"Heritage" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire featuring Suns of Light (as the Boys), released in February 1990 by Columbia Records[1] as the first single from their fifteenth studio album. The single reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. 5 on the Cash Box Top R&B Singles chart, No. 4 on the Japanese Pop Singles (Oricon) chart and No. 23 on the Finland Suomen virallinen singlelista.[2][3][4][5]

"Heritage"
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Boys
from the album Heritage
B-side"Gotta Find Out"
ReleasedFebruary 1990
Genre
Length4:05
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"Turn on (The Beat Box)"
(1988)
"Heritage"
(1990)
"For the Love of You"
(1990)
The Boys singles chronology
"Lucky Charms"
(1989)
"Heritage"
(1990)
"Crazy"
(1990)
Music video
"Heritage" on YouTube

Overview

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"Heritage" was produced by Maurice White and written by White, Lestley Pierce and Frankie Blue. With a duration of four minutes and five seconds the song has a prestissimo tempo of 207 beats per minute.[1][6]

The single's B-side was a song called "Gotta Find Out". Both "Heritage" and "Gotta Find Out" came upon EWF's 1990 studio album Heritage.[1]

A music video was also issued in 1990 to accompany the single.[7]

Critical reception

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May Mitchell of The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that "guest appearances are made by the Boys who lend a nice choral touch to the funky title track".[8] Billboard called "Heritage" "a solid funky jam strong on complex harmonies and prideful lyrics" with "youthful zest".[9] Peter Kinghorn of the Newcastle Chronicle found a "Throbbing dance beat with the Boys helping out on harmonies."[10] John Milward of Rolling Stone declared that the "prideful title tune even throws in the kind of admonition — “This is a party, y’all,” courtesy of the Boys — favored by Earth, Wind and Fire's more radical old rivals in Parliament-Funkadelic".[11] Pablo Guzman of the New York Daily News also exclaimed that EWF "jumps into radioactive with Takin' Chances and Heritage, the latter featuring the Boys. The union is a kicking one".[12] James T. Jones IV of USA Today found that "EWF smartly gets help from..The Boys on the muscular title track, a song of racial pride."[13]

Credits

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  • Producer: Frankie Blue, Lestley R. Pierce & Maurice White
  • Composer: Maurice White, Lestley R. Pierce & Frankie Blue
  • Arranger: Lestley R. Pierce
  • Horn Arranger: Bill Meyers
  • Synthesizer: Lestley R. Pierce
  • Saxophone: Gary Bias & Andrew Woolfolk
  • Trombone: Reggie Young
  • Trumpet: Jerry Hey & Oscar Brashear
  • Drum Programming: Lestley R. Pierce
  • Synthesizer Programming: Lestley R. Pierce
  • Keyboards: Lestley R. Pierce
  • Guitar: Frankie Blue & Sheldon Reynolds
  • Bass: Verdine White
  • Background Vocals: The Boys, Sheldon Reynolds, Philip Bailey & Maurice White
  • Lead Vocals Maurice White[14]

Charts

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Chart (1990) Peak
position
Japanese Pop Singles (Oricon)[5] 4
Finland (Suomen virallinen singlelista)[2] 23
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[3] 5
US Top R&B Singles (Cash Box) 5

References

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  1. ^ a b c Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage. Columbia Records. February 1990.
  2. ^ a b Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Earth, Wind & Fire". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 69. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.
  4. ^ "CASH BOX Top R&B Singles". Cash Box. March 17, 1990.
  5. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  6. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". chords.tv.
  7. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". imdb.com.
  8. ^ Mitchell, May (February 22, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ Single Reviews. Vol. 102. Billboard. February 3, 1990. p. 85.
  10. ^ Kinghorn, Peter (February 20, 1983). Singles. Newcastle Chronicle. p. 23 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ Milward, John (March 22, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". Rolling Stone.com. Rolling Stone.
  12. ^ Guzman, Pablo (February 18, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 422.
  13. ^ Jones, James T (18 January 1990). "Listen Up!". USA Today. p. 04D. ProQuest 306292404.
  14. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire – Heritage", Genius.com, retrieved 2023-08-11