Stevie’s wonderful album run: Stevie Wonder’s classic period.
Ranking five breathtaking records in one of the greatest discographies of all time, from Music of My Mind to Songs in the Key of Life.
photo by RB/Redferns, retrieved from the GRAMMY website.
In 1971, Stevie Wonder renegotiated his record contract, attaining a near unprecedented amount of creative control for an artist of his stature. By this point in his career, Wonder had been signed to Motown Records for around a decade, and had become the musical standard for the label. With his newly earned creative control, Stevie Wonder entered what is now considered his classic period, as he unleashed five incredible albums in half of a decade: Music of My Mind (1972); Talking Book (1972); Innervisions (1973); Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974); and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). These five records make up what is widely regarded as one of the greatest runs of releases in the history of music. No, I’m not exaggerating. These five albums spawned twelve Billboard top 40 hits—five of which reached #1—and earned Stevie Wonder 12 GRAMMYs including Album of the Year wins for Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life. You cannot tell the story of his career without each of these five albums. While each of them are remarkable in their own right, some stand out more than others. Let’s indulge in Wonder’s most undeniable classics.
5. Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974)
This album is ranked last, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still phenomenal. Stevie Wonder released two massive singles from the album, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” and “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” The former was a harsh critique of then-President Richard Nixon and his failure to listen to the needs of underrepresented communities, with the refrain “Cause if you really want to hear our views, you haven’t done nothin’.” “Boogie On Reggae Woman” serves as a perfect example of everything that made Wonder’s classic period so special. The instrumental is layered and colorful, with a snappy synth bassline, soulful piano flourishes, simple percussion driving the instrumental along, and two incredible harmonica solos, all of which are staples of a great Wonder track. While the instrumental is captivating enough, it is Stevie Wonder’s vocal performance that brings the whole song together. On this, and many other songs, he displays his incredible vocal talents, shifting from smooth to gritty, soft to powerful, and low to high as need be. Whatever the subject matter, he always brought the same level of emotional power, which is really what makes him such a special artist. Although this is an amazing record, it’s held back by songs like “Creepin’” and “Bird of Beauty,” some of the most formulaic cuts during Wonder’s classic period. On top of this, the other records on this list have more highlights that are much more impressive and emotionally powerful.
4. Talking Book (1972)
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Superstition” are both on Talking Book. What more needs to be said? These are singles that any artist would dream of concocting, and he’s got two of them on the same album. Aside from these two classics, there are also some incredible deep cuts on this record. On “Maybe Your Baby,” Stevie sings expressively about fearing that a partner is messing around with someone else. His lyrics do a great job of conveying the paranoia that the protagonist feels, as he sings about how he feels like the world is turning against him, and how he can't help noticing that this woman is “checking out the guys that are passing by.” All of this is done over a largely simple drum part, some classic funk bass, a wailing, bluesy guitar, and a dark, creeping clavinet melody to tie it all together. The clav was one of the defining instrumental components of Stevie Wonder’s 70s output, but Talking Book is perhaps the record where this instrument shines the brightest, as is the case for the timeless lead melody of “Superstition.” Despite these highlights, there is somewhat of a drop off in quality towards the end of the album. “Big Brother” and “Lookin’ for Another Pure Love” are both fine songs, but fail to match the high standard set by many of the other tracks on Talking Book. The former revolves around a sleepy clav melody and a tinny sounding harmonica that’s somewhat obnoxious, and while the latter does have a pleasantly hypnotic instrumental, it also features one of Stevie Wonder’s less exciting vocal performances. The albums in my top 3 also each feature at least one song where the listening experience mirrors an odyssey. These highly conceptual songs, which are generally seven plus minutes in length, feature more experimental instrumental and compositional elements, are to me some of his best. These songs play a large role in setting Wonder apart from his contemporaries, but they aren’t present here. All in all, this is a great funk and soul record, even if slightly straightforward compared to those higher on this list. Because of that, and the fact that it features some of his most popular songs, I would actually recommend Talking Book as the best intro to Stevie Wonder for someone who hasn’t given a full album of his a spin.
3. Music of My Mind (1972)
Music of My Mind was the world’s first introduction to this new era of Stevie Wonder’s career. The album is his most experimental, and received modest success upon its release, as it is the only one of these five without a top ten single. The most popular song was “Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You),” an eight minute epic detailing the thoughts of a man who’s partner, Mary, wishes to achieve fame and fortune. In the first few minutes of the song, Stevie expresses his fear that Mary's aspirations will affect their relationship over laid back keys, bass, and drums. In the second half the instrumental turns nocturnal, with atmospheric synths, jazzy drums, and recurring soulful guitar licks topped off by an amazing solo. During this portion Wonder sings about his longing for Mary to return to him. All of these elements come together to make one of the highlights of Stevie Wonder’s career, and a true musical masterpiece.
