Fantasy by Earth, Wind & Fire

Album: All 'N All (1977)

Charted: 14 32

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Songfacts®:

Earth, Wind & Fire made a smooth transition into the disco era, adapting their R&B sound to the new groove. "Fantasy," written by group members Maurice and Verdine White along with the keyboard player/composer Eddie del Barrio, fit right in at Studio 54, but also had a deeper meaning, which was typical of Maurice White's productions: he would put a message on top of an infectious beat.

Talking about the message in this song, Maurice told Melody Maker: "The song 'Fantasy' is motivated about escapism in the sense of living on a world that is untrue, a world that is unjust, a world that is very selfish and envious, there is a place that everyone can escape to which is their own fantasy. I had to write the song in the sense of sharing this place with people. It's an escape mechanism."
"Fantasy" is a showcase for EWF singer Phillip Bailey, who could handle the very high vocal range. The day he recorded his vocal, he got elbowed in the mouth playing basketball, so he did it that night with a loose tooth and busted lip.
Black Box hit #5 in the UK with their 1990 remake of this song. Their version features lead vocals by Martha Wash, who was also a singer in C+C Music Factory.
Movies that have used this song include Private Lessons (1981) and Be Cool (2005). It was also featured in the TV show Everybody Hates Chris.

Comments: 8

Desi from NycLove the song the most from EW&F - spiritual…
Sean from Tokyo, JapanI would like to have the real meaning of "Twelfth of Never". Why "twelfth"? Why other expressions like "tenth", "eleventh " etc. cannot be used.
Sunny from Atlanta This is my favorite song of all time. Really helped me discover and taught me that I could just live in my head when it gets ugly in the world. I’m a daydreamer and I’m cool with that the melody, the vocals that end the song are is pure beauty. Love this song.
Anonymous from Palm Desert CaI thought it was about reincarnation. Just love Fantasy.
Shawn from MarylandThank you EWF for giving me a desire to play a instrument. Which taught me that the best part of playing music is it releases stress and anxiety.
Kate From L.a. from Ft. Lauderdale, FlThis has always been my favorite EW&F song and yes, it does not get enough air play on any station. My guess is that the inherent spiritual message within is what turns the DJ hacks off. WTF?
Mike from Santa BarbaraThis is my favorite song by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Camille from Toronto, OhMy favorite EW&F song that doesn't get nearly enough airplay on the oldies radio. The breathless way this is sung, along with the cadence of the words and the melody all lift this song to beautiful heights. The words are then echoed as the song continues, and giving it a mild sense of urgency, making you want to listen to the words, to contemplate what they are saying, to find this fantasy world. The final, soaring high vocals at the end are exquisite. Hines Ward danced to this when competing on Dancing With The Stars in 2011 with his dancing professional partner, Kym Johnson. Being from Steelers Country, I'm a big Hines fan, and was thrilled when "Fantasy" was chosen for their Samba. Hines ended up winning the show that season and taking home the mirror ball trophy.

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