September (Earth, Wind & Fire song)

"September" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire released as a single in 1978 on ARC/Columbia Records. Initially included as a track for The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, "September" was very successful commercially and reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, No.8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No.3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song remains a staple of the band's body of work and has been sampled, covered, remixed, and re-recorded numerous times.

It was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" in 2018.

Composition
"September" has a funk groove based on a four-measure pattern that is consistent between verses and choruses, built on a circle of fifths.

Using a chord progression written by Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay, vocalist Maurice White and songwriter Allee Willis wrote the song over one month. Willis was initially bothered by the gibberish "ba-dee-ya" lyric White used through the song, and begged him to rewrite it: "I just said, 'What the fuck does 'ba-dee-ya' mean?' And he essentially said, 'Who the fuck cares?' I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove." The song was included on the band's first compilation—The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1—solely to boost sales with original content.

Although several theories about the significance of the date have been suggested, the songwriter Maurice White claimed he simply chose the 21st due to how it sounded when sung. His wife, Marilyn White, however, claimed that September21 was the due date of their son, Kahbran, according to lyricist Allee Willis.

Personnel
Earth, Wind & Fire
 * Maurice White – lead and background vocals, production
 * Philip Bailey – lead and background vocals, congas
 * Verdine White – background vocals, bass guitar
 * Johnny Graham – guitar
 * Al McKay – background vocals, electric guitar
 * Larry Dunn – keyboards
 * Ralph Johnson – drums, percussion
 * Fred White – drums
 * Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet
 * Michael Harris – trumpet
 * Louis Satterfield – trombone
 * Andrew Woolfolk – soprano saxophone

Technical personnel
 * Charles Stepney – arrangement, production

Reception
"September" has been one of the biggest commercial and critical successes of Earth, Wind & Fire's career, and vocalist Philip Bailey considers it one of the group's best songs. The song was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry and certified gold in the US (until the RIAA lowered the sales levels for certified singles in 1989, a Gold single equaled 1million units sold.) "September" was later certified Gold for digital sales by the RIAA, and has sold over 2million digital copies in the US as of September 2017. Record World called it a "smooth, quick song that captures the mood of autumn nostalgia, and should capture radio audiences too." In 2021, Rolling Stone included "September" at No.65 on their updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

"September" is one of the group's biggest hits in several decades of performing. A 2005 retrospective on Earth, Wind & Fire by Billboard ranked this song sixth on their top singles. Earth, Wind & Fire recorded a new version of the song, retitled "December", for their 2014 Christmas album Holiday.

Cultural impact
"September" has had renewed interest in the 21st century and has been an Internet meme as well as the source of original content by social media users.

The song has been featured in many films: Sisqó and Vitamin C cover the song during the closing credits of the film Get Over It (2001), Night at the Museum (2006) has it in the last scene before the end credits, and a version featuring the band accompanied by Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake is featured in the 2016 film Trolls. The 2019 film Polar features the song playing during its opening sequence, with the characters singing along to it together after pulling off a successful hit. The 2023 film Robot Dreams uses the song multiple times, including to accompany the climax.

In the United Kingdom the song has been popular as the basis of football chants at a number of clubs: according to a Guardian article this originated at Newcastle United F.C. where fans started singing a chant about player Chancel Mbemba in the autumn of 2015. It was also adapted by fans of the England national football team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia: "Woah, England are in Russia / Woah, drinking all the vodka / Woah, England’s going all the way".

Comedian Demi Adejuyigbe is known for creating annual videos of himself dancing to the song on September 21; he began this tradition in 2016 and each year receives millions of YouTube views. He concluded the annual events in 2021 with a video that featured Earth, Wind & Fire. Renewed popularity in the song led the city of Los Angeles to declare September 21 "Earth, Wind & Fire Day" in 2019 and the band celebrated the following year's event by releasing an EP of remixes by Eric Kupper.

With changed lyrics, the song appears in a 2022 Christmas TV commercial for Kohl's.

"September '99"
A remix of the song by English dance music duo Phats & Small called "September '99" was issued in 1999 on the compilation album The Ultimate Collection. The single reached No. 1 on the RPM Canadian Dance Songs chart, No. 4 on the UK Dance Chart and No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing
The compact disc single from INCredible Records (catalogue code INCR24CD) features:
 * 1) "September '99" (radio edit) – 3:45
 * 2) "September '99" (Mutant disco vocal mix) – 6:44
 * 3) "September '99" (Mutant disco dub) – 6:11

Kirk Franklin version
Kirk Franklin released a cover of "September" in 2007 on Stax Records. The song reached No. 17 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 26 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart. Frankin's rendition was produced by Maurice White and appears on the 2007 tribute album Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire, and was released as the lead single to promote the album.

Critical reception
Steve Jones of USA Today wrote: "Franklin turns the energetic 'September' into a gospel-fueled romp." James Christopher Monger of AllMusic found "Kirk Franklin offering up an impeccable, if nearly identical rendition of 'September'." Mike Joseph of PopMatters said "Kirk Franklin takes the band's 'September' (literally, by sampling the original version) and refashions it into an anthem of survival, using 'September' as a metaphor for a time when things aren't going so well, and using his talented choir of singers to give the lyrics a jubilant reading." People exclaimed "Kirk Franklin turns 'September' into a rousing celebration of faith."