On the opening track, “Love Having You Around,” Wonder introduces his new musical ambitions. Despite this song’s seemingly upbeat lyrics, the instrumental is frantic and the chord progression is eerie. The song also features a talkbox and a trombone solo, adding to a track that is already unique. Another highlight, “Girl Blue,” is a sweet ballad built around rattling percussion, synth bass, clav, and a standout vocal performance with metallic effects buoying Wonder’s already pristine voice. These three examples of experimentation are just a few of the highlights that make this record distinct, and it is obvious that Stevie Wonder enjoyed playing around with his newfound creative freedom on Music of My Mind.
2. Innervisions (1973)
On Innervisions, Wonder finds a perfect balance between the more eclectic and experimental aspects of Music of My Mind, and more accessible elements of Talking Book. The result is a diverse yet consistently excellent nine track output. The album opens with “Too High,” a fusion of jazz and funk with hypnotic, descending vocal melodies. This leads into “Visions,” a beautiful, almost dreamlike song where Wonder questions the feasibility of a utopia “Where hate’s a dream and love forever stands.” Some of Wonder’s most iconic singles land on this album. It’s got the funk classic “Higher Ground” and the Latin-influenced “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” but the album's most memorable track might be “Living For the City.” This seven minute opus tells the story of a young Black man who grew up in a poor, segregated, rural community but aspires to find success in New York City. However, upon arriving in the city he faces new challenges. It’s in this portion of the song where Wonder switches to a deeper, rougher, growling vocal delivery, to convey how his outlook has been changed by his experiences in New York City, stating plainly: “I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow, and that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow.” This song seamlessly transitions into the heavenly “Golden Lady,” another one of Wonder’s best songs. The album closes with the amazing and infectious “He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” On this song Wonder describes a man who is untrustworthy, selfish, and self-important. Near the end of the track both the instrumental and Wonder’s vocals grow more lively, as he repeats the refrain of “He’s misstra know it all” as the song gradually fades out. The variety in musical style and subject matter, combined with some of the strongest songwriting and vocal performances of his career, makes Innervisions one of the greatest musical achievements of the 1970s. Very few artists could make an album that is both more ambitious and accessible than this, but if anyone could, it would be Wonder himself only three short years later.
1. Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
Songs in the Key of Life feels like the culmination of all of Wonder’s work throughout the 70s and the creative freedom that he had explored. This massive double album, 21 songs and 105 minutes in length, has everything that makes a Stevie Wonder album great. The record boasts timeless hits such as “I Wish” and “Sir Duke,” which both reached the top of the Billboard charts thanks to their passionate vocal performances, catchy choruses, and lively horn parts. The album opens with “Love’s In Need of Love Today,” on which Wonder declares that hate has become far too prominent in the world, and tells all of us to send our love in right away. There are socially conscious songs like the vivid “Village Ghetto Land,” where Wonder describes the conditions faced by Americans living in the ghetto, juxtaposed with the greedy politicians who ignore these people. The instrumental is simple yet beautiful, composed only of synthesized strings, leaving room for the listener to focus on Wonder’s message and one of a kind voice. On “Pastime Paradise,” Wonder sings about the dangers of nostalgia that cause people to ignore present issues, or even express a desire to return to more regressive ideals. You actually might recognize the melody: it was sampled and interpolated on Coolio’s classic “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
I haven’t even mentioned “Isn’t She Lovely” yet! Another one of Wonder’s most recognizable songs, “Isn’t She Lovely” is a beautiful expression of love for his infant daughter. There are also more expansive songs such as “As,” an expression of an eternal love of God. While the beginning of the song is more low key, featuring keyboard chords and groovy bass, topped off with bright keyboard flourishes, the instrumental builds as background vocals come in and Wonder’s vocals grow louder and more intense. Eventually Wonder switches to his growling vocal delivery reminiscent of his performance on “Living For the City,” before the track finishes with Wonder and his background singers repeating their professions of eternal love. “Another Star” is a glitzy disco track on which Wonder sings about the difficulties of getting over a past love.
With iconic hits, a varied instrumental palette, jaw-dropping vocal performances, and thoughtful lyrics covering a wide range of topics, this album is an absolute tour de force that features everything that has made Stevie Wonder an artist who’s often been imitated, but will never be duplicated. Songs in the Key of Life is not only the best offering within Wonder’s awe-inspiring discography, but it has stood the test of time as one of the greatest albums ever recorded. No hyperbole required.
edited by Anant Dhingra.
cover photo by RB/Redferns, retrieved from the GRAMMY website.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.