“I Was Definitely Wrong”: Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey Admits He Thought Their Huge 1978 Hit Was “Corny”

Philip Bailey wasn’t immediately sold on “September.” In an interview with People, the Earth, Wind & Fire singer admitted that he didn’t initially love the band‘s 1978 hit.

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“We used to do listening sessions after we finished doing all the tracks. Before they were mixed properly, we would listen to all the different songs,” Bailey told the outlet. “That was one of them, and I just thought it was kinda corny.”

The chorus, Bailey said, was a big reason he wasn’t a fan of the song.

“I was like, ‘Bah-bee-ah? What’s this?’” he recalled. “‘Bah-bee-ah’ was not gettin’ it.”

In retrospect, though, Bailey admitted, “I was definitely wrong.”

Maurice White and Allee Willis wrote the song, which was composed by Al McKay. In a 2004 interview with NPR, Willis admitted that she felt similarly to Bailey about the chorus.

“I just said, ‘What the f**k does ba-dee-ya mean?’ she recalled. “He essentially said, ‘Who the f**k cares?’”

The Mystery Behind Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September”

In addition to the ambiguous meaning of the chorus, fans have long wondered about the significance of the date in the song—Sept. 21.

Willis told the outlet that the date simply sounded the best in the song.

“We went through all the dates,” she said. “‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth… ‘ and the one that just felt the best was the 21st.”

“I constantly have people coming up to me, and they get so excited to know what the significance was,” Willis added. “And there is no significance beyond it just sang better than any of the other dates. So… sorry!”

However, in Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World), a new HBO documentary on the band, another explanation is offered up.

According to Marilyn White, Maurice White’s widow, the date did indeed have significance.

“When I was pregnant, I told Maurice our son Kahbran was due around Sept. 21,” she says in the film, per People. “He said, ‘September 21st, huh…’”

Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World is now streaming.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images