History of September 21: Earth, Wind & Fire

September single

History of September 21: Earth, Wind & Fire

When the band Earth, Wind & Fire released the feel-good song “September” in 1978, it broke into the Top 10 and has been one of their biggest commercial successes.

However, the single was initially released on November 18, 1978, and was one of three new songs included on the compilation  album “The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1.”

September: Major Hit

Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol 1

In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked “September” No. 65 on its list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Billboard ranked it No. 6 among Earth, Wind & Fire’s top singles in a 2005 retrospective.

The single was certified Gold for its original release, representing one million units under the RIAA’s certification standard at the time, and had sold more than two million digital copies in the United States by September 2017. In 2020, it was certified six-times Platinum.

In 2018, it was added into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress — a notable achievement for a 40-year-old song.

It starts with:

Do you remember
The twenty-first night of September?
Love was changin’ the minds of pretenders
While chasin’ the clouds away
Our hearts were ringin’
In the key that our souls were singin’
As we danced in the night, remember
How the stars stole the night away, oh yeah…

The opening question, “Do you remember?” invites listeners to supply their own memories, helping make the song a perennial favorite.

• The song has even inspired “21st of September” parties around the world.
• The date has even become a popular wedding date; one wedding site reported a 33 percent increase in couples choosing September 21 between 2019 and 2024.

Although the song emerged during the disco era, it combines elements of funk, boogie, Latin-flavored horns, and a circular chord progression.

Check out the official HD video:

Origin of September

Maurice White, the leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, called Los Angeles songwriter Allee Willis and asked her to help write songs for the band’s next album. But guitarist Al McKay had already created the song’s basic musical foundation—the distinctive guitar groove and chord progression.

While the night of September 21 is close to the Autumnal Equinox, which marks the beginning of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, songwriter Allee Willis said the date initially had no particular significance. However, years later, when she met with Marilyn White, the widow of Maurice White, she learned from her that September 21 was the due date for their son, Kahbran.

September by Earth, Wind & Fire: Live

I’ve seen Earth, Wind & Fire live a couple of times, and I must say: they’re kinetic. Here’s my review from their 2005 concert at Red Rocks in Colorado when they were performing with Chicago:

Concert Review: Chicago/Earth, Wind, and Fire at Red Rocks in Denver

What Does It Mean: Ba-dee-ya?

Willis had some heartburn with White’s addition of his famous chorus. When Willis asked him to rewrite it, White essentially replied, “Who cares?” She learned the biggest lesson of her songwriting career at that moment:

“Never let the lyric get in the way of the groove”

The End of September?

The song concludes with:

Ba-dee-ya
Say, do you remember?
Ba-dee-ya (Oh)
Dancin’ in September
Ba-dee-ya (Hey)
Never was a cloudy day

Earth, Wind & Fire recorded a new version of the song, retitled “December,” for their 2014 Christmas album Holiday.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com