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CD Longbox #36

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (1978)

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Exclusive photo courtesy of Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

To view other longboxes, please click here.

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox, go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Counting down my Top 79 of '79: Singles #10 - 1

A breakdown of my top singles from 1979

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Minute by Minute

The Doobie Brothers

Weeks in Hot 100: 14

Peaked: June 23

Album: Minute by Minute (Warner Bros.)

U.S. Billboard charts:
Hot 100	14
Adult Contemporary	13

Heck, this thing might have cracked the top ten even if the entire single was only the electric piano intro on repeat for three minutes, but then the smooth groove hits and Michael McDonald's vocals and man-oh-man, I just can't help but sing along. It's the title track to a great album, but it's not even the best cut on the album (see below).

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Good Times

Chic

Weeks in Hot 100: 19

Peaked: August 18

Album: Risqué (Atlantic)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1
Adult Contemporary	28
R&B	1
Disco	3

And there it is. That bass line. One of the most important, most sampled, most imitated bass lines of all time (see Bowie's "Let's Dance," Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust,' and, of course, "Rapper's Delight"). But then add Nile Rodgers' guitar scratching, soaring strings, and precise vocals and, baby, you got a stew goin'. Ranked #229 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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My Sharona

The Knack
Weeks in Hot 100: 22

Peaked: August 25

Album: Get the Knack (Capitol)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1

According to Billboard, this was the #1 song of 1979, but #8 was the best I could do for it. New wave power pop like nothing I'd ever heard before. The Knack got more out of a one note bass line than any other.  The first New Wave #1? Could be. I like to tell people that my wife's nickname is Sharona and that the song was written about her. Apparently, the real Sharona is a real estate agent in L.A.

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Got to be Real

Cheryl Lynn

Weeks in Hot 100: 18

Peaked: February 17

Album: Cheryl Lynn (Columbia)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	12
R&B	1
Disco	11

There's absolutely nothing in this song that doesn't work: the bass and horns intro to the funky groove to the countermelody to the key change to the backing vocals, more horns, great vocals, and did I mention that groove. Never fails to get me moving. Written by Lynn, David Foster, and Toto keyboardist David Paich.

During the 1997-98 school year, I taught 8th grade English (holycowwasthatreally21yearsago?? Those kids are now in their mid 30s. Sheesh.). Not being much for classroom management, my classes were always a little loose (but test scores were fantastic - my administrators never could quite wrap their head around the dichotomy of noisy learning). One day, out of the blue, a student named Nick sang the intro to this song and, within seconds, the whole class joined in the singing, including myself. (It was probably just a few students and myself, but "whole class" makes for a better story.) That scene in room 104 always comes to mind when I hear this song now. (End of parentheticals).

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Rise

Herb Alpert

Weeks in Hot 100: 25

Peaked: October 20

Album: Rise (A&M)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1
Adult Contemporary	1
R&B	4
Disco	17

If there's such a thing as a laid back disco tune, this is it.  This song became popular as I was learning to play trumpet and I was hooked immediately. I even bought the sheet music so I could play along with Herb.  It came with the lyrics which I've never heard sung other than by myself:

Of all the songs here in the top ten, this record was the first I purchased. Heck, I had lawn mowing earnings burning a hole in my pocket, so why not?

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I Want You to Want Me

Cheap Trick

Weeks in Hot 100: 19

Peaked: July 21

Album: Cheap Trick at Budokan (Epic)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	7

One of the great live singles and great love song to boot. A power pop song that rocks so hard that it needs two guitar solos, a drum break, and a live version that is miles ahead of the studio version.  This song reminds me of my childhood friend Robert - we rode our bikes and threw the Frisbee a lot in the summer of '79.

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Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Michael Jackson

Weeks in Hot 100: 21

Peaked: October 13

Album: Off the Wall (Epic)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1
R&B	1
Disco	2

One of the great album openers. Check your pulse if you can sit still during this one because the force got a lot of power. Just when you think it can't get any better, an instrumental bridge kicks in at 2:40  with a guitar solo over horns and there's so much going on I don't know what to listen to and it doesn't really matter. Just listening to the syncopated cowbell part gets me going.

