That's the Way of the World (Earth, Wind & Fire song)

"That's the Way of the World"
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire
from the album That's the Way of the World
B-side	"Africano"
Released	June 17, 1975
Recorded	Autumn 1974
Genre	R&B, soul, funk
Length	3:12 (single version) 5:45 (album version)
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Maurice White, Charles Stepney, Verdine White
Producer(s)	Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"Sun Goddess" (1975) "That's the Way of the World" (1975) "Sing a Song" (1975)

"That's the Way of the World" is a song recorded by the band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in June 1975 on Columbia Records. ^[1] The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. ^{[2] [3]}

In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. ^[4]

Overview

The song is the title track of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 album of the same name. The track was produced by bandleader Maurice White, who also wrote the song along with Charles Stepney and Verdine White. ^[1]

Covers

Soul artist Dwele covered of "That's the Way of the World" on the 2007 compilation album Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire. With his rendition of the tune, Dwele earned a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Urban/Alternative Performance. ^{[5] [6]}

Critical reception

Cash Box said that it was "clean, mindbending and soulful." ^[7] George Chesterton of The Guardian noted that the song is "touched with the epic, which emerges as the scope of its message of hope and soulful majesty unfold." ^[8] Alex Henderson of Allmusic called the song "unforgettable". ^[9] Stephen Curwood of the Boston Globe wrote "The title cut comes into your consciousness the way a cool air-conditioned breeze rushes over your face when you've been out in the sticky heat. Sometimes the cool goes too dry for our taste, but then, that's a form of sophistication." ^[10] Daryl Easlea of the BBC also said That's the Way of the World "remains irresistible: six minutes of ethereal, bossa nova-influenced soul." ^[11]

Chart history

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles	20
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [2]	12
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles [3]	5

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Rolling Stone	U.S.	The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time [12]	2004	329
Bruce Pollock	U.S.	The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000 [13]	2005	*
Mark Ellingham	U.S.	The Rough Guide Book of Playlists: 5,000 Songs You Must Download [14]	2007	*

(*) designates lists that are unordered.

References

1. Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World. Columbia Records. June 1975.
2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
4. https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#t
5. "Dwele". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
6. Takiff, Jonathon (March 27, 2007). "Rock, fusion, soul in the mix this week". inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer.
7. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 28, 1975. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
8. Chesterton, George (April 2, 2012). "Old music: Earth, Wind & Fire – That's the Way of the World". The Guardian .
9. Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
10. Curwood, Stephen (July 18, 1975). "Records: Nelson, Earth etc., Bee Gees". newspapers.com. Boston Globe. p. 11.
11. Easlea, Daryl (2010). "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World Review". bbc.co.uk. BBC.
12. "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
13. Pollock, Bruce (1997). The Rock Song Index: The 7,500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era, 1944–2000. New York: Schirmer Books. p. 128. ISBN   0-02-8720687.
14. Ellingham, Mark, ed. (2007). The Rough Guide Book of Playlists: 5,000 Songs You Must Download (2nd ed.). Rough Guides. p. 114. ISBN   978-1-84353-728-1 – via Internet Archive.