"Keep Your Head to the Sky" | ||||
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Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
from the album Head to the Sky | ||||
B-side | "Build Your Nest" | |||
Released | 1973 | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 3:25 (single version) 5:00 (album version) | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Maurice White | |||
Producer(s) | Joe Wissert | |||
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
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"Keep Your Head to the Sky" is a song recorded by American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire for their 1973 album, Head to the Sky . It was released as a single by Columbia Records, [1] peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. [2]
"Keep Your Head to the Sky" was written by Maurice White and produced by Joe Wissert. The single's b-side was a tune called "Build Your Nest". Both songs came from Earth, Wind & Fire's 1973 studio album Head to the Sky . [1]
Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone proclaimed that Keep Your Head to the Sky "with the gentle admonition to keep your head in faith’s atmosphere, has a luscious, luminous quality". [3] Alex Henderson of Allmusic also called the tune "hauntingly pretty". [4]
"Keep Your Head to the Sky" was sampled by Lisa Left-Eye Lopes on Head to the Sky on her 2001 album Supernova, Jay Z on his 1994 track "Reach the Top" and by Guru featuring Amel Larrieux on "Guidance" off his 2000 album Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul . The song was also sampled by Kirk Franklin on "Keep Your Head" from his 2005 album Hero and by DMX on "Head Up" from his 2012 album Undisputed . [6]
Keep Your Head To The Sky was interpolated by Mary J. Blige on Keep Your Head off her 1998 live album The Tour. [7]
The song's titular lyric is alluded to in Raphael Saadiq's 2008 song "Sometimes", from The Way I See It . [8]
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 52 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles [2] | 23 |
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American musical group. Their style and sound span over various music genres such as jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group career, he has also produced songs for such artists as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend. Music critic Robert Christgau has called Saadiq the "preeminent R&B artist of the '90s".
Maurice White was an American singer, band leader, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
"Shining Star" is a song by Earth, Wind & Fire issued as a single in January 1975 on Columbia Records. The song rose to No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart, becoming their first single to top both charts. It has also been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
Larry Dunn is an American keyboardist, producer and musical director. He was one of the early members of the music group Earth, Wind & Fire. Dunn was later inducted, as a former band member, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Within which he's also been bestowed with ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, 7 Grammy Awards, 4 American Music Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Dunn is a co-composer of EWF's "Shining Star", a song that's been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Spirit is the seventh studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on September 28, 1976 by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Soul Albums charts. Spirit has also been certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
Open Our Eyes is the fifth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on March 25, 1974 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 15 on the Top Pop Albums chart. Open Our Eyes has been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
Illumination is the nineteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in September 2005 on Sanctuary Records. The album rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 32 on the Billboard 200 chart. Illumination was also Grammy nominated within the category of Best R&B Album. It is the last Earth, Wind & Fire album to feature their founder and co-lead vocalist Maurice White.
I Am is the ninth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in June 1979 on ARC/Columbia Records. The LP rose to number 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and number 3 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.
Last Days and Time is the third studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in October 1972 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 15 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 9 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart.
Head to the Sky is the fourth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in May 1973 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. Head to the Sky has also been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
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.
"You Can't Hide Love" is a single by soul group Creative Source released in 1973 on Sussex Records. The song reached No. 48 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
Earth, Wind & Fire: Live is a DVD released by the band Earth, Wind & Fire in 2001 on Image Entertainment, and Polygram Video. The DVD has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
"Mighty Mighty" is a song by R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in 1974 on Columbia Records. The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Evil" is a single by the band Earth, Wind & Fire which was issued in June 1973 by Columbia Records. The song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and No. 25 on the 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.
"Devotion" is a single by R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire released in 1974 on Columbia Records. "Devotion" peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Show Me The Way" is a single by the band Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Raphael Saadiq that was released in September 2004 on Sanctuary Records. The single rose to number 16 upon the Adult R&B Songs chart.