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Friday, November 6, 2015

"Side by Side" by Earth, Wind & Fire

Song#:  1454
Date:  05/14/1983
Debut:  82
Peak:  76
Weeks:  4
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  EWF's "Powerlight" album got off to an okay start with the #17 "Fall in Love with Me" (#4 R&B). This second single didn't do much to improve the album's future when it only got to #15 at R&B while pretty much crashing at pop. Although the album would reach gold level, it was a definite drop from their previous platinum successes.

ReduxReview:  After updating their sound with the awesome "Let's Groove" (#3), the band kind of retreated back to the safety of their 70s sound, as this single shows. They aren't offering anything new here. In fact, it just sounds like a tired retread of material they've done before. Maurice White is an excellent craftsman, but it's hard to turn lackluster material into something hit-worthy.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  During the summer of '83, EWF recorded a song that would be used in a feature-length animated film. Their song "Dance, Dance, Dance" would be featured in the Canadian movie "Rock & Rule." At the time, there were a few adult-oriented animated features being made such as 1981's "Heavy Metal," which had a successful soundtrack. "Rock & Rule" was another music-oriented sci-fi film that boasted songs from EWF, Cheap Trick, Lou Reed, and Debbie Harry. Although the movie was slated for US release, its distributor was bought by another company and the new folks in charge didn't like it. The film saw a very limited release and then got shelved. The lack of support meant that no soundtrack album was ever issued. This EWF song remained vaulted (most likely due to rights issues) until recently when it found its way into iTunes. The film later garnered a small cult following thanks to repeated plays in the early days of HBO and Showtime.

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