Earth, Wind & Fire’s Cover of a Song From The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ Became a Hit
The songs from The Beatles‘ Revolver inspired many other artists. For example, Earth, Wind & Fire covered one of the songs from Revolver for an unusual movie. George Harrison was not a fan of the film.
George Harrison wasn’t a fan of a movie based on Fab Four songs
Earth, Wind & Fire’s connection to The Beatles begins with a bizarre movie. Producer Robert Stigwood made a film called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band based on the Fab Four’s music. The Bee Gees played the starring roles while Peter Frampton and numerous other musicians appeared in the film.
During a 1979 interview with Rolling Stone, George Harrison discussed his feelings about the movie. “I just feel sorry for Robert Stigwood, the Bee Gees, and Pete Frampton for doing it, because they had established themselves in their own right as decent artists and suddenly … it’s like the classic thing of greed,” he said. George said the film was only made because of its creators’ greed.
A member of Earth, Wind and Fire discussed performing a song from The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ in the film
During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson explained his band’s connection to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. “We were asked to participate in a movie called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and each band that was performing was asked to cover a Beatles tune,” he said.
“So we covered ‘Got to Get You into My Life,’ and we’re on the stage because they’re getting ready to shoot us performing the tune,” Johnson continued. “At that time, we had a choreographer by the name of George Faison, who was famous for choreographing The Wiz on Broadway.
“So George is out front looking at the camera setup on the shot and out of nowhere he says, ‘Ralph! Come off the drums, stand right here next to [Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White],'” Johnson remembered. “And that was my entry into being out front.”
How The Beatles’ ‘Got to Get You into My Life’ and Earth, Wind & Fire’s cover performed on the charts in the United States
The Beatles’ “Got to Get You into My Life” became a hit. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. The Beatles released “Got to Get You into My Life” on the album Revolver. The album topped the Billboard 200 for six of its 85 weeks on the chart.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Got to Get You into My Life” was a more modest hit. It climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. The cover’s parent album was the compilation The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1. The compilation reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200, lasting 60 weeks on the chart in total.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Got to Get You into My Life” wasn’t as popular as The Beatles but it remains an interesting link between two legendary groups.
