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In the Stone

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 9 min
"In the Stone"
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire
from the album I Am
B-side"You and I"
Released1979
Recorded1978
GenreDisco[1]
Length4:48
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"After the Love Has Gone"
(1979) 		"In the Stone"
(1979) 		"Can't Let Go"
(1979)

"In the Stone" is a song by R&B/funk band Earth, Wind & Fire issued as a single in 1979 on Columbia Records. The song rose to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart.[2][3]

Overview

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"In the Stone" was produced by Maurice White, who composed the song with Allee Willis and David Foster. The single also came off Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 album I Am.[2]

Background and composition

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In an interview with Questlove Supreme, songwriter Allee Willis explained the story behind the song saying : "The first thing Maurice ever said to me was "What do you know about Eastern philosophies ?" and I said I didn't know anything so he gave me a list of books and sent me to a store in L.A. called The Bodhi Tree. He gave me 10 books and said the one you have to start with is The Greatest Salesman in the World and I thought it's about advertising I got this down and I opened it up and it's not about advertising, it's about the prophets and they're in the old Egypt. I got so confused immediately."[4]

"But In The Stone was supposed to be the song that got all their philosophy in there so I never understood it as we were writing. He would basically tell me what he wanted to say and I would give him 10 different lines that said that. Now of course I understand everything it's very much about the fact that everything is pre-written, there's this mindset for what men is and he very much believed in past lives and future lives but that one I was flying by the seat of my pants."[5]

About the songwriting process, she explained : "I don't remember with that particular song that I was in the same room at the same time with David Foster. He started it with Maurice then Maurice brought it to me and we like finished it."[6]

Critical reception

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Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote "In the Stone is less imaginative than many of Earth, Wind & Fire's previous efforts, but performing gusto compensates for the slim substance."[7][8] Ace Adams of the New York Daily News called "In the Stone" one of the album's "best songs."[9] Cash Box said it was "an irresistable dancing cut" that "moves to a swinging mixture of catchy percussives and intricately woven harmonies."[10] James Johnson of the Evening Standard proclaimed "the slightly curious cosmic overtones of their lyrics remain in evidence on..In the Stone".[11]

Personnel

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  • Writing, lyrics – Allee Willis, David Foster, Maurice White
  • Producer – Maurice White

Production[12]

Engineers

  • Engineer – George Massenburg, Tom Perry
  • Mixing engineer – George Massenburg
  • Assistant engineer – Craig Widby, Ross Pallone

Performers

  • Saxophone – Fred Jackson Jr., Herman Riley, Jerome Richardson
  • Alto saxophone, baritone saxophone – Don Myrick
  • Tenor saxophone – Andrew Woolfolk, Don Myrick
  • Bass – Meyer Rubin, Susan Ranney, Verdine White
  • Drums – Fred White, Maurice White
  • Guitar – Al McKay, Johnny Graham, Marlo Henderson, Steve Lukather
  • Congas – Philip Bailey
  • Keyboards – Bill Myers, David Foster, Eddie Del Barrio
  • Percussion – Maurice White, Paulinho Da Costa, Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson
  • Piano, synthesizer – Larry Dunn
  • Timpani – Richard Lepore
  • French horn - Barbara Korn, Marilyn Robinson, Richard Perissi, Sidney Muldrow
  • Trombone – Benjamin Powell, Garnett Brown, George Bohanon, Louis Satterfield, Maurice Spears, William Reichenbach
  • Trumpet - Bobby Bryant, Elmer Brown Jr., Jerry Hey, Michael Harris, Oscar Brashear, Rahmlee Michael Davis, Steve Madaio
  • Viola - Barbara Thomason, Linda Lipsett, Norman Forrest, Renita Koven
  • Violin - Barry Socher, Betty Lamagna, Carl LaMagna, David Stockhammer, Haim Shtrum, Harris Goldman, Jack Gootkin, Lya Stern, Marcia Van Dyke, Mary D. Lundquist, Ronald Clark, Ruth Henry, Sheldon Sanov
  • Cello – Daniel Smith, Jan Kelley, Ronald Cooper, Concert Master, Janice Gower
  • Harp – Dorothy Jeanne Ashby
  • Vocal - Maurice White, Philip Bailey
  • Background Vocal – Maurice White, Philip Bailey

Chart positions

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Chart (1979) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 58
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles 23
New Zealand RIANZ Top Singles 39[13]

References

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  1. ^ Holtje, Stephen (January 1, 1998). "Earth, Wind & Fire/Maurice White". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 189–190.
  2. ^ a b Earth, Wind & Fire: In the Stone. Columbia Records. 1979.
  3. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: In the Stone (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  4. ^ "QLS Classic : Allee Willis". Questlove Supreme.
  5. ^ "QLS Classic : Allee Willis". Questlove Supreme.
  6. ^ "Episode 10 – Allee Willis". Sodajerker.
  7. ^ Garland, Phyl (October 1979). "Earth, Wind & Fire: I Am" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 43, no. 4. Stereo Review. p. 100.
  8. ^ Garland, Phyl (October 1979). "Earth, Wind & Fire: I Am" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 43, no. 4. Stereo Review. p. 102.
  9. ^ Adams, Ace (June 22, 1979). "Mini Reviews". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 321.
  10. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 29, 1979. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  11. ^ Johnson, James (June 14, 1979). "Pick An Album". Evening Standard. p. 27 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Jaxsta". jaxsta.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  13. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: In the Stone". charts.nz. RIANZ.
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Stone
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