocals of Philip Bailey. It was included on Earth, Wind & Fire's studio album "In The Name Of Love", the following year. The song was written by Philip Bailey, Roxanne Seeman, Morris Pleasure and Sonny Emory while the production was handled by Maurice White.
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