Earth, Wind and Fire - "Fall in Love With Me"

(Debuted January 22, 1983, Peaked #17, 16 Weeks on the Chart)

By 1983, Earth Wind & Fire had long jettisoned the full brass sound that was their hallmark in the 1970s for a more electronic one. The reason wasn't because of personnel issues or internal strife; as the new decade rolled around, music fans were showing different tastes and funk was evolving. The group was forced to evolve with it or end up joining the other groups who were steamrolled by changing times. This may have been a lesson they learned during the Disco era. They weren't really a Disco group despite recording some danceable tunes, and weren't overly affected by the decline of the sound.

"Fall in Love With Me" is a perfect example of the new direction of the band's sound. The first single from their LP Powerlight, it showed that even though the instruments had changed on their singles, their positive, uplifting message was fully intact. Maurice White handles the lead vocals here, singing the lyrics written by Emotions member Wanda Vaughn and her husband Wayne. It's not one of their better-known tunes, but it's still definitely worth listening to.

Earth, Wind & Fire - "Magnetic"

(Debuted November 12, 1983, Peaked #57, 8 Weeks on the Chart)  

"Magnetic" is a largely forgotten tune in the vast repertoire of Earth, Wind & Fire songs. When released, the song wasn't on the charts long before it dropped off. The album that contained it, Electric Universe, was the band's first LP that failed to go gold or platinum since 1972 and led to a short hiatus for the band. Group leader Maurice White blames the album's failure on the fact that it had come out so soon after their previous LP Powerlight, but perhaps the band's "electronic period" was too different from what the hits from their 1970s halcyon days had sounded like.

While the band was known for their horn sections and forward-looking lyrics, the early 1980s marked a different musical vision for the group. They were increasingly relying on synthesizers and electronic effects, and by 1983 the horns were gone from their new records. This new sound -- "Electrofunk" -- mirrored the shift among post-disco funk groups, but it was so much different than what the group was putting out just a few years before. Maybe the hiatus (which lasted for four years) was needed to let the group get a long-deserved break.

The thing I remember most about "Magnetic" from 1983 was its video, which I watched on HBO's Video Jukebox program when I was in the sixth grade. I wondered at the time if the game shown was real. Now, I look at it and see that it seems to be inspired by both Rollerball and Blade Runner. For a group whose vision embraced a positive vibe, the action is definitely violent. In a way, it's interesting to see what once was considered "futuristic."