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What a Fool Believes

The Doobie Brothers

Weeks in Hot 100: 20

Peaked: April 14

Album: Minute by Minute (Warner Bros.)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1
Adult Contemporary	22
Disco	40

According to the creators of the term "yacht rock," this is the ultimate yacht rock song, scoring a perfect 100 on their Yachtski Scale. All that is well and good, but this had quite the pedigree before that. In addition to topping the charts, it won three Grammy awards, including two top awards at the end of the broadcast:

1. Record of the Year 
2. Song of the Year
3. Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocals 

Never heard the Jim Burgess 12" disco remix? Treat yo self:

I have tickets to see Michael McDonald in July and if he doesn't play both this song and "Minute by Minute" I can't be held responsible for my actions.

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We are Family

Sister Sledge

Weeks in Hot 100: 19

Peaked: June 16

Album: We are Family (Cotillion)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	2
Adult Contemporary	30
R&B	1
Disco	1

I always call this song "the best Chic single of all-time" and that's tongue-in-cheek but it's really not, is it? The single version gets me dancing every time, but the 8:20 full version is spectacular because Bernard Edwards lays down a great bass solo. How could bass playing be both understated and funky at the same time?  Check out his work at the break about 3:55 into the title track. It's one of the few overplayed '70s tunes that could be played every hour and it probably wouldn't bother me. To that short list, please add...

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September

Earth, Wind & Fire

Weeks in Hot 100: 17

Peaked: February 10

Album: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (Columbia)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	8
Adult Contemporary	41
R&B	1

Not only the best song of 1979, this is one of the all-time greats. I gave it a grade of A+ a few years back and that seems low.

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All chart positions are peak positions from Billboard charts. These are my personal top 79 singles of those that peaked on the Billboard charts in 1979. The list is solely my opinion. Using Joel Whitburn's book, Pop Annual 1955-1999, I started with the 475 singles that peaked on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in 1979. An initial pass through that list narrowed it down to 105 tunes, then listening, ranking, and editing began. The top 79 are presented here, in order.

Counting down my Top 79 of '79: Singles #26 - 11

A breakdown of my top singles from 1979

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	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
26	"Is She Really Going Out with Him"	Joe Jackson	21
25	"I Do Love You"	GQ	20		5
24	"Blow Away"	George Harrison	16	2
23	"Born to Be Alive"	Patrick Hernandez	16			1
22	"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"	Journey	16
21	"Shine a Little Love"	Electric Light Orchestra	8	40
20	"A Little More Love"	Olivia Newton-John	3	4
19	"Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls"	Queen	24

	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
18	"My Life"	Billy Joel	3	2
17	"Arrow Through Me"	Wings	29	29
16	"Heartache Tonight"	Eagles	1	38
15	"Boogie Wonderland"	Earth, Wind & Fire	6		2	14
14	"Cruel to be Kind"	Nick Lowe	12	36
13	"What You Won't Do for Love"	Bobby Caldwell	9	10	6
12	"After the Love has Gone"	Earth, Wind & Fire	2	3	2
11	"Morning Dance"	Spyro Gyra	24	1	60

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All chart positions are peak positions from Billboard charts. These are my personal top 79 singles of those that peaked on the Billboard charts in 1979. The list is solely my opinion. Using Joel Whitburn's book, Pop Annual 1955-1999, I started with the 475 singles that peaked on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in 1979. An initial pass through that list narrowed it down to 105 tunes, then listening, ranking, and editing began. The top 79 are presented here, in order.

