The Reason Kansas’ ‘Dust in the Wind’ Got In Trouble With The Press
When they were first released, certain legendary rock songs sparked debate and mistrust. “Dust in the Wind” from Kansas is a prime example. The song got a lot of bad press when it was first released in the 1970s. However, Richard Williams, one of the band’s members, thought the criticism was unjust and unimportant.
A Shift in Sound with “Dust in the Wind”
Williams was asked about whether “Dust in the Wind” felt like a departure for Kansas in a 2023 interview with Billboard. He said without any hesitation, “Yeah, it was outside of the box of what we had done before. It’s an acoustic song—no drums, just acoustic guitar, violin, and voice. But we knew it was a great song.” It was a daring decision for a band that had previously been known for its progressive rock sound.
However, the song wasn’t just a musical shift—it also caused a stir in the press. Williams recalled, “What’s funny in retrospect is that song and ‘[Carry On] Wayward Son’, we got a lot of heat from the press as far as, ‘Oh, Kansas has sold out.’ By definition, selling out would be jumping on the mainstream trend and mimicking it. What about ‘Dust in the Wind’ was mimicking anything to do with the mainstream?”
A Lucky Hit: The Band’s Unexpected Success
Despite the backlash, Williams defended the track and the band’s experimental approach. “It was an absolute fluke that it was a big hit, extremely lucky,” he said. “Yeah, there was a much more progressive side to the band, but this was just a different type of song for us, and we liked that. Even ‘Wayward Son’ wasn’t emulating [any other] music of that time. We just stumbled into some hits.”
As it turns out, “Dust in the Wind” and “Carry On Wayward Son” became the defining tracks of Kansas’ career. Though the band had other hits, these two songs have received the most airplay, and they remain as iconic as some of the era’s biggest chart-toppers.
Chart Success and Lasting Popularity
“Dust in the Wind” became Kansas’ biggest hit, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying on the chart for 20 weeks. It was also featured on the band’s Point of Know Return album, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 51 weeks. Meanwhile, “Carry On Wayward Son” peaked at No. 11 and spent 20 weeks on the chart, with its parent album Leftoverture reaching No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and charting for 42 weeks.
While both songs sparked controversy when they were first released, today they stand as two of Kansas’ most beloved tracks, securing their place in classic rock history.
