Heritage (song)
1990 single by Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Boys
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"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]
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| "Heritage" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Boys | ||||
| from the album Heritage | ||||
| B-side | "Gotta Find Out" | |||
| Released | February 1990 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:05 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
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| The Boys singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Heritage" on YouTube | ||||
Overview
"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
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
- 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
| 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 |