The bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire, Verdine White, acknowledges that he anticipated the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie would fail even before its release.

This 1978 film featured the Bee Gees alongside a remarkable lineup of musical icons, including Aerosmith, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper, and Billy Preston. Earth, Wind & Fire also made a notable contribution by performing the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

“Everyone believed it would be a blockbuster,” White shared during a recent episode of the Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan podcast. “We were just sort of like the Black thing to throw into the movie.”

Despite the high hopes, White realized the film was destined for failure upon viewing an early cut.

READ MORE: How the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ Movie Derailed Two Careers

“We knew it was not going to be a hit because, when we were singing, everything was out of sync,” he explained. “We said, ‘Oh, that’s the kiss of death.’”

White also pointed out that the film struggled due to its misguided aim to be family-friendly entertainment.

“It was a kiddie movie. It was like for kids,” he elaborated. “And the Bee Gees were doing some adult records, man.”

The Success of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Beatles Cover

While the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie was both critically and commercially unsuccessful, Earth, Wind & Fire’s rendition of “Got to Get You Into My Life” achieved significant success. The song became a radio hit and garnered widespread acclaim for the funk group.

READ MORE: Top 40 Funk Songs

“George Harrison came up to me and said he thought that was a great rendition,” White recalled. “We released the single before the movie came out… And it was a number one record before the movie came out. So we didn’t rely on that movie making the record a big hit.”

Watch Earth, Wind & Fire Perform ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’ in the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ Movie