Earth, Wind & Fire's 'September' returns to the Hot 100 after 47 years

Earth, Wind & Fire are back on the Billboard Hot 100 with “September”. The song re-enters at No. 45 on the chart dated Oct. 3, its first appearance on the United States singles chart since the chart dated March 10, 1979, according to Billboard.

That is a gap of more than 47 years. The Hot 100 ranks songs by a blend of streams, sales and radio play in the US. When “September” last charted in March 1979, it sat at No. 83 on its way out.

The return was driven by a sharp jump in listening and buying during the Sept. 18-24 tracking week. “September” drew 6 million official on-demand streams in the US in that week, up 51% on the week before, according to data from Luminate, the company that supplies Billboard’s consumption figures.

Sales and radio moved even faster. The song sold 3,000 copies in the US, up 236%, and reached 3.3 million listeners in radio airplay audience, up 137%. Those three measures together decide a song’s Hot 100 position.

The calendar explains the timing. The opening verse of “September” names the date Sept. 21, and the song posts annual gains each September around that date. What makes this stand out is the scale this time: the seasonal lift carried a 1978 recording back into the top half of the Hot 100.

“September” has a long chart history. It peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 chart dated Feb. 10, 1979, and has now spent 18 weeks in total on the list. It also spent a week at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Billboard’s chart for R&B and hip-hop airplay and sales, on the chart dated Jan. 13.

For the group, the re-entry ends another long wait. It is Earth, Wind & Fire’s first Hot 100 visit since “Sunday Morning” in 1993. The band now have 33 career Hot 100 entries, including seven top 10s, led by “Shining Star”, which reached No. 1 in 1975.

The song first appeared on The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, released in 1978. That compilation peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, the chart that ranks albums by sales plus streaming equivalent album units, the measure that converts plays into album sales.

“September” is moving on other charts as well. It debuts on Streaming Songs, which ranks the most-streamed songs in the US, at No. 46. It rallied from No. 185 to No. 69 on the Billboard Global 200, which tracks worldwide streaming and sales, and re-entered the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 140 after peaking at No. 96 two years earlier.

For fans, this means a familiar September ritual has turned into a full chart comeback. A fan favourite tied to one date now sits alongside current releases on national and global lists.