After the Love Has Gone - wikipedia After the Love Has Gone For the Steps song, see After the Love Has Gone ( Steps song ). `` After the Love Has Gone '' Single by Earth, Wind & Fire from the album I Am B - side `` Rock That '' Released July 12, 1979 Format 7 ``, 12 '' Recorded September 1978 Genre R&B, soul Length 4 : 24 ( Album version ) 3 : 55 ( 7 '' version ) Label ARC / Columbia Songwriter ( s ) David Foster, Jay Graydon, Bill Champlin Producer ( s ) Maurice White Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology `` Boogie Wonderland '' ( 1979 ) `` After the Love Has Gone '' ( 1979 ) `` In the Stone '' ( 1979 ) `` Boogie Wonderland '' ( 1979 ) `` After the Love Has Gone '' ( 1979 ) `` In the Stone '' ( 1979 ) `` After the Love Has Gone '' is a 1979 hit single for Earth, Wind & Fire, written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin for the album I Am. It held the # 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for two weeks, behind The Knack 's smash hit `` My Sharona ''. Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 3 Covers and samples 4 Personnel 5 Chart performance 5.1 Weekly singles charts 5.2 Year - end charts 6 References 7 External links Background One of the song 's writers, David Foster, worked on an album for Motown Records singer Jaye P. Morgan. The album was released in Japan and never took off in the United States. Foster later went to Motown to let the executives hear some of the material. Foster was in the middle of a song and ad - libbed the chorus to `` After The Love Has Gone '', as he had forgotten the words. Foster and Jay Graydon then asked Bill Champlin to write lyrics to the music after Graydon had come up with an idea for the verse. At the time, Foster was producing Champlin 's 1978 solo debut Single for Full Moon / Epic Records and was working with Earth, Wind & Fire around the time they were recording their album I Am. Foster then showed Maurice White the song, which White loved and wanted to record. Foster and Graydon later told Champlin that the song was being pulled off his album for inclusion on Earth, Wind & Fire 's album - to which Champlin agreed to having the track removed. According to former manager turned Sony Music Entertainment CEO Tommy Mottola, Foster previously offered the song to Hall and Oates, but they rejected it, as they were n't interested in singing songs written by anyone other than themselves. Co-writer Graydon commented about the song 's background : `` David and I also recorded the song for the Airplay album, but that was not a problem since the EWF version was released before the Airplay album. By the way, the Airplay version is the original version of the song with the verses in the key of A. The EWF version verses are in the key of F, using a ' shotgun pivot chord ' halfway through the B section as to get in the proper key for the choruses. Note that the EWF version features the high harmony part in the choruses, which makes the listener think that is the melody ! That always bothered me since it is very difficult for one singer to sing the song as the vocal range is much too wide. '' Earth, Wind & Fire member Verdine White revealed that `` After the Love Has Gone '' was one of their most difficult songs to record : `` The track was based on a vibe. We cut it about six, seven times, and Maurice just said, `` No, it 's not right yet. We 'll come back and get it tomorrow. It 's not right yet ''. And then one day we nailed it, and it was right. The way it felt. It sounded like Earth, Wind & Fire ``. Reception `` After the Love Has Gone '' was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year and won for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The song also won a Best R & B Song Grammy Award for Foster, Graydon and Champlin as its composers. `` After the Love Has Gone '' has been placed on Bruce Pollock 's list of The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944 - 2000. A record of the single `` After the Love Has Gone ''. `` After the Love Has Gone '' was very successful commercially, selling over a million copies in the US, and has been certified Gold, as up until the RIAA lowered the sales levels for certified singles in 1989, a Gold single equaled 1 million units sold ; it has also been certified silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry. It was used to particularly haunting effect in a famous episode of the television series WKRP in Cincinnati which paid homage to the real - life disaster of the December 3, 1979, Cincinnati concert by The Who. Venus Flytrap, the night DJ portrayed by Tim Reid, played the song after his on - air announcement that numerous youngsters were killed by a stampede of concertgoers. The song was also