Counting down my Top 79 of '79: Singles #79 - 62

A breakdown of my top singles from 1979

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	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
79	"Lady"	Little River Band	10	7
78	"Highway to Hell"	AC/DC	47
77	"Dance the Night Away"	Van Halen	15
76	"Hot Stuff"	Donna Summer	1		3	1
75	"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"	Rupert Holmes	1	8
74	"Let's Go"	The Cars	14
73	"Heaven Knows"	Donna Summer with Brooklyn Dreams	4	17	10
72	"Suspicions"	Eddie Rabbitt	13	9
71	"In the Stone"	Earth, Wind & Fire	58		23

	Title	Artist	Pop	AC	R&B	Disco
70	"I Will Survive"	Gloria Gaynor	1	9	4	1
69	"(not just) Knee Deep"	Funkadelic	77		1	43
68	"Driver's Seat"	Sniff 'n' The Tears	15
67	"Sad Eyes"	Robert John	1	10
66	"Still"	The Commodores	1	6	1
65	"You Can't Change That"	Raydio	9	25	3
64	"Ships"	Barry Manilow	9	4
63	"The Gambler"	Kenny Rogers	16	3
62	"One Way or Another"	Blondie	24

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All chart positions are peak positions from Billboard charts. These are my personal top 79 singles of those that peaked on the Billboard charts in 1979. The list is solely my opinion. Using Joel Whitburn's book, Pop Annual 1955-1999, I started with the 475 singles that peaked on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in 1979. An initial pass through that list narrowed it down to 105 tunes, then listening, ranking, and editing began. The top 79 are presented here, in order.

MFD Random Five #40

In which I click the shuffle icon on the iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the year 1979.

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1. "Dim All the Lights" by Donna Summer (1979, Casablanca)
   A familiar trope from Donna: start half time then get up to disco speed about 45-60 seconds in. But it don't bother me a bit. In fact, this was written by Donna herself, so you can't blame her for basing her form on previous hits. If it ain't broke and whatnot. Love the descending bass line in the B section. A #2 pop hit in November '79.


2. "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions (1979, ARC/Columbia)
   OOOOOH, YEAH! making me feel so good this morning. I just checked my list of top 5 EWF songs and somehow this didn't make the cut. That seems unreal as I listen now, but they produced that much good music.
   
   
   
   Ask yourself: "Should I listen to more Earth, Wind & Fire?"  Inevitably, the answer is yes.


3. "Too Much Too Young" by The Specials (1979, 2Tone)
   One of the stand-out tracks from a fantastic debut album. I like ska in small doses so when a great track such as this shuffles around, it's perfect. Was I listening to this in '79? Nope, but I caught up a few years later.
   


4. "Cars" by Gary Numan (1979, Beggars Banquet)
   A groundbreaking classic - when this hit the radio, it was like nothing I'd heard before. Does it sound dated?  Absolutely.  Does it matter?  Not in the least. I've read that Numan himself isn't overly fond of the tune, but I would imagine he's become fond of the royalties.


5. "A Warm Summer Night" by Chic  (1979, Atlantic)
   Not quite a slow jam, this laid-back, soothing, sexy tune provides a brief reprise between disco classics "Good Times" and "My Feet Keep Dancing" on side one of the Risqué album, exhibit A in the case against those who suggest that there was little substance to disco music (according to the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, p. 434)

MFD Random Five #38

In which I click the shuffle icon on the iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.

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1. "High Society" by Norma Jean (1980, Bearsville)
   A Chic recording in all but name and, as such, is deserving of our respect.


2. "Too Hot to Handle" by Heatwave (1977, Epic)
   The Too Hot to Handle album was featured on this blog a few years back. Here's what I wrote about it then: "A great opening track that gets me dancin'.  Sounds like a Michael Jackson or Brothers Johnson tune from around that time, complete with Earth Wind & Fire type horn licks." My opinion hasn't changed.


3. "Disco Nights (Rock Freak)" by GQ (1979, Arista)
   With its synth-funk groove, this tune sounds more like early '80s R&B than disco.  I like it okay, but it pales in comparison to the follow-up, the wonderful slow jam "I Do Love You."


4. "Be Ever Wonderful" by Earth, Wind & Fire (1977, Columbia)
   One of EWF's best-ever ballads, this is the perfect album closer for All 'N All which I'll now pull off the shelves and listen to in its entirety. Should I listen to Earth, Wind & Fire more often? Yes. Yes, I should.


