–By Brandon
Kansas’s most famous song, “Dust in the Wind,” is not reminiscent of their typical style or other famous hits (e.g., “Carry on Wayward Son,” “Point of Know Return”). The guitar line for the song was originally written by Kerry Livgren as an exercise in fingerpicking. Livgren’s wife commented that the melody was nice and encouraged him to write lyrics. The lyrics are adapted from a book of Native American poetry (“for all we are is dust in the wind”) that Livgren had been reading at the time. There is one more verse of the song that was written but never recorded. Livgren, who became an evangelical Christian in 1980, commented that his songwriting reflected his search for something greater than himself, with “Dust in the Wind” remarking on the transitory nature of our physical beings. Livgren did not actually think his bandmates would like the song, as it was very different from their normal style, and thus “Dust in the Wind” was a late addition to the Point of Know Return album.