Songs in the Key of Life

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Songs In The Key of Life
Studio album by Stevie Wonder
Released	September 28, 1976
Recorded	1975-1976; Crystal Sound Studios, Hollywood and Hit Factory New York
Genre	Soul, funk, pop
Length	87:02 (LPs) 18:02 (A Something's Extra EP) 105:04 (full album)
Label	Motown
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Billboard (favorable) link Robert Christgau (A) link PopMatters (favorable) link Rolling Stone (favorable) 1976 2003 Rolling Stone 2004 Sputnikmusic link Stylus (favorable) link Virgin Encyclopedia link Yahoo! Music (favorable) link
Stevie Wonder chronology
Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) Songs in the Key of Life (1976) Looking Back - Anthology (1977)
Singles from Songs in the key of life
"I Wish" Released: December, 1976 "Sir Duke" Released: March, 1977 "Another Star" Released: August, 1977 "As" Released: October, 1977

Songs in the Key of Life is an album by American musician Stevie Wonder, released on Motown on September 28, 1976 (see 1976 in music). It was the last of five consecutive albums widely hailed as his "classic period",^{[citation needed]} along with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale. A highly ambitious and experimental double LP, Songs in the Key of Life became the best-selling and among the most critically acclaimed albums of his career. In 2003, the album was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Recording 2 Commercial reception 2.1 Singles 3 Critical reception 4 Enduring popularity and influence 5 Track listing 5.1 Side one 5.2 Side two 5.3 Side three 5.4 Side four 5.5 A Something's Extra 5.5.1 Side one 5.5.2 Side two 6 Personnel 7 Covers and Samples 8 Chart Performance 8.1 Singles 8.2 Album 9 References 9.1 Notes 9.2 Bibliography 10 External links

[edit] Background

By 1976 Stevie Wonder had become one of the most popular figures in R&B and pop music, not only in the United States but worldwide. Within a short space of time, the albums Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale were all back-to-back top five successes, with the latter two winning Grammy Award for Album of the Year, in 1974 and 1975 respectively.

By the end of 1975, Stevie Wonder became serious about quitting the music industry and to emigrate to Ghana working with handicapped children. Wonder had expressed his anger with the way that the United States Government was running the country. ^[1][2] A farewell concert was being considered as the best way to bring down the curtain on his career. Wonder changed his decision, when he signed a new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975, thinking he was better off making the most of his career. At the time, rivals such as Arista and Epic were also interested in him. The contract was laid out as a seven-year, seven LP, $37 million deal and gave him full artistic control, making this the largest deal ever made with a recording star up to that point. ^[1] Almost at the beginning Stevie took a year off from the music market, with a project for a double album to be released in 1976. ^[3] There was huge anticipation for the new album which was initially scheduled for release around October 1975. It was delayed on short notice when Wonder felt that further remixing was essential. According to Stevie Wonder, the marketing campaign at Motown decided to take advantage of the delay by producing "We're almost finished" t-shirts. ^[4]

Work on the new album continued into early 1976. A name was finally chosen for the album - Songs in the Key of Life. The title would represent the formula of a complex "key of life" and the proposals for indefinite success. ^[5] The album was finally released on September 28, 1976 after a two year wait as a double LP album with a four track seven-inch EP entitled "A Something's Extra" ('Saturn', 'Ebony Eyes', 'All Day Sucker' and 'Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)') and a 24-page lyric and credit booklet. ^[4][6]

[edit] Recording

The working title was Let's see life the way it is. ^[7] Recording sessions for the album were spilt between the Crystal Industries in Hollywood; the Record Plant, Los Angeles; Sausalito in California and the Hit Factory in New York City.^[8] Stevie spent nearly three months instead of the original plan of only a few days at the Hit Factory record studio in New York. ^[9] As a perfectionist, Stevie spent long hours in the studio for almost every track he recorded. He was "not eating or sleeping, while everyone around him struggled to keep up".^[10] According to Stevie Wonder, "If my flow is goin', I keep on until I peak".

[edit] Commercial reception

Highly anticipated, the album surpassed all commercial expectations. Surprisingly, it debuted straight at number 1 on the Billboard Album Charts on October 8, 1976, becoming the third album in history to achieve that feat and the first by an American artist.

