A young guy with my background, growing up in the woods of Allamakee County, Iowa, in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, didn’t get exposed to a lot of music other than rock & roll and country. Not much R&B, not much blues, not much jazz. My mother was a fan of Italian opera, and my maternal grandfather never missed the Sunday symphony on the radio.
But as I grew a little older and started hanging around in town, my musical experience got a little more diverse. An early part of that diversity came from a great performer, a guy who released his first song when I was a toddler, and who is still touring today. That guy would be Stevie Wonder.
Stevland Hardaway Morris – better known to us as Stevie Wonder – is one of the defining voices of a generation. Born six weeks premature, Stevie was placed in an incubator, where the high-oxygen atmosphere caused a retinopathy that left him blind. That certainly didn’t hamper his musical career.
Not many people can claim a Billboard Top 100 hit when they were 13, but Stevie Wonder did, with his first major release, “Fingertips”, which hit #1 in 1963. Stevie Wonder remains the youngest solo artist ever to turn in a Billboard Top 100 #1 song. He went on to build a remarkable career, most active in the ‘70s and ‘80s, with his albums “Talking Book” (1972) and “Songs In The Key of Life” (1976). In fact, his albums “Innervisions” (1973), Fulfillingness’ First Finale” (1974), and “Songs In The Key of Life” all won Grammys for Best Album of the Year – making Stevie the only artist to have won this award for three consecutive albums.
But forget the Grammys. With music, it’s all about the listeners, and Stevie has had plenty. And he still does; at 75, he’s still touring.
It was hard to pick six. As is so often the case, ask me tomorrow, and I may make some different choices; but give these a listen, anyway.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) (1970): This was the first single Stevie Wonder wrote and produced on his own. The lyrics speak of a guy who is coming back to the girl he dumped, using the metaphor of a “signed, sealed, delivered” package as a metaphor. There’s no note as to whether she took him back or not.
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Superstition (1972): This being Halloween, this song is a necessary addition to the list, in addition to being a really great song. When I think of Stevie Wonder, this is the song that always comes to mind. It’s a day for superstition, after all, even if we don’t engage in it here; we don’t get many trick-or-treaters out here in the woods, and besides, moose will eat the pumpkins.
Sir Duke (1976): This song combines a rock beat with an R&B flair, and is a tribute to the great R&B performers that we can presume influenced Stevie, including, of course, the great Duke Ellington, who passed away in 1974. It’s got a great beat, and the refrain is wonderful:You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people
You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people
Great tune.
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Isn’t She Lovely (1976): It’s touching to note that Stevie wrote and recorded this song to commemorate the birth of his daughter, Aisha. The original recording of the song actually begins with a recorded baby cry. Oddly, it was never released as a single, but I remember hearing it on the radio back in the day. In an interesting twist, Stevie sang this song at Princess Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, with the lyrics altered to refer to the Queen. That’s a pretty good deal no matter how royal one may or may not be.
I Just Called To Say I Love You (1984): As Stevie moved into the ‘80s, his style mellowed just a little. This song was actually first released on the soundtrack album of the 1984 movie “The Woman in Red,” and landed at number one on the Billboard Top 100 for six weeks. This song also became Stevie’s only solo UK #1 tune, and it is to this day Motown’s biggest-selling single in the UK.
Part Time Lover (1985): The next year saw Stevie releasing his 20th studio album, “In Squaere Circle.” The first single, “Part Time Lover,” made number one on the Billboard Top 100, as well as the R&B, dance, and adult contemporary charts. Luther Vandross provided the backup vocals. The song has a dark undertone; the lyrics speak of a man who is cheating on his wife with a mistress, who discovers that his wife is also having an affair. Lose-lose, I suppose.
Stevie Wonder is proof that one doesn’t require vision to be a musician, and a great one at that. His career has spanned decades, and his songs live in the minds of millions. Sighted or not, you can’t ask much more than that. I can't say I agree with his politics, but I can't say that about many, maybe most, of the musicians I listen to.
Have any Stevie Wonder particulars of your own? As usual, the comments await your pleasure.
