Boogie Wonderland

"Boogie Wonderland" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions, released in April 1979 on Columbia Records.[1] The song peaked at number 14 on the dance chart, number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[2][3] Boogie Wonderland was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA and Gold in the UK by the BPI.

"Boogie Wonderland"
Single by Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions
from the album I Am
B-side	"Boogie Wonderland (Instrumental) (Vinyl)"
Released	May 6, 1979
Genre	Disco
Length	4:49 (LP/7") 9:21 (12")
Label	ARC Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Allee Willis Jon Lind
Producer(s)	Maurice White Al McKay
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"September" (1978) "Boogie Wonderland" (1979) "After the Love Has Gone" (1979)
Music video
"Boogie Wonderland" on YouTube

Overview

The song was composed by Allee Willis with Jon Lind[4] and produced by EWF leader Maurice White and Al McKay.[1]

Critical reception

Rose Riggins of Gannett wrote "Boogie Wonderland is the hit. But it is more than just an average pop song. The song is an exploration is of times spent at house parties and at discos, when you wanted to be disco queen or king and the spotlight just wouldn't focus on you. You wonder why and look into the mirror and it says, Uh, Uh, baby it don't work you dance to shake the hurt. Like so many of EWFs hits, Boogie Wonderland, is bolstered by the blazing horns that have become the groups trademark. Teamed up with the talented vocal group the Emotions, EWF has created a song that will join the ranks of such past hits as Mighty Mighty, Getaway, Fantasy and September." [5] Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone said Maurice White "takes simple dance formulas like 'Boogie Wonderland' and finds fresh possibilities within them."[6] Matthew Greenwald of Allmusic stated "one of the few records that paired two full-fledged groups successfully, the combination of EWF and the Emotions worked wonders here and it remains a classic of the period."[7] Ace Adams of the New York Daily News also found that "The Emotions' Boogie Wonderland gets Earth, Wind & Fire off to a flying start on this album".[8]

"Boogie Wonderland" was Grammy nominated in the categories of Best R&B Instrumental Performance and Best Disco Recording.[9]

Covers

• "Boogie Wonderland" was the basis for the dance song "I'm Alive" by Stretch & Vern Present "Maddog"; the song reached number 6 in the UK in September 1996.[10]

• The song was covered by singer Victoria Wilson-James and released as a single in 1993.
• The song was also covered by U.K. jazz funk band Shakatak in their 1999 album Jazz in the Night. Maurice White's leading vocals are replaced by Bill Sharpe on the keyboard, while Roger Odell gives a techno-house drum beat to the tune. The Emotions' vocal parts as well as Philip Bailey's falsetto are rendered by Jill Saward.
• The rock band Girls Against Boys covered the song for the 1999 movie 200 Cigarettes.
• A rendition of the song was featured on the reality television competition series American Idol, during the closing minutes of the April 2, 2003 episode. It was performed by the Top 8 finalists from Season 2: Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Josh Gracin, Trenyce, Carmen Rasmusen, Kimberly Caldwell and Rickey Smith.[11][12]
• It was covered by Brittany Murphy for the soundtrack to the 2006 movie Happy Feet.
• Dutch DJ and production duo Mr. Belt & Wezol released a remix of Boogie Wonderland in 2016 on Spinnin' Records.

Appearances in other media

• "Boogie Wonderland" has been featured in the American films Roller Boogie, Madagascar, Happy Feet, Don't Look Under the Bed, Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Caddyshack and The Nice Guys, as well as the French film The Intouchables.
• It was in the 23rd episode of Season 9 of U.S. TV series The Office.
• A remix of the song was used in the arcade game Dance Dance Revolution 3rdMIX, and the original version appeared later in Hottest Party 3.
• "Boogie Wonderland" has been made into different variations by The Ohio State University Marching Band, the Southern University Marching Band, Tennessee State University's Aristocrat of Bands, and the Marching 100.
• The song is used in the Australian play, Priscilla: the Musical.
• The song appeared in the video games, Rabbids Go Home and Just Dance 3.
• The song is used as the theme for Pro Wrestling Noah wrestler Muhammad Yone.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1979) Peak position Australia Kent Music Report 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 4 Canada 11 France (IFOP)[14] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 5 Netherlands [16] 4 New Zealand[17] 7 South Africa[18] 17 UK Singles Chart 4 US Billboard Hot 100 6 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles 2 US Billboard Disco Top 80 14 US Cash Box Top 100[19] 5 Chart (2012) Peak position France[20] 39

Year-end charts Chart (1979) Rank Australia[21] 56 Canada[22] 114 New Zealand[23] 30 UK [24] 22 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[25] 57 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[26] 33

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[27]	Gold	1,000,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	Gold	500,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[29]	Gold	25,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to "Boogie Wonderland" is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.[30]

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Gary Mulholland	U.K.	This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock	2002	*
Dave Marsh	U.S.	The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made	1989	737
Bruce Pollock	U.S.	The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000	2005	*
The Guardian	UK	1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear	2009	*

(*) designates lists that are unordered.

References

1. Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland. Columbia Records. April 1979.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 86.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 179.
4. Willis, Allee (25 November 2018). "How I wrote 'Boogie Wonderland'" Songwritingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
5. Riggins, Rose (August 25, 1979). "'Boogie Wonderland' more than just pop". The Californian. Gannett. p. 35 – via newspapers.com.
6. Marsh, Dave (August 29, 1979). "I Am". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
7. Greenwald, Matthew. "Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
8. Adams, Ace (June 22, 1979). "Mini Reviews". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 321.
9. "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
10. "The Official Charts Company Stretch 'N' Vern Presents 'Maddog' - I'm Alive".
11. "American Idol: Not The Final Coundown!". TV.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
12. American Idol. Season 2. Episode 23. April 2, 2003. FOX.
13. "Ultratop.be – Earth Wind and Fire – Boogie Wonderland" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
14. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 1979-06-22. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Boogie Wonderland". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
16. "NL Top40 - Search Results Boogie Wonderland". Retrieved 2018-10-30.
17. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1979-07-22. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
18. http://www.rock.co.za/files/sa_charts_1969_1989_songs_(A-B).html
19. "Top 100 1979-07-14". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
20. Steffen Hung. "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions - Boogie Wonderland". Lescharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
21. "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
22. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
23. "Top Selling Singles of 1979 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1979-12-31. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
24. "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.
25. "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
26. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1979". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
27. "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". riaa.com. RIAA. 29 May 1979.
28. "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". bpi.co.uk. BPI. 1 July 1979.
29. "Certificazioni Album (week 44/2019)". fimi.it. FIMI. October 2019.
30. "Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions: Boogie Wonderland". Acclaimed Music.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics