Earth, Wind, & Fire Songs Ranked
Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or simply EWF) is an American band that has spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, dance, Latin, and Afro-pop. They have been described as one of the most innovative and commercially successful acts of all time. Rolling Stone called them “innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing” and declared that the band “changed the sound of black pop”. VH1 has also described EWF as “one of the greatest bands” ever. The band has won six Grammys from their 17 nominations and four American Music Awards out of 12 nominations. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, and Hollywood’s Rockwall, in addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. With sales of over 90 million records, they are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time. The band has also received an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, BET Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Soul Train Legend Award, as well as a NARAS Signature Governor’s Award, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2012 Congressional Horizon Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019, along with Sally Field, Linda Ronstadt, Sesame Street, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Here are all of the Earth, Wind, & Fire songs ranked.
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20. Celebrate (Gratitude, 1975)
“Very clever and pleasant commercial sweet soul music with some jazz-funk attempts just to remind everybody wich was their first musical direction. Disco-influenced dance material creeps in on the end with the superfluous “Celebrate”
19. Getaway (Live in Rio, 2002)
“The funkiest and most insistent that this group ever got, performing with an urgency that made everybody sit up and take notice. When Philip sings those ascending bits leading to the chorus…awesome.”
18. My Promise (Now, Then & Forever, 2013)
“EWF continues to please with their soultry sounds thirty years later. This song has great tempo that you can dance to beginning to end.”
17. Serpentine Fire (All ‘n All, 1977)
“Great title for one of Earth Wind and Fire’s very best grooves. It’s basically Mardi Gras in a single, a glorious mix of Latin-tinged jazz-funk with the trademark high vocals, clunking percussion and suitably serpentine horn arrangement fusing into a fantastic feel good number.”
See more: Earth, Wind, & Fire Albums Ranked
16. Wait (I Am, 1979)
“Wait is a welcome return to good taste, with Maurice in the verses taking it slowly alongside a sea of piano triplets and a sensitive guitar line. It starts to hint at gospel by the midpoint but it gets a bit muddled along the way and it ends up as one of the album’s more average tracks.”
15. Love’s Holiday (All ‘n All, 1977)
“This is Earth Wind and Fire at their tight, funky best, just before they started making concessions to the disco market. Superb, slinky guitar funk runs the game with the unusually syncopated vocals on top before the brass section ties themselves up in impossible knots before the end.”
14. Can’t Let Go (I Am, 1979)
“After a lengthy intro, things start chugging along in the verses and flapping about in the extended final chorus but it’s not until the magically insistent groove of Can’t Let Go that the album really becomes dancefloor-worthy.”
13. Sweetback’s Theme (Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, 1971)
“Earth, Wind & Fire not only rode the disco wave, they might well have provided a lot of the current. They certainly weathered the crash better than most. As implied, the fact that the eclectic rhythms of disco were essentially a streamlined composite of funk and South American influences”
12. Happy Feeling (That’s the Way of the World, 1975)
“Happy Feelin'” is sophisticated dance music with a kalimba solo. That’s something else that sets these guys apart: the world music thing they’ve got going. I like it a lot.”
11. Shining Star (That’s the Way of the World, 1975)
“Shining Star” is a song about being awesome that actually is awesome in every way. From the blasts of the horns to the sharp snappy keyboard interjections to Maurice White’s stellar vocals, “Shining Star” glitters with consummate pop sheen. The melody is stellar, as are the little harmonic touches.”
10. Reasons (That’s the Way of the World, 1975)
“”Reasons” has a good Phillip Bailey vocal and a beautiful sound to it that hides a darker meaning to it. It’s the exact opposite of “That’s the Way of the World”, an unromantic song about a one night stand. So, overall, this is a great release, and a classic of 70s pop, soul, and funk.”
9. Fantasy (All ‘n All, 1977)
“It’s another typical EWF mix of a gorgeous melody, soaring vocals and accompanying brass with that killer chorus emerging from the unusual stop-start rhythm of the verse.”
8. Sing a Song (Gratitude, 1975)
“As with all EWF songs you kind of want to injure your self by listening to the vocals, the instrumental break is straight fire though. It’s lyrically flimsy, even for an Earth Wind & Fire song. But they had enough hooks and funk to make even this slight number enjoyable.”
7. Got to Get You Into My Life (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1978)
“They did a great job in making their own version of The Beatles’ song! It’s like they made it their own! Less soul than jazz-influenced in terms of the arrangement of vocals and brass in particular, this is how to deconstruct by reconstructing a great tune.”
See more: Sweet Albums Ranked
6. After the Love Has Gone (I Am, 1979)
“So soulful and the transitions between sections are masterfully done. They don’t use key changes to lazily keep you interested, they make it WORK. Brilliant song overall.”
5. Boogie Wonderland (I Am, 1979)
“Guaranteed to set any party alight with tons of boogie wonderfulness, as Maurice and the rest of his ensemble meet The Emotions. Great falsetto singing which at times is difficult to make out the lads’ voices from the lasses, but who cares ? everybody just wants to dance.”
4. Can’t Hide Love (Gratitude, 1975)
“Can’t Hide Love” is a great ballad, I think. I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy, but I like this band, particularly this album. Great mix of soul and funk, with jazz and world music influences that keep their mid ’70s work from slipping into the disco kitsch that it would eventually end up in.”
3. Let’s Groove (Raise!, 1981)
“Let’s Groove is a slight shift towards its own big niche: Funk and Disco***. The vocals are vibrant and passionate, the background falsettos are inviting and catchy. The further you progress with the track, the more you realize how captivating this groove actually can be.”
2. September (September, 1978)
“Ever since I first heard this song, I’ve always just wanted to listen to it on repeat over and over. Everything about the song is just so joyous and happy, whether it’s the smooth vocals or the absolutely killer chorus. A pop masterpiece of the disco era.”
1. That’s the Way of the World (That’s the Way of the World, 1975)
“That’s the Way of the World” is one of the most beautiful pop masterpieces of the 70s, and I could listen to it all day. Grabs a smooth, yet funky ‘seventies vibe by its wide white lapels and pulls it into whatever decade it is that you may find yourself listening to this – the realization of Maurice White’s aural vision as presented via the sweet pipes of Philip Bailey.”
