In the Stone
| "In the Stone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album I Am | ||||
| B-side | "You and I" | |||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | R&B, funk, disco | |||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Allee Willis, David Foster and Maurice White | |||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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. [1][2]
Overview
"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.[1]
Critical reception
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."[3][4] Ace Adams of the New York Daily News called "In the Stone" one of the album's "best songs."[5] Cash Box said it was "an irresistable dancing cut" that "moves to a swinging mixture of catchy percussives and intricately woven harmonies."[6] Record World predicted that it would become a "smash hit."[7]
Covers
"In the Stone" was covered by Dionne Warwick on her 1981 album Hot! Live and Otherwise.[8]
“In the Stone” was covered on the album “Fly Away - the Songs of David Foster”, released in 2009 and sung by Bill Champlin.
“In the Stone" was covered by Leonid and Friends for their 2022 tour.
Appearances in other media
"In the Stone" appeared on the soundtrack of the 2002 feature film Drumline.[9]
Personnel
- Writing, lyrics – Allee Willis, David Foster, Maurice White
- Producer – Maurice White
Production[10]
- Horn arrangement – Jerry Hey
- String arrangement – David Foster
- Programmer – Steve Porcaro
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
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 58 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 23 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Top Singles | 39[11] |
References
- ^ a b Earth, Wind & Fire: In the Stone. Columbia Records. 1979.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: In the Stone (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ Garland, Phyl (October 1979). "Earth, Wind & Fire: I Am" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 43, no. 4. Stereo Review. p. 100.
- ^ Garland, Phyl (October 1979). "Earth, Wind & Fire: I Am" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 43, no. 4. Stereo Review. p. 102.
- ^ Adams, Ace (June 22, 1979). "Mini Reviews". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 321.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 29, 1979. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. October 6, 1979. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "What You Won't Do for Love / In the Stone by Dionne Warwick". secondhandsongs.com.
- ^ "Drumline (2002)". www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Jaxsta". jaxsta.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: In the Stone". charts.nz. RIANZ.
