Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White admits he knew the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie would bomb before it was even released.
The 1978 film starred the Bee Gees and featured an impressive array of musical stars, including Aerosmith, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper and Billy Preston. Earth, Wind & Fire played a a memorable part as well, performing the Beatles’ “Got to You Into My Life.”
“Everybody thought it was going to be a big movie,” White recalled during a recent appearance on the Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan podcast. “We were just sort of like the Black thing to throw into the movie.”
Despite high expectations, White realized the film was doomed when he saw an early cut.
READ MORE: How the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ Movie Derailed Two Careers
“We knew it was not going to be a hit because, when we were singing, everything was out of sync,” he recalled. “We said, ‘Oh, that’s the kiss of death.’”
White also noted that the movie suffered from a misguided desire to be family friendly entertainment.
“It was a kiddie movie. It was like for kids,” the bassist explained. “And the Bee Gees were doing some adult records, man.”
Earth, Wind & Fire’s Beatles Cover Became a Hit
The Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie was a critical and commercial failure, but the same can’t be said of Earth, Wind & Fire’s version of “Got to You Into My Life.” The tune became a radio hit and earned the funk group wide acclaim.
READ MORE: Top 40 Funk Songs
“George Harrison came up to me and said he thought that was a great rendition,” White recalled. “We put the single out before the movie came out… And it was a number one record before the movie came out. So we didn’t depend on that movie making the record a big hit.”
Watch Earth, Wind & Fire Perform ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’ in the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ Movie
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