5. "Call Me" by Blondie  (1980, Chrysalis)
   A huge hit for the group. Rumor has it that writer Giorgio Moroder originally offered this to Stevie Nicks which woulda been a completely different tune. Although it was #1 for 6 straight weeks, I never hear it much anymore; radio stations usually opt for "Heart of Glass" instead. Shame. I never bought this single, but I bought another single from the American Gigolo soundtrack and it had an instrumental version of this tune on the b-side:
   
   

AT40, August 4, 1979 [Part 3 of 4]

 

I'm breaking down the AT40 show of August 4, 1979 track by track.  For an a look at #40-31, click here, for #30-21 click here.

#20:  "Getting Closer" by Wings. The follow-up single to "Goodnight Tonight." I usually can take it or leave it, but today it's really resonating with me. Go figure. On AT40 since late June, it was peaking here at #20. So is the "salamander" in the lyrics a pet name for his woman, the nickname of his woman's lover, or an actual amphibian?

Casey tells the story of the drummer for Atlanta Rhythm Section, Robert Nix, had to sneak out of the house at night to play gigs when he was 15 years old.

#19: "Do It or Die" by Atlanta Rhythm Section. To be honest, I never recognized this as an Atlanta Rhythm Section tune. Still, it's a nice enough soft rocker, which should have placed higher than #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Over on the pop charts, it peaked here in the #19 spot.

"Coming up: a Long Distance Dedication from a Louisiana girl to a Florida boy who taught her that the best cure for being hurt in love is to fall in love again." Awwwww.....

#18: "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions. Two EWF songs in one episode could never be a bad thing.  A great dance tune from my favorite EWF album, I Am. Ain't nuthin' wrong with this joint - I'll even admit to a bit of chair-dancing as I write these words.  A big crossover hit, this peaked on the Top 40 at #6, hit #2 on the R&B chart, and #14 on the disco chart.  I even played a marching band arrangement of the tune at high school football games.

Long Distance Dedication: "You Made Me Believe in Magic" by Bay City Rollers (#10, 1977).

Dear Casey, a few months ago I was going steady with a guy. I really thought I was in love. Then, I found out he was just using me to get a date with my best friend. I was really hurt. I vowed never to go out with another guy again. This went on for about three months, then I met Aaron. He kept asking me out and I kept turning him down. Finally, he asked me why. I told him the whole story. I found I could really talk to him and he understood me. We went out often and I found I was falling in love again. I was scared, but he helped me through. Then, one day, Aaron told me he had to move. We write each other often, and in my letters I try to tell him how much I love him and thank him for getting me out of my depression. But it's hard to write it in words, so I'd like to dedicate the song "You Made Me Believe in Magic" to Aaron to tell him how I feel.

I don't remember ever hearing this BCR single on the radio, but it's got a catchy chorus.

#17: "Lead Me On" by Maxine Nightingale. Another one of those hook-filled ballads with raunchy lyrics that I would sing around the house much to my mother's dismay.  This good stuff goes down smooth. #1 on the AC chart for 7 weeks, this slow burner would peak at #5 on September 15. Both this song and its predecessor on the chart, "Boogie Wonderland," share a songwriter: Hall-of-Famer Allee Willis.

#16:  "Sad Eyes" by Robert John. I remember the girls in 8th grade loved this sap, so I was forced to listen to it if I wanted to be near them. Of course, all 8th grade girls are only interested in high school boys, so why did I even bother? This song entered the Top 40 on June 30 and would finally reach the #1 spot on October 6, spending a remarkable 19 weeks on AT40.

"Coming up is the latest hit by a singing-songwriting duo who would have been killed on that tragic Thursday of May 24, 1979, if it weren't for their love of doing interviews."

#15:  "Shine a Little Love" by Electric Light Orchestra. Loved ELO, loved disco. Two great tastes that taste great together. ELO had 17 singles crack the Top 40 between the years of 1976-85, this was their ninth of those 17 to do so, peaking at #8.