After debuting at number one, Songs in the Key of Life spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number one, eleven during 1976. It was the album with the most weeks at number one during the year. In those eleven weeks, Songs in the Key of Life managed to block four other albums from reaching the top – in order, Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees, Earth, Wind & Fire's Spirit, the Led Zeppelin's soundtrack for The Song Remains the Same and Rod Stewart's A Night on the Town.^[11] On January 15, 1977, the album finally dropped to number two behind Eagles Hotel California and the following week, it fell to number four but on January 29 it managed to spend a fourteenth and final week at the top. The album then began its final fall. It spent a total of thirty-five weeks inside the Top Ten and eighty weeks on the Billboard albums chart.

In all, Songs in the Key of Life became the second best-selling album of 1977 in the U.S., only behind Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster Rumours, and it was certified as a Diamond album by the RIAA, for sales of ten million copies in the U.S. alone.^[12]

[edit] Singles

Songs in the Key of Life was also the most successful Stevie Wonder project in terms of singles. The lead-off, the upbeat "I Wish" was released in November 1976, over a month after the album was released. On January 15, 1977 it reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart, where it spent five weeks at the top. Seven days after, it also reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, although it spent only one week at number one. The track became an international Top 10 single, and also reached number five in the UK. "I Wish" became one of Stevie Wonder's standards and remained one of his most sampled songs. In 1999, Will Smith used "I Wish" as the base for his U.S. number one single "Wild Wild West". The song repeated the main melody of "I Wish" as a riff and some lyrics re-formed. The follow-up, the jazzy "Sir Duke" surpassed the commercial success of "I Wish". It was released on March 1977 and also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (spending three weeks at the top starting on May 21) and the R&B Charts (for one week starting on May 28). It also reached number two in the UK, where it was kept off the top spot by Deniece Williams' "Free".

As sales for the album began to decline during the second half of 1977, the two other singles from Songs in the Key of Life failed to achieve the commercial success of "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". "Another Star" was released in August and reached only #32 on the Hot 100 (#18 on the R&B charts, and #29 in the UK) and "As" came out two months later, peaking at #36 on both the Pop and R&B Charts. Though not released as a single (because, even when Motown requested Wonder for releasing it, Stevie refused to), "Isn't She Lovely" received wide airplay and became one of Wonder's more popular songs. It was soon released by David Parton as a single in 1977 and became a Top 10 hit in the UK.

[edit] Critical reception

At the time of release, reporters and music critics, and everyone who had worked on the album, traveled to a farm in Connecticut for a press preview of the album. Stevie received everybody, autographed copies of the album and gave interviews.

Critical reception was positive. At the time, it was like a guided tour through the whole range of musical styles as well as through the life and feelings of the artist. It included recollections of childhood, of first love and lost love. It contained songs about faith and love among all peoples and songs about social justice for the poor and downtrodden.^[13]

On February 19, 1977, Wonder was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, an award that he already won twice, in 1974 and 1975, for Innervisions and Fulfilligness' First Finale. ^[6] Since 1973, Stevie's presence at the Grammy ceremonies was very consistent – he attended most of the ceremonies and also used to perform on stage. But in 1976, he did not attend as he wasn't nominated for any awards (as he wasn't releasing any new material during the past year), and a happy Paul Simon, who received the Grammy for Album of the Year in that occasion (for Still Crazy After All These Years) jokingly thanked Stevie "for not releasing an album" that year. A year after, Wonder was nominated for Songs in the Key of Life in that same category, and was widely favored by many critics to take the award. The other nominees were Breezin' by George Benson, Chicago X by Chicago, Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs, and the other favourite, Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive!, which was also a huge critical and commercial success. Again, Wonder was absent at the ceremony as he, off late had an interest in visiting Africa and on February he went to Nigeria for two weeks, primarily to explore his musical heritage, as he put it. A satellite hook-up was arranged so that Stevie could be awarded his Grammys from across the sea. Bette Midler announced the winning during the ceremony, and the audience was only able to see Stevie's at a phone smiling and giving thanks^[14], but the video signal was poor and the audio inaudible. Then, a funny Andy Williams went on to make a public blunder when he asked, "Stevie, can you see us?" ^[15] In all, Wonder won four out of seven nominations at the Grammys: Album of the Year, Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male Rhythm and Blues Performer, and Producer of the Year.

