Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” hit #1 in UK

Someone You Loved Lewis Capaldi

Writer(s): Lewis Capaldi, Samuel Romans, Thomas Barnes, Peter Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn (see lyrics here) Released: November 8, 2018 Peak: 13 US, 13 BA, 14 RR, 16 AC, 16 A40, 30 AA, 17 UK, 14 CN, 4 AU, 16 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 4.8 UK, 11.02 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1202.0 video, 2873.63 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi released six singles in 2017 and 2018 before he found worldwide success with “Someone You Loved.” The song gave him his first #1 hit in the UK and U.S. It was the first chart-topper by a Scottish solo singer since Sheena Easton had topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Morning Train (Nine to Five)” in 1981. SF It also was the best-selling single in the UK in 2019 and won the Brit Award for Song of the Year. In May 2020, it became the longest-running top 10 UK single of all time (31 weeks) by a British artist. SF Capaldi told the French magazine Brut that he wrote the song about his grandmother who had died. Not only does the song focus on family bereavements, but the end of relationships. SF He explained it was about “that feeling when you start getting to know someone and things have been going really well but you’ve been reluctant to be as open as you like with stuff in the past.” SF He told The Courier it was the saddest song he’d ever written. SF It took Capaldi six months to write. WK It started at a recording session and he came up with a melody idea and recorded it on his phone. It wasn’t until a few months later, that he sat down at the piano to finally develop a rough demo. Finally, when he was in the studio, he told the producers about the song. He’d been trying to avoid another breakup song and the producers suggested he write more about loss in general. SF He did a “stream-of-consciousness sort of thing” and they finished “Someone You Loved” within a few hours. SF Even though he personally loved the song, he still was shocked that it struck a chord with so many people. He told Entertainment Weekly that he enjoyed writing the song, but was surprised that it became ‘what it was globally. It’s one of those things. I don’t know how, but I’m not going to question it.” EW Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lewis Capaldi EW Entertainment Weekly (9/10/2019). “Lewis Capaldi has ‘no f-ing clue’ why you love his song ‘Someone You Loved’ so much” by Ruth Kinane SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 4/2/2022; last updated 7/25/2023.

Earth, Wind & Fire “September” hit #1 on R&B chart

September Earth, Wind & Fire

Writer(s): Al McKay, Maurice White, Allee Willis (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 17, 1978 Peak: 8 US, 6 CB, 4 GR, 4 HR, 5 RR, 41 AC, 11 RB, 3 UK, 8 CN, 12 AU, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 1.8 UK, 10.24 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 760.24 video, 1305.23 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Earth, Wind & Fire formed in Chicago in 1969. Helmed by Maurice White, the group mixed R&B, funk, and disco for sales of more than 90 million records worldwide. They reached their greatest commercial peak in 1975 with the #1 single “Shining Star” and followed it with top-10 hits “Sing a Song,” “Got to Get You into My Life,” “Boogie Wonderland,” “After the Love Has Gone,” and “Let’s Groove” over the next six years. While it wasn’t their biggest hit from a chart standpoint, their most enduring song has been “September.” The song was a new cut released on the group’s compilation The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1. The song was a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart. It has been sampled and covered multiple times. WK Record World called “September” “a smooth, quick song that captures the mood of autumn nostalgia.” WK Singer Maurice White said he chose the date of September 21 for the song just because it sounded good phonetically. SF However, his wife says it was the due date of their son, Kahbran WK and he put it in the song as a secret message. SF White and songwriter Allee Willis wrote the lyrics based on a chord progression from guitarist Al McKay. It was the first song Willis wrote with the band. SF He didn’t like the nonsensical “ba-dee-ya” lyric and begged White to rewrite it WK but White said, “No, that feels great. That’s what people are going to remember.” SF Willis said he learned his “greatest lesson ever in songwriting…never let the lyric get in the way to groove.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Earth, Wind & Fire SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 7/19/2023.