Casey tells the story of McFadden & Whitehead accepting an unscheduled interview and postponing a flight. They were originally ticketed for American Airlines Flight 191, which crashed at O'Hare airport moments after takeoff. Casey mistakenly states the date as May 24, when the accident occured on May 25. An odd, morbid contribution to the episode, no?

#14:  "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead. Classic Philadelphia International sound.  I remember dancing to this one in the jr high gym.  I can't find any fault with any of it: the great string part floating above a funky bass line played by Jimmy Williams backed up with vocals from The Sweethearts of Sigma.  Immediately recognizable, immediately danceable, immediately classic. "Don't wanna stop, please don't make me stop!" The duo's only Top 40 hit, this one would peak at #13, but topped the R&B chart and reached #10 on the disco chart.

"Next up, the first heavy metal song to make the Top 40 of the disco chart."  Uh....whatever you say, Casey.

#13: "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by Kiss. A sub-par disco tune from a novelty act. At least it's better than "Beth." The song did indeed make the disco chart, peaking at #37 there. It would make it as high as #11 on the pop chart. The group was accused of "selling-out" but let's be honest, that ship had sailed years earlier.

AT40 Archives: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John.  Casey's counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's; this tune is the last of three in this show. This cover tune was #1 for the first two weeks of 1975.

--end of hour three--

Casey welcomes one new station to the American Top 40 family this week: WKKZ - Dublin, Georgia

#12:  "Mama Can't Buy You Love" by Elton John. In which a green-eyed English bloke attempts to sing blue-eyed Philly soul.  Great material, great arrangement (love those French horn parts), poor performance. This would top the Adult Contemporary chart and peak at #9 on AT40.

Casey lists the five members of Raydio in the intro to...

#11:  "You Can't Change That" by Raydio. In this humble blogger's opinion, Ray Parker, Jr. is an underappreciated songwriter, producer, and guitarist.  The baritone vocals of this bouncy song fit perfectly in my vocal range which means my family had to hear my a capella version around the house quite often. Two weeks after this episode, this single would peak at #9.

Billboard, August 4, 1979, p. 56

More to come...

AT40, August 4, 1979 [Part 2 of 4]

 

I'm breaking down the AT40 show of August 4, 1979 track by track.  For a look at #40-31, click here.

Casey introduces the next song by stating that ABBA's net income makes them the most profitable business enterprise in Sweden, clearing $12 million.

#30:  "Does Your Mother Know" by ABBA. I'm an ABBA fan and I don't care who knows it.  Those Swedes could write some hooks.  This song would spend 10 weeks in the top 40, peaking at #19. I have considered doing an ABBA bracketology series, but we all know that "Dancing Queen" would be the winner, so what's the point?

#29:  "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick.  The 25th (of an eventual 31) Top 40 record for Warwick. Produced by Barry Manilow and written by his songwriting team of Richard Kerr and Will Jennings, this sounds just like a Manilow record, right down to the key change at the end. (I'm not sure Manilow has the vocal chops to pull off the octave leaps in the chorus, so maybe that's why it was given to Warwick). This single was on its very slow ascent on this chart; it would peak at #5 on October 20th, more than two months later.

#28:  "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers. What should have been a Bread song (and maybe it was originally?) recorded by The Gambler. This tune had all sorts of crossover appeal: #1 Country, #1 Adult Contemporary, and would peak at #5 on the pop chart.

Before a commercial break, Casey teases a story about Arthur Fiedler by playing a snippet of his only pop chart appearance, an arrangement of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which peaked at #55 in 1964. "Special tribute" coming up.

#27:  "Suspicions" by Eddie Rabbitt. Like the earlier Kenny Rogers tune, here's another smooth rock tune marketed as a country tune. Good stuff, right down to the flute solo. And like, Kenny, this did well on multiple charts: #1 country, #9 Adult Contemporary, and #13 pop.

