WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 21ST NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER? 4 Decades of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” In 1978, Maurice White of the band Earth, Wind & Fire first asked this question in the song “September,” a funky disco song that quickly topped the charts. While disco may be dead today, “September” certainly isn’t. The song is still featured in movies, TV shows, and wedding playlists. On Sept. 21, 2019, the funk hit was streamed over 2.5 million times. It’s no wonder that the Los Angeles City Council declared Sept. 21 Earth, Wind & Fire Day. The story behind “September” is almost as enduring as the song itself. It was co-written by White and Allee Willis, who eventually became a Grammy-winning songwriter and Tony nominee. But before any of that, Willis was a struggling songwriter in Los Angeles living off food stamps. When White reached out and asked Willis to help write the next Earth, Wind & Fire hit, it was truly her big break. White and Willis proved to be excellent songwriting partners, but they clashed over one key element of the song: the nonsensical phrase “ba-dee-ya,” which White included in the chorus. Throughout the songwriting process, Willis begged to change the phrase to real words. At the final vocal session, Willis finally demanded to know what ba- dee-ya meant. White replied, “Who cares?” “I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him,” Willis recalled in a 2014 interview with NPR, “which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.” The groove is why “September” has stood the test of time, right from that very first lyric. For decades, people have asked Willis and members of the band about the significance of Sept. 21. As it turns out, there isn’t much beyond the sound. “We went through all the dates: ‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth …’ and the one that just felt the best was the 21st,” Willis explained. The truth is that nothing happened on the 21st night of September — except a whole lot of dancing.
The floor in the main entrance of a high-end bakery café is wet and slippery. It is just after the lunch rush, and the seating area is full of customers. A mother and her adult daughter have finished their meal and are on the way out of the restaurant. The mother takes one step from the carpeted dining area onto the tile of the entrance area, and her foot flies out from under her. As she crashes down onto the floor, there is a sickening snap, and her lower leg is severely fractured. The Case of the MYSTERIOUS W
CONNECTING LOVED ONES Sept. 13 is National Grandparents Day. Because of COVID-19, it may be difficult to connect with our beloved grandparents who are living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities this year. Together with other personal injury law firms across the country, Rinehardt Law will be participating in an initiative geared toward connecting residents of nursing homes and assisted living with loved ones outside the facilities that are restricting visitations. During this event, the law firm will outfit nursing homes and assisted living facilities with video-calling devices, allowing them to virtually connect “face to face” with family and friends. With mandated social distancing, Rinehardt Law believes it is critical for older adults who live under the greatest restrictions to stay connected with loved ones. Virtual visitation plays an important role in both the health and well-being of residents and their families, and videoconferencing can help protect against social isolation.
“We’ve been hearing that ‘we’re all in this together,’ for months,” said attorney Hillary Rinehardt, “but for so many who are living in institutions, being together is no longer an option. We want our donation to help parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles connect with the people they love.”
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