heard on an earlier episode, in a scene where staffer Bailey Quarters was brooding over being stood up on a planned date with morning drive DJ Johnny Fever. The Houston Rockets played this song for losses, as would many other professional sports teams, including the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Charlotte Hornets. Covers and samples All three of the song 's writers covered the song on the only album release by the band Airplay ( a band made up of Graydon, Foster, and Tommy Funderburk ) featuring Bill Champlin on chorus vocals in 1980, making it the second commercially released cover of the song, after James Last 's version on his 1979 album The Non Stop Dancing Sound of the 80 's. Although the verses were performed in a different key and Graydon 's electric guitar solo plays in the F - keyed chorus before reverting back to the C key, the rest of the song was mainly the same as Earth, Wind & Fire 's version. In 1981, Lynn Davis released a version of the song on Stanley Turrentine 's album Tender Togetherness. In 1993, Jay Graydon also released a version of the song on his solo album ( Airplay for the Planet ) on which Bill Champlin provided the lead vocals, and this time, the verses were performed in the same key as the Earth, Wind & Fire version, with the ending matching that of Airplay 's version. David Benoit and Russ Freeman also covered the song, under their 1994 collaboration album, The Benoit / Freeman Project, with Vesta Williams and Phil Perry on vocals. UK boyband Damage has covered the song, as well as artists such as Donny Osmond on his album Somewhere in Time, Eric Benet on his album From E to U : Volume 1, Mint Condition on the album Interpretations : Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire, and 112 on the album New York Undercover : A Night at Natalie 's. The song was sampled by Ryan Shaw in 2008. Norman Brown also covered the song in his 1996 smooth jazz album Better Days Ahead. Tommy Emmanuel and CDB released a version as the lead single from Emmanuel 's 1998 album, Collaboration. The song peaked at number 74 in Australia. Martes 8 : 30, a Latin jazz group, covered the song on their 2002 album Sinceramente ; this version is noted for having a female lead vocal, as well as an extended sax solo by Ed Calle. Kurt Elling, a Chicago - based Grammy - winning jazz vocalist, covered this song on his 2011 release The Gate. Filipino R&B singer Jay R covered the song on his 2008 album, Soul In Love. When EW&F perform the song in concert, the lead vocals are rotated between Maurice White ( until his death in 2016 ), Bill Champlin and Philip Bailey ( who pulls double - duty by performing both White 's lower part and his own higher part ). Champlin often performs the lead whenever EW&F and Chicago are performing at the same time. Additionally, in these performances the saxophone solo is performed by Gary Bias ( replacing Don Myrick, who was murdered in 1993 ). SugaryLine covered the song in the album After Love In The Name Of Funk. Personnel Written and composed by - David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin Produced by - Maurice White Horns arrangement By - Jerry Hey Strings arrangement By - David Foster Saxophone ( Solo ) - Don Myrick Chart performance Weekly singles charts Chart ( 1979 ) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles 11 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 16 UK U.S. Billboard Hot 100 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Year - end charts Chart ( 1979 ) Rank Canada 85 UK 72 U.S. Billboard 38 U.S. Cash Box 42 References Jump up ^ Dean, Maury ( 2003 ). Rock N ' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 289. ISBN 0 - 87586 - 207 - 1. Jump up ^ Wiser, Carl. `` Jay Graydon : Songwriter Interviews ''. songfacts.com. Songfacts, LLC. Retrieved 2016 - 03 - 08. Jump up ^ Mottola, Tommy ( January 29, 2013 ). Hitmaker : The Man And His Music ( Hardcover ed. ). Grand Central Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781455505432. Retrieved 2016 - 03 - 08. Jump up ^ 2014 interview with Jay Graydon on Jump up ^ Prato, Greg. `` VERDINE WHITE OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE ''. songfacts.com. Songfacts, LLC. Retrieved 2016 - 03 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Earth, Wind & Fire ''. Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 14. Jump up ^ `` After the Love Has Gone ''. Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2014 - 05 - 10. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Rock Music, etc., Terms ''. spider.georgetowncollege.edu. Retrieved 2009 - 03 - 23. Jump up ^ Matthew Greenwald. `` After the Love Has Gone - Earth, Wind & Fire Song Info ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Earth, Wind & Fire - I Am ''. discogs.com. Retrieved May 8, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2015 - 05 - 18. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2015 - 05 - 18. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 11. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Singles of 1979 '' Record Mirror January 5, 1980 : 30 Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1979 / Top 100 Songs of 1979 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2016 - 03 - 04. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 12. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Earth, Wind & Fire Philip Bailey Verdine White Ralph Johnson B. David Whitworth Myron McKinley John Paris Philip Bailey, Jr. Morris O'Connor Serg Dimitrijevic Maurice White Michael Beale Leslie Drayton Wade Flemons Yackov Ben Israel Sherry Scott Carl Carwell Alexander Thomas Chester Washington Don Whitehead Roland Bautista Jessica Cleaves Larry Dunn Ronnie Laws Johnny Graham Al McKay Andrew Woolfolk Fred White Beloyd Taylor Sonny Emory Sheldon Reynolds Dick Smith Vance Taylor Fred Ravel Morris Pleasure David Romero Mike McKnight Robert Brookins Gordon Campbell Bobby Gonzales Daniel de los Reyes Kimberly Brewer John Johnson Krystal Bailey Kim Johnson Greg `` G - Mo '' Moore Vadim Zilberstein Don Myrick Studio albums Earth, Wind & Fire The Need of Love Last Days and Time Head to the Sky Open Our Eyes That 's the Way of the World Spirit All ' n All I Am Faces Raise ! Powerlight Electric Universe Touch the World Heritage Millennium In the Name of Love The Promise Illumination Now, Then & Forever Holiday Compilations and live albums Another Time Gratitude The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 The Collection The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2 The Eternal Dance Elements of Love : Ballads Greatest Hits Live Greatest Hits The Ultimate Collection The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire That 's the Way of the World : Alive in 75 Live in Rio Love Songs Ultimate Collection Singles `` Evil '' `` Keep Your Head to the Sky '' `` Mighty Mighty '' `` Devotion '' `` Shining Star '' `` That 's the Way of the World '' `` Reasons '' `` Sing a Song '' `` Ca n't Hide Love '' `` Getaway '' `` Saturday Nite '' `` Serpentine Fire '' `` Fantasy '' `` Got to Get You into My Life '' `` September '' `` Boogie Wonderland '' `` After the Love Has Gone '' `` In the Stone '' `` Let Me Talk '' `` And Love Goes On '' `` Let 's Groove '' `` Wanna Be with You '' `` I 've Had Enough '' `` Fall in Love with Me '' `` System of Survival '' `` Thinking of You '' `` Sunday Morning '' `` All in the Way '' `` Pure Gold '' Other albums Sweet Sweetback 's Baadasssss Song Videos Earth, Wind & Fire : In Concert The Eternal Vision Earth, Wind & Fire : Live Earth, Wind & Fire : Live By Request Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire -- Live at the Greek Theatre Related articles Ramsey Lewis The Pharaohs Charles Stepney The Phenix Horns The Emotions Devoted Spirits : A Tribute to Earth Wind and Fire Interpretations : Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire Lists Discography Awards and nominations Tribute albums Personnel Book Damage Rashaan J Bromfield Noel Simpson Andrez Harriott Jade Jones Studio albums Forever ( 1997 ) Since You 've Been Gone ( 2001 ) Singles `` Anything '' `` Love II Love '' `` Forever '' `` Love Guaranteed '' `` Wonderful Tonight '' `` Love Lady '' `` Ghetto Romance '' `` Rumours '' `` After the Love Has Gone '' Related articles The Big Reunion ( series 2 ) The Big Reunion Tour CDB Andrew De Silva Gary Pinto Brad Pinto ' Danny Williams Jude Nicholas Studio albums Glide with Me Lifted Tailored for Now Compilation albums The Essential CDB Singles `` Hook Me Up '' `` Hey Girl ( This Is Our Time ) '' `` Let 's Groove '' `` Do n't Stop '' `` Good Times '' `` Back Then '' `` Let It Whip '' `` After the Love Has Gone '' ( with Tommy Emmanuel ) `` I 'm Gonna Make You Love Me '' ( with Renée Geyer ) `` P.Y.T. '' Related articles ARIA Music Awards of 1996 Sony Music Australia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=After_the_Love_Has_Gone&oldid=809024836 '' Categories : 1979 singles 1985 singles 1998 singles Earth, Wind & Fire songs CDB ( band ) songs Songs written by David Foster Songs written by Jay Graydon 1970s ballads Damage ( British band ) songs Funk ballads Rhythm and blues ballads Songs written by Bill Champlin 1979 songs Columbia Records singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Nederlands Edit links This page was last edited on 6 November 2017, at 18 : 01. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the song after the love is gone
Answer: David Foster