Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ Is Back on the Hot 100 For First Time Since 1979
Billboard ·
The R&B classic is the group’s first appearance on the chart in 33 years.
Do you remember… the last time “September” was on the Billboard Hot 100?
While annual consumption gains for Earth, Wind & Fire ’s “September” every Sept. 21 are well established (the track’s opening lyric is “do you remember the 21st night of September”), this year’s cycle produces an added dimension to its success, sparking its first return to the Hot 100 since its original release cycle in 1979.
“September” reenters the Hot 100 at No. 45 on the list dated Oct. 3, its first appearance since the chart dated March 10, 1979, when it ranked at No. 83. The song peaked at No. 8 and now adds an 18th week on the chart across its entire history.
For the tracking week of Sept. 18-24 in the United States, “September” yielded 6 million official streams (up 51% from the previous week), 3,000 song sales (up 236%) and 3.3 million in radio airplay audience (up 137%), according to Luminate. Through the foremost total, the R&B staple debuts on the Streaming Songs chart at No. 46.
With the revived “September,” R&B legends Earth, Wind & Fire claim their first Hot 100 visit since “Sunday Morning” in 1993. The icons count 33 Hot 100 hits in their career, including seven top 10s and a No. 1, “Shining Star,” in 1975.
In recent years, the opening “September” lyric, “do you remember, the 21st night of September, love was changin’ the minds of pretenders, while chasin’ the clouds away,” has evolved into a meme that boosts the song’s consumption around the date. The track first appeared on the 1978 greatest-hits The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 , which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 .
Elsewhere, “September” rallies 185-69 on the Billboard Global 200 , nearing its No. 60 high from 2024, and reenters at No. 140 on the Billboard Global Excl U.S. chart, after having peaked at No. 96 two years ago.
The “September” bump extends to other parts of the iconic group’s catalog. “Let’s Groove,” a No. 3 Hot 100 hit, rose to 2.6 million in streams for the week, up 13%, and their 1998 Greatest Hits album jumped to 13,000 equivalent album units, a 40% hike. Thanks to that improvement, the set returns to the Top R&B Albums chart at No. 14, at No. 27 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and jumps 192-98 on the all-genre Billboard 200.