Casey offers up a very brief tribute to Arthur Fiedler, who had passed away on July 10, 1979. I can't think of Fiedler and the Boston Pops without thinking of my father, who may be their biggest fan. The number one artist in his CD collection is the Boston Pops and its not even close. Sadly, Dad doesn't have the last album Fiedler recorded with the orchestra, Saturday Night Fiedler.

Now, on with the countdown...

#26:  "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels Band. Three country tunes in a row, such was Top 40 music in 1979. Loved this tune much more in '79 than I do now. I always thought the devil was the winner of the contest and enjoy the "band of demons" guitar riff that leads into his solo, which is butchered in this AT40 edit. #1 country, #30 Adult Contemporary, and would peak on the Hot 100 in the #3 spot on September 15.

Listener question: "A listener in Idaho wants to know if any number one song has ever fallen right off the chart from the number one position. Well, that did happen - once - to a singing cowboy who owns the pennant-chasing California Angels baseball team. Details coming up."

#25:  "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" by Joe Jackson. "One of eight British acts in the countdown." I love this tune and have absolutely no memory of hearing it on the radio in 1979, so a hearty "screw you" to the Houston station program director of 1979. Shame. This song only spent 8 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #21.

Answer to listener question: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry in December, 1949.

#24:  "One Way or Another" by Blondie. Tomorrow may be different, but today, this is my favorite Blondie tune. I'm sure 13 year old me would listen to these lyrics and think, "Please come and get me, use me, and lose me, Debbie." This single would peak here at #24.

Casey returns from the break by telling us that American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world every week on great radio stations like:

• WENK - Union City, Tennessee
• WFJA - Sanford, North Carolina
• DYXI - Iloilo, Philippines

#23:  "People of the Southwind" by Kansas. This song has already been featured here on MFD. It spent 8 weeks on AT40, peaking here at #23.

AT40 Archives: "Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy.  Casey's counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's, this is the second of three in this show. This tune was #1 for one week, December 28, 1974.

--end of hour two--

#22: "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind & Fire. ♥ EWF is one of my all-time favorite groups and this is my fifth favorite song by the group. Of course I've given that some thought, why do you ask? What are the other four, you say?

My top 5 EWF songs:

1. September
2. Got To Get You Into My Life
3. Shining Star
4. Fantasy
5. After The Love Has Gone

Anyway, this smooth tune written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group & Best R&B Song. This single spent 13 weeks on the chart, spending two weeks in the #2 spot behind "My Sharona."

Casey mentions that seven different countries are represented in this week's countdown: England, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, and the U.S. He goes on to say that's the most since July, 1978.

#21: "I Can't Stand It No More" by Peter Frampton. While I like the chorus, the rest of the song doesn't do much for me.  The verse chord progression reminds me of AC/DC's "Big Balls" (a favorite of mine as a teenager).  This isn't a song I'd seek out to listen to.  Frampton's final Top 40 single, it had peaked at #14 in late July.

"There's a drummer in our survey who says he never wanted to be anything but a musician, but his father didn't approve. So in order to play his first professional gigs, he had to sneak out of his bedroom window four nights a week for two years. That story, and his band's latest single, are coming up."

Billboard, August 4, 1979, p. 56

More to come...

Earth, Wind & Fire - September (1978)

September
b/w Love's Holiday

Released: November 18, 1978 (ARC) Written by: Maurice White, Al McKay, Allee Willis Produced by: Maurice White Album: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1

U. S. Billboard Charts:
Hot 100	8
Adult Contemporary	41
R&B	1

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Not only do I never get tired of hearing this song, but when it comes on the radio, I turn up the volume and start dancing. I've used it as my ringtone and everybody around me smiles when my phone rings. I have absolutely no idea what this song is about and its connection to the month of September and I don't care. (If you want to know what songwriter Allee Willis thinks, check out this feature from NPR.) The horns, the vocals, the melody, it all works - it makes me feel good. Simply put, this song is one of the greatest songs of the '70s and easily my favorite song by EWF. Now that I've heard it once again, I will probably listen to it 5 - 10 more times before calling it a day.

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