Let's Groove



"Let's Groove" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire from their eleventh studio album Raise! (1981). Written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, the song was chosen as the lead single from the album. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, disco music was undergoing a severe backlash. In spite of this, the band decided to revive the disco sound that was later included on their previous works and records. Musically, "Let's Groove" is a post-disco, pop and funk song which includes instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards along with live electric guitars.

"Let's Groove" received mixed reviews from music critics, where many praised its catchiness, while some felt it was generic within its timeline of the disco era. However, many contemporary reviews have been well-received, many citing it as memorable and a great disco influenced song. The song was a commercial success, with it being their highest-charting single in various territories. The song peaked inside the top 20 in countries including the United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and other component charts in America.

Background and composition
Prior to the production of Raise! and the song, the group had started to revive contemporary disco and funk music, as it declined within the late 1970s. While the band's albums I Am (1979) and Faces were critically and commercially acclaimed for reviving disco influenced composition, this was the same exact era where disco music was in fear of scrutiny and criticism. By the late 1970s, a strong anti-disco sentiment developed among rock fans and musicians, particularly in the United States. The punk subculture in the United States and United Kingdom was often hostile towards disco.

Critical reception
Ed Hogan from AllMusic said, "He brought in guitarist Roland Bautista and began co-writing, with Emotions member Wanda Vaughn and her husband Wayne Vaughn, a song that reflected the then-emerging electronic sound of the '80s. Not to be confused with the same-named hit by Archie Bell & the Drells, "Let's Groove" certainly was a change. Starting off with a robotic-sounding vocoder riff, it served up a more gritty-sounding EWF for the 1980s, laced with Brecker Brothers-supplied horn blasts that rival those of EWF's 1976 gold single 'Getaway'." However, reviewing the parent album, William Ruhlmann said the song was a recycled mid-tempo tune from the mid-'70s, and stated that everything else sounded desultory and uninspired. He, however, highlighted the song as an album standout.

Maxine Nelson from Yahoo! Voices listed the song at number 10 on the Top 10 Earth, Wind & Fire Songs list, saying "This is a classic EWF funky dance song." Soultrain.com gave it a positive review while celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, stating ""Let’s Groove" has cinched such a nostalgic place in musical history that it is undeniably worthy of being honored [...]" While reviewing Now, Then & Forever, Daniel Falconer said "Eager fans will want to indulge in the deluxe version of the compilation, which includes the timeless disco and soul anthem classics 'Boogie Wonderland', 'Let's Groove', 'September', 'After The Love Has Gone', 'Fantasy' and 'Shining Star'."

"Let's Groove" was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

Commercial performance
The song peaked at number three in the US and in the UK. It also spent eight weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late 1981 and early 1982 and was the second R&B song of 1982 on the year-end charts.

The single sold over a million copies in the US and has been certified gold by the RIAA as until the RIAA lowered the sales levels for certified singles in 1989, a Gold single equaled 1 million units sold. "Let's Groove" was also certified silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry.

Music video
The music video of "Let's Groove" was the first video ever to be played on Video Soul on BET. The video, rich with vintage electronic effects, was created by Ron Hays using the Scanimate analog computer system at Image West, Ltd.

The whole style of the music video later went on to influence Bruno Mars' "Treasure".

Personnel

 * Lead and backing vocals, percussion – Philip Bailey
 * Drums, percussion – Fred White
 * Guitar – Johnny Graham, Roland Bautista
 * Keyboards – Billy Meyers, David Foster, Wayne Vaughn
 * Synthesizer – Larry Dunn
 * Saxophone – Tom Saviano
 * Alto and tenor saxophones – Don Myrick
 * Tenor saxophone – Andrew Woolfolk
 * Synthesizer – Michael Boddicker
 * Trombone – Bill Reichenbach, Charles Loper, Dick Hyde, George Bohanon, Lew McCreary, Louis Satterfield
 * Trumpet – Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Larry G. Hall, Michael Harris, Oscar Brashear, Rahmlee Michael Davis
 * Additional backing vocals – Ms. Pluto
 * Additional backing vocals, guitar – Beloyd Taylor
 * Additional backing vocals, percussion – Ralph Johnson
 * Drums, lead and backing vocals – Maurice White

CDB version
The song was covered in 1995 by the Australian R&B band CDB. In Australia the song reached number two and was certified platinum for shipment of over 70,000 units. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1996 "Let's Groove" won the Highest Selling Single category.

Track listing

 * CD single (662147 2)
 * 1) "Let's Groove" – 4:17
 * 2) "You Will Be Mine" – 4:07
 * 3) "Let's Groove" (Summer Groove) – 5:05
 * 4) "Let's Groove" (Instrumental) – 4:19

Asia's Got Talent judges version
"Let's Groove" was covered by the Asia's Got Talent judges—David Foster, Anggun, Melanie C and Vanness Wu—and released as promotional single on 14 May 2015 by Universal. It was released as charity single for Nepal earthquake and all the money raised was donated to the victims. The version was produced by David Foster.

Promotion
On May 14, 2015, the four artists performed the song in the final of first season of Asia's Got Talent. On June 4, the Asia's Got Talent released the behind the scenes video of the recording.

Track listing

 * Digital download
 * 1) "Let's Groove" – 3:32

Appearances in other media

 * In the second episode of the TV series That's My Bush!, "A Poorly Executed Plan", the song is featured in a running gag, where old frat buddies of George W. Bush sing this song together.
 * The song is also available as downloadable content on the Xbox 360 game Lips.
 * This song was featured in the Toujeo TV spot.