September 21: Do you remember?

I'm certain this has been posted before, but I'm too lazy to look for it.

 

Don't get too comfortable. There's a cold November rain dead ahead.

 

But first, we have to get through October.

 

This will be the first 21st night of September without songwriter Allee Willis, who died in December.

She told NPR in 2014 that while she was working on the song with Maurice White, the leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, she was annoyed by the recurring nonsense phrase he had written, “Ba-dee-ya.” She asked Mr. White what it meant, and he said, “Who cares?” That led her to a revelation: “I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.”

Allee Willis, 72, Dies; ‘Friends’ Theme and ‘September’ Songwriter

 

Cannot like Earth, Wind & Fire enough.

Maurice White and this band could make a simplistic groove work wonders, could easily work more complex riffs into their work, and fused R&B, funk, rock and soul - and probably a couple of genres I forgot - so skillfully that the band cannot be put in a box.

Musicianship, skill, fun and White's message wrapped up in the perfect package.

 

As my roommate labelled in a derogatory fashion "Dirt Breeze and Flames", EWF was a major part of the soundtrack of my youth.

September
Reasons/Saturday Nite
That's the Way of the World/Shining Star
Serpentine Fire/Fantasy
Boogie Wonderland/In the Stone
Let's Groove

 

There is a good chance that this song could play at my funeral - it's going into the codicil.

 

I thought I was going to escape this song today, but in second period a little shithead 8th grader dropped it with an up dog set up. I fell for it and thanks to that asshole, it was stuck in my head and I had to play it at the end of class.

 

This was the opener for the Bridgemen's 1979 and 1980 Drum Corps International shows. They absolutely nailed it -- goosebumps in person -- and the Gator Band did a decent rendition that fall.

Absolute horn section perfection. I bow to your excellent taste, my good man.

 

And yes, wake me up when September ends.