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

"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]

"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"
ReleasedJune 17, 1975
RecordedAutumn 1974
GenreR&B, funk
Length3:12 (single version)
5:44 (album version)
LabelColumbia
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)

Overview

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

Critical reception

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."[4] Alex Henderson of Allmusic called the song "unforgettable".[5] 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."[6] Daryl Easlea of the BBC also said That's the Way of the World "remains irresistible: six minutes of ethereal, bossa nova-influenced soul."[7]

Covers

The song was covered by Ramsey Lewis on his 1975 album Don't It Feel Good, saxophonist Najee on his 1988 album Day by Day and drummer Norman Connors on his 1988 album Passion.[8]

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

The information regarding accolades attributed to "That's the Way of the World" is adapted from rollingstone.com and acclaimedmusic.net.[9][10]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Rolling Stone U.S. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 337
Bruce Pollock U.S. The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000 2005 *
Mark Ellingham U.S. The Rough Guide Book of Playlists: 5,000 Songs You Must Download 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. Chesterton, George (April 2, 2012). "Old music: Earth, Wind & Fire – That's the Way of the World". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
  5. Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  6. Curwood, Stephen (July 18, 1975). "Records: Nelson, Earth etc., Bee Gees". newspapers.com. Boston Globe. p. 11.
  7. Easlea, Daryl (2010). "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World Review". bbc.co.uk. BBC.
  8. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". whosampled.com.
  9. "Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World". acclaimedmusic.net.
  10. "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
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