[edit] Enduring popularity and influence

With time, the album became a standard, and it is considered Stevie Wonder's signature album. Songs in the Key of Life is often cited as one of the greatest albums in popular music history.^[16] It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll; in 2001 the TV network VH1 named it the seventh greatest album of all time; in 2003, the album was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Many musicians also remarked the quality of the album and its influence on their own work. For example, Elton John said, in his notes for Stevie Wonder on the 2003 Rolling Stone's list of "The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time" (in which Wonder was ranked number 15): "Let me put it this way: wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life. For me, it's the best album ever made, and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it." ^[17] Especially R&B singers have praised the album – Mariah Carey generally names the album as one of her favourites, and also Whitney Houston remarked the influence of Songs in the Key of Life on her singing. (During the photoshoot for her Whitney: The Greatest Hits, as its seen on its respective home video, the album was played throughout the photo sessions at Houston's request.)

In September 2008, the album was voted the "Top Album of All Time" by the Yahoo! Music Playlist Blog, using a formula that combined 4 parameters - "Album Staying Power Value + Sales Value + Critical Rating Value + Grammy Award Value". ^[18]

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Side one

1. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Wonder) – 7:06
   • Eddie “Bongo” Brown—Collinga
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
2. "Have a Talk with God" (Calvin Hardaway, Wonder) – 2:42
   • All Instruments Stevie Wonder
3. "Village Ghetto Land" (Gary Byrd, Wonder) – 3:25
   • All Instruments Stevie Wonder
4. "Contusion" (Wonder) – 3:46
   • Mike Sembello—Lead Guitar
   • Raymond Pounds—Drums
   • Nathan Watts—Bass
   • Ben Bridges—Rhythm Guitar
   • Gregory Phillinganes—Keyboard
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
   • Michael Gray, Josie James, Shirley Brewer, Artece May—Vocals
5. "Sir Duke" (Wonder) – 3:52
   • Raymond Pounds—Drums
   • Nathan Watts—Bass
   • Mike Sembello—Lead Guitar
   • Ben Bridges—Rhythm Guitar
   • Hank Redd—Alto Saxophone
   • Raymond Maldonado—Trumpet
   • Trevor Laurence—Tenor Saxophone
   • Steve Madaio—Trumpet
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder

[edit] Side two

1. "I Wish" (Wonder) – 4:12
   • Nathan Watts—Bass
   • Hank Redd—Alto Saxophone
   • Raymond Maldonado—Trumpet
   • Trevor Laurence—Tenor Saxophone
   • Steve Madaio—Trumpet
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
2. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) – 3:36
   • All Instruments Stevie Wonder
3. "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) – 3:27
   • Raymond Maldonado, Bobbye Hall—Percussion
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
   • Hare Krishna, West Angeles Church Choir—Background Vocals
4. "Summer Soft" (Wonder) – 4:14
   • Ben Bridges—Rhythm Guitar
   • Ronnie Foster—Organ
   • Larry “Nastyee” Latimer—Percussion
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
5. "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) – 6:16
   • Mike Sembello—Lead Guitar
   • Hank Redd—Alto Saxophone
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
   • Minnie Riperton, Mary Lee Whitney, Deniece Williams, Syreeta Wright—Background Vocals
   • Shirley Brewer—Reply
   • Linda Lawrence, Terri Hendricks, Sundray Tucker, Charity McCrary, Madelaine Jones—Reply's Background Vocals

[edit] Side three

1. "Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) – 6:34
   • Gregory Phillinganes—Keyboard
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
2. "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) – 6:30
   • Gregory Phillinganes—Keyboard
   • Susaye Green—Background vocals
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
3. "Black Man" (Byrd/Wonder) – 8:27
   • Hank Redd—Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
   • Steve Madaio—Trumpet
   • George Bohanon—Trombone
   • Glen Ferris—Trombone

[edit] Side four

1. "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" (Wonder) – 3:48
   • Charles Brewer, Shirley Brewer, Renee Hardaway, Nelson Hayes, Marietta Waters, Nathan Watts, John Fischbach, Amale Mathews, Josette Valentino—Background percussion
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
2. "If It's Magic" (Wonder) – 3:12
   • Dorothy Ashby—Harp
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
3. "As" (Wonder) – 7:08
   • Nathan Watts—Bass, Handclaps
   • Dean Parks—Guitar
   • Herbie Hancock—Keyboards, Handclaps
   • Greg Brown—Drums
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
   • Mary Lee Whitney—Background Vocals
   • Dave Hanson, Yolanda Simon, Josette Valentino—Handclaps
4. "Another Star" (Wonder) – 8:08
   • Bobbi Humphrey—Flute
   • George Benson—Guitar & Background Vocals
   • Hank Redd—Alto Saxophone
   • Raymond Maldonado—Trumpet
   • Trevor Laurence—Tenor Saxophone
   • Steve Madaio—Trumpet
   • Nathan Alford, Jr.—Percussion
   • Carmello Hungria Garcia—Timbales
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
   • Josie James—Background Vocals

[edit] A Something's Extra

[edit] Side one

1. "Saturn" (Michael Sembello, Wonder) – 4:54
   • Mike Sembello—Lead Guitar
   • Ben Bridges—Rhythm Guitar
   • Gregory Phillinganes—Keyboard
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
2. "Ebony Eyes" (Wonder) – 4:11
   • Nathan Watts—Bass
   • Jim Horn—Saxophone
   • Peter “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow—Steel Guitar
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder

[edit] Side two

1. "All Day Sucker" (Wonder) – 5:06
   • Ben Bridges—Rhythm Guitar
   • Mike Sembello—Rhythm Guitar
   • W. G. "Snuffy" Walden—Lead Guitar
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder
   • Carolyn Denis—Background Vocals
2. "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" (Wonder) – 3:55
   • Nathan Watts—Bass
   • All Other Instruments Stevie Wonder

The "A Something's Extra" 7" EP was included with the special-edition version of the original LP. These tracks are also on most CD versions of the album, either split between both discs or appended to the end of the second disc.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Covers and Samples

Jazz saxophonist Najee covered the complete album as a tribute to Stevie Wonder in his 1995 release aptly named Songs From The Key Of Life.

Several songs from Songs in the Key of Life have been covered and sampled by other artists.

"Love's In Need of Love Today" 

Later recorded by BLACKstreet in 1994, Dave Hollister in 2002; also by Joan Osborne on the cover album How Sweet It Is.

"Have A Talk With God" 

Sampled by Snoop Dogg for his 2006 song "Conversations", which featured a re-recorded vocal by Stevie Wonder himself; also by Christian Artists Jon Gibson on his 1989 "Body & Soul" CD.

"Contusion" 

Later chopped up and melded with other jazz samples for the Venetian Snares song "Banana Seat Girl" (2002).

"I Wish" 

Sampled by Will Smith on the theme from Wild Wild West. Sampled and remixed by Ben Leibrand for inclusion on his 1990 album Styles and featuring the rapping talents of (Miss) Nasty Chat. Sampled by Digital Underground for their song "No Nose Job". Sampled by The Black Dog for their song "Ambience With Teeth".

"Ordinary Pain"

the first part of this song was covered by Brazilian singer Marina Lima in her 1984 album, called Fullgás, with the Brazilian Portuguese title Pé na Tábua.

"Isn't She Lovely" 

a UK top ten hit for David Parton in 1977. Also covered By Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour on his Captain Fingers album

"Black Man" 

Sung by a group of children on The Richard Pryor Show?

"Pastime Paradise" 

Later recorded by Ray Barretto and reworked into "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio in 1995, whose version was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Amish Paradise" in 1996. Sampled again as the basis of "Curtain Falls" by the boy-band Blue on 2004. In 1999 the song was covered by the Finnish humppa band Elakelaiset as "Paratiisihumppa". Also recorded by Patti Smith on her 2007 cover album Twelve. Also sampled in "3–6 in the Mornin" by Three 6 Mafia and "Crack", a bonus track off Scarface's 2007 album Made. Also covered by Sunlightsquare on their 2009 album Urban Latin Soul. Also covered and re-worked by The Youngblood Brass Band on their 2003 album "Unlearn."

"Knocks Me Off My Feet" 

Later recorded by Luther Vandross in 1996 and then by Donell Jones on his debut album My Heart In 1996. Sampled by Ja Rule in his 2002 single "Thug Lovin'". Sampled by Ol' Dirty Bastard for his song Shimmy Shimmy Ya.

"Village Ghetto Land" 

Covered by George Michael. Later sampled on Warren G's "Ghetto Village", off his 2001 album The Return of the Regulator. In this version the melody is slightly accelerated and the song is retrofitted with Warren's signature brand