Let's Groove

"Let's Groove" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire from their eleventh studio album Raise! (1981). Written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White, the song was chosen as the lead single from the album.

"Let's Groove"
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire
from the album Raise!
B-side	"Let's Groove" (Instrumental)
Released	1981
Genre	Post-disco[1] funk[1] pop[1]
Length	5:39 (album version) 4:02 (single version) 3:56 (video version)
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Maurice White Wayne Vaughn
Producer(s)	Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"And Love Goes On" (1981) "Let's Groove" (1981) "Wanna Be with You" (1981)

In the very late 1970s and early 1980s, disco music was undergoing a severe backlash. In spite of this, the band decided to revive the disco sound that was later included on their previous works and records. Musically, "Let's Groove" is a post-disco, pop and funk song which includes instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards along with live electric guitars.

The song was a commercial success, and was the band's highest-charting single in various territories. The song peaked inside the top 20 in countries including the United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and other component charts in America.

Overview

"Let's Groove" was produced by Maurice White for Kalimba Productions. With a duration of five minutes and thirty nine seconds, the song has a tempo of 126 beats per minute.[2][3]

Critical reception

Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone described Let's Groove as "city music" where "the horn section screams like a car running a red light."[4] Ed Hogan from AllMusic noted that White "brought in guitarist Roland Bautista and began co-writing, with Emotions member Wanda Vaughn and her husband Wayne Vaughn, a song that reflected the then-emerging electronic sound of the '80s. Not to be confused with the same-named hit by Archie Bell & the Drells, "Let's Groove" certainly was a change. Starting off with a robotic-sounding vocoder riff, it served up a more gritty-sounding EWF for the 1980s, laced with Brecker Brothers-supplied horn blasts that rival those of EWF's 1976 gold single 'Getaway'."[5] People though said that the album's "biggest disappointment is Let's Groove, yet another gotta-boogie tune."[6] Jordan Bartel of The Baltimore Sun noted that the song was "quite possibly the funkiest thing to come out of the early 1980s".[7] Richard Williams of The Times wrote "Let's Groove, the bass-heavy new single, is a reliable pointer".[8] Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly declared that "I actually love this song, especially the little computer voice in the background, like Pac-Man has come to life to boogie just for me!"[9]

NME placed Let's Groove at number 16 on their Singles of the Year list of 1981.[10] "Let's Groove" was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.[11]

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number three in the US and in the UK.[12] It also spent eight weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late 1981 and early 1982 and was the second R&B song of 1982 on the year-end charts.[13]

The single sold over a million copies in the US and has been certified gold by the RIAA as until the RIAA lowered the sales levels for certified singles in 1989, a Gold single equaled 1 million units sold. "Let's Groove" was also certified silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry.[14][15]

Music video

The music video of "Let's Groove" was the first video ever to be played on Video Soul on BET.[16][17] The video, heavy with vintage electronic effects, was created by Ron Hays using the Scanimate analog computer system at Image West, Ltd.[18]

The whole style of the music video later went on to influence Bruno Mars' "Treasure".[19]

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
1981	NME	UK[10]	Singles of the Year	16

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1981–1982) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 15 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 9 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[22] 7 France (IFOP)[23] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[24] 5 Italy (FIMI)[25] 24 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 2 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[29] 8 Spain (AFYVE)[30] 10 UK Singles (OCC)[31] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[32] 3 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[32] 3 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[32] 1 US Cash Box[33] 3 US Record World[34] 4

Chart (2012) Peak position France (SNEP)[35] 123 Chart (2013) Peak position France (SNEP)[35] 109

Year-end charts Chart (1981) Position France (IFOP)[36] 30 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[37] 67 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 54 US Cash Box[39] 17 Chart (1982) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[40] 100 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[41] 50 Italy (FIMI)[42] 66 US Billboard Hot 100[43] 33 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[13] 2 US Top Disco/Dance Singles/Albums[44] 36

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[45]	Gold	45,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[46]	Silver	250,000^^
United States (RIAA)[47]	Gold	1,000,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

CDB version

"Let's Groove"
Single by CDB
from the album Glide with Me
Released	1995
Length	4:17
Label	Sony Music
Songwriter(s)	Maurice White Wayne Vaughn
Producer(s)	Andrew De Silva Ant Dale Vince Deltito[48]
CDB singles chronology
"Hey Girl (This Is Our Time)" (1994) "Let's Groove" (1995) "Don't Stop" (1996)

The song was covered in 1995 by the Australian R&B/pop boy band CDB. In Australia, the song reached number two and was certified platinum for shipments of over 70,000 units.[48][49] In New Zealand it peaked at number one for three weeks and also received a platinum certification, indicating sales exceeding 10,000 copies.[50][51] At the ARIA Music Awards of 1996 "Let's Groove" won the Highest Selling Single category.[52]

Track listing

CD single (662147 2)[53]

1. "Let's Groove" – 4:17
2. "You Will Be Mine" – 4:07
3. "Let's Groove" (Summer Groove) – 5:05
4. "Let's Groove" (Instrumental) – 4:19

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–1996)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[48]	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[50]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
Australia (ARIA)[49]	8

Chart (1996)	Position
Australia (ARIA)[54]	80
New Zealand (RIANZ)[55]	14

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[49]	Platinum	70,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51]	Platinum	10,000^*
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Asia's Got Talent judges version

"Let's Groove"
Single by Asia's Got Talent judges
Released	14 May 2015
Length	3:32
Label	Universal
Songwriter(s)	Maurice White Wayne Vaughn
Producer(s)	David Foster

"Let's Groove" was covered by the Asia's Got Talent judges—David Foster, Anggun, Melanie C and Vanness Wu—and released as a promotional single on 14 May 2015 by Universal.[56] It was released as a charity single for the May 2015 Nepal earthquake and all money raised was donated to the victims.[57] The version was produced by David Foster.[58]

Promotion

On May 14, 2015, the four artists performed the song in the final of first season of Asia's Got Talent.[59] On June 4, the Asia's Got Talent released the behind the scenes video of the recording.[60]

Track listing

• Digital download[56]

1. "Let's Groove" – 3:32

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Hong Kong[56]	14 May 2015	Digital download	Universal
Indonesia[61]
Malaysia[62]
Singapore[63]
Vietnam[64]

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1981 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles from the 1990s (New Zealand)

References

1. Smith, Ben (August 20, 2014). "Meghan Trainor Helps Count Down 10 Songs That Are All About That Bass". VH1. Retrieved October 27, 2014. This post-disco pop funk epic is centered on a relentless, repeating bassline that really does make you want to, uh, groove.
2. Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove. Columbia Records. September 1981.
3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove". GetSongBPM. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
4. Tucker, Ken (February 4, 1982). "Raise!". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
5. Hogan, Ed. "Earth, Wind & Fire – Let's Groove". AllMusic. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
6. "Picks and Pans Review: Raise!". People. Vol. 17 no. 2. January 18, 1982. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
7. Bartel, Jordan (January 29, 2015). "Throwback Thursday: The top 10 songs this week in 1982". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
8. Williams, Richard (November 6, 1981). "Jazz/Rock". The Times. p. 40.
9. Pastorek, Whitney (January 4, 2007). "A Journey back to this week in '81..." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
10. "Albums and Tracks of the Year: 1981". NME. October 10, 2016.
11. "Earth, Wind & Fire". Grammy.com. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
12. Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 289. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
13. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 1982". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.. Billboard.
14. "RIAA – Gold and Platinum – Let's Groove". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
15. "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
16. Bailey, Philip; Zimmerman, Keith; Zimmerman, Kent (2014). Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-1-101-60793-0.
17. Prato, Greg (2011). MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-578-07197-8.
18. Ron Hays Music – Image 1982 demo reel. YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
19. Ron. "Bruno Mars Represents Earth, Wind & Fire In "Treasure" Video". Archived from the original on October 19, 2013.. iAmBoiGenius.
20. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
21. "Ultratop.be – Earth, Wind & Fire – Let's Groove" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
22. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0460." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
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29. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969–1989 (E)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
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34. "Record World Singles" (PDF). Record World. December 12, 1981. p. 25. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
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36. "TOP – 1981" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
37. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
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39. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1981". Archived from the original on September 18, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
40. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
41. "Top 100 Singles of 82". RPM. Vol. 37 no. 19. Library and Archives Canada. December 25, 1982. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
42. "I singoli più venduti del 1982" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
43. "Top 100 Hits for 1982". The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
44. "Top Disco/Dance Singles/Albums". Billboard. Vol. 94 no. 51. December 25, 1982. p. 36. ISSN 0006-2510.
45. "Danish single certifications – Earth Wind & Fire – Let's Groove". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
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48. "Australian-charts.com – CDB – Let's Groove". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
49. "1995: ARIA Singles Charts". ARIA Charts. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
50. "Charts.nz – CDB – Let's Groove". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
51. "New Zealand single certifications – C.D.B. – Let's Groove". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
52. "ARIA Awards 2007 : History: Winners by Year". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007.
53. "Let's Groove by CDB". Rate Your Music. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
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56. "Let's Groove – Single: David Foster, Anggun, Mel C & Vanness Wu". iTunes HK. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
57. Ho, Jovi (15 May 2015). "Asia's Got Talent Judges Release Charity Single for Nepal". Yahoo! News Singapore. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
58. "Asia's Got Talent Judges Release Charity Single "Let's Groove" (Earth, Wind & Fire) For Nepal Earthquake Relief". Getmusic Asia. May 15, 2015. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
59. "WATCH: 'Asia's Got Talent' judges perform 'Let's Groove'". ABS-CBNnews.com. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
60. "Let's Groove". Asia's Got Talent. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
61. "Let's Groove – Single: David Foster, Anggun, Mel C & Vanness Wu". iTunes ID. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
62. "Let's Groove – Single: David Foster, Anggun, Mel C & Vanness Wu". iTunes MY. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
63. "Let's Groove – Single: David Foster, Anggun, Mel C & Vanness Wu". iTunes SG. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
64. "Let's Groove – Single: David Foster, Anggun, Mel C & Vanness Wu". iTunes VN. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics