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Recorded during the June-August 1976 sessions for Deniece Williams's debut album This Is Niecy in the Los Angeles area. Maurice White and Charles Stepney produced the recording, with George Massenburg engineering and members of the Earth, Wind & Fire circle contributing instrumentation. The song became Williams's breakthrough solo single, reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It later topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in 1977. The recording remains one of Williams's signature songs and a showcase for her agile soprano voice. It has inspired numerous later interpretations, including versions by Will Downing, Marcus Miller with Corinne Bailey Rae, and Seal.