Kansas – Dust in the Wind
About The Song
“Dust in the Wind” is a song by American progressive rock band Kansas, released on their 1977 album “Point of Know Return.” This was the first acoustic Kansas song, and one of the most famous acoustic rock songs ever recorded. The song crossed over to a variety of formats, as rock, country, and adult contemporary radio stations.
Kansas guitarist Kerry Livgren wrote this after reading a book of Native American poetry. The line that caught his attention was, “For all we are is dust in the wind.” This got him thinking about the true value of material things and the meaning of success. The band was doing well and making money, but Kerry realized that in the end, he would eventually die just like everyone else. No matter our possessions or accomplishments, we all end up back in the ground.
Kerry Livgren wrote this song when he was under pressure to write a follow-up to the group’s hit, “Carry On Wayward Son.” While playing his acoustic guitar exercises, his wife suggested that putting lyrics to the patterns would yield his hit song. “I didn’t think it was a Kansas-type song,” he told Bruce Pollock. “She said, ‘Give it a try anyway.’ Several million records later, I guess she was right.”
The song has been covered and featured in thousands of artistic and commercial entities.
