People of the South Wind

"People of the South Wind" is a progressive rock single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1979 album Monolith. Following the success of previous singles "Carry On Wayward Son", "Point of Know Return", and "Dust in the Wind", the song became the band's fourth Top 40 hit.

The song was written about the Kaw people who gave the state Kansas its name. In the Kansa language, the tribe's name could roughly be translated to "People of the South Wind". After the Monolith tour, the song was not performed live again until the mid-1990s because the band believed fans did not like the album. Today the song is still performed live.

Two music videos for the track exist. The song, along with three other tracks from Monolith ("On the Other Side", "Reason to Be", "Away from You"), depict the group performing on stage (except "Reason to Be" which shows the group performing in a cave) where they are looked upon by the figure that appears on the cover to Monolith. A separate video for "People of the South Wind" was also released and has received airplay on channels such as VH1 Classic. This video is essentially the same as the original but omits the scenes involving the Monolith character, giving more focus on the band's performance.

Structure

The song has an upbeat tempo, with the drums playing beats on the eighth note. From 0:00–0:22, the song opens with an instrumental intro. The keyboard has the melody from 0:00-0:12, and the guitar and violin pick it up from 0:13–0:22. The vocals start at 0:23, and the first verse is from 0:23–0:51. The keyboard, bass, and drums provide accompaniment during the first verse. The pre-chorus is from 0:38–0:51, with the guitar joining the accompaniment. The first chorus is from 0:52–1:05. The violin joins in at this point, playing the melody along with the backing vocals. The lead vocals harmonize above the melody. The second verse is from 1:06–1:32, with the keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums providing accompaniment. The second chorus lasts from 1:33–1:47, leading into a guitar solo from 1:48–2:15. The intro from the beginning plays again from 2:16–2:30. The third verse lasts from 2:31–2:57, and the third chorus fades out from 2:58–3:38. "People of the South Wind" takes a greater pop approach than other Kansas songs to appeal to a larger audience. The single brought Kansas modest success, as it peaked at twenty-three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Chart performance

Chart (1979)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	23
Canadian RPM Top Singles	59

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Kansas

Phil Ehart Rich Williams Billy Greer David Ragsdale David Manion Ronnie Platt Zak Rizvi Kerry Livgren Dave Hope Robby Steinhardt Steve Walsh John Elefante Steve Morse Greg Robert

Studio albums	Kansas Song for America Masque Leftoverture Point of Know Return Monolith Audio-Visions Vinyl Confessions Drastic Measures Power In the Spirit of Things Freaks of Nature Always Never the Same Somewhere to Elsewhere The Prelude Implicit

Live albums	Two for the Show Live at the Whisky King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas Dust In The Wind Device – Voice – Drum There's Know Place Like Home

Compilations	The Best of Kansas Carry On The Kansas Boxed Set The Ultimate Kansas Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection On the Other Side Works in Progress Playlist: The Very Best of Kansas

Singles	"Song for America" "Carry On Wayward Son" "Point of Know Return" "Dust in the Wind" "Portrait (He Knew)" "People of the South Wind" "Hold On" "Play the Game Tonight" "Fight Fire With Fire" "All I Wanted"

Tours	2011 Collegiate Symphony Tour Fall 2012 Tour

Related topics	Discography Native Window

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