- Source: In the Stone
"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.
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.
Background and composition
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."
"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."
In Maurice White's autobiography, he explained : "One thing that I wanted Allee (Willis) and all the people who collaborated with me to understand is that non-conformity and curiosity always lead to a heightened creativity. The reason I wanted her to read certain books was twofold. One, it was not so much to hip her to this or that as just to expose her to different things, break her out of the norms of conventional thinking. Inhibitions kill imagination. Mysticism helps keep it alive. Secondly, I wanted to give her a language that would hip her to write lyrics in a philosophical manner, even so-called love songs. That language would really manifest itself in the song “In The Stone.”
About the songwriting process, Willis said : "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."
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."
Ace Adams of the New York Daily News called "In the Stone" one of the album's "best songs." Cash Box said it was "an irresistable dancing cut" that "moves to a swinging mixture of catchy percussives and intricately woven harmonies." James Johnson of the Evening Standard proclaimed "the slightly curious cosmic overtones of their lyrics remain in evidence on..In the Stone".
Personnel
Writing, lyrics – Allee Willis, David Foster, Maurice White
Producer – Maurice White
Production
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
References
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