First emerging as a child star in the early ’60s, covering Ray Charles standards under the name Little Stevie Wonder, Stevland Hardaway Judkins (born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950) would, by decade’s end, graduate to the more sophisticated soul of Motown-defining singles like “For Once in My Life”, showing future teen idols like Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber how to gracefully age out of kinder-pop novelty. That he’s accomplished it without his sight is both the most astonishing and least remarkable thing about him. Both a kiss-off to late-’60s hippie optimism and a pathway to numerous possible spiritual futures, Innervisions cemented Wonder as the most inspired and singular mind in 1970s American popular music.Īn impassioned vocalist, prodigious multi-instrumentalist and visionary producer, Stevie Wonder is a truly transformative figure in the history of popular music. 1 funk odyssey “Superstition” that asserts Wonder’s belief in reincarnation over his trademark wah-wah clavinet and Moog bass the tongue-in-cheek Latin workout “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing”, a Dylanesque barb at a social climber delivered with a potent display of Wonder’s bottomless charm and the hopelessly romantic “Golden Lady”, which spirals upward into the kind of ecstatic joy that only Wonder could generate. There’s salvation to be found in “Higher Ground”, an impossibly groovy sequel to Talking Book’s No. The album-ending slow burn “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” suavely identifies the character types who prey on those same marginalised people, including, many surmised, the soon-to-resign “law and order”-claiming US president. With the journalistic soul of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On broadcast straight from the street corner and central booking, “Living” is among the most scathingly beautiful indictments of the American justice system. “Living for the City” is a fevered seven-minute soul operetta about the unforgiving toll of urban life for the Black working class in the post-Black Power moment. The musical peaks were as high as Wonder would ever get, though the tone was more accusatory than ever. Wonder played and produced just about everything, with the help of his experimentally minded studio sous-chefs Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff. The boldest political statement of Wonder’s career yet-assailing drug addicts, infrastructural racism, charismatic con men and superficial Christians-Innervisions also managed to be deliriously funky and boundary-pushing. An April 1973 Rolling Stone interview dubbed the erstwhile teen-pop star “The Formerly Little Stevie Wonder” and quoted the 23-year-old as saying that he wanted to “get in as much weird shit as possible” 1973’s Innervisions was a start. He opened for The Rolling Stones on their enormous US summer tour, exposing his exploratory soul-funk hybrid to countless rock fans, and released his second opus Talking Book before the end of the year. In subsequent performances, Stevie Wonder has tweaked the song's lyrics to honor other influential figures, notably at the 2009 Nelson Mandela Day and the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.On the heels of his first post-Motown-emancipation masterpiece Music of My Mind, 1972 was Stevie Wonder’s biggest year yet. Stevie Wonder's dedication led to the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981, culminating in President Ronald Reagan signing the holiday into law on November 2, 1983. The song is famous for Stevie Wonder's innovative use of the keyboard synthesizer, creating a celebratory atmosphere that invites listeners to join the cause. Although not released in the United States, it attained significant popularity in the UK, reaching Number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. " Happy Birthday" was first released in June 1981 as the fourth single from Stevie Wonder's acclaimed 1980 album, Hotter than July. Its origins are rooted in activism, reflecting Stevie Wonder's commitment to social issues. It was written to support the campaign to declare Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday and over the years has become a popular birthday anthem. " Happy Birthday" is a song by American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder, standing as one of his most iconic and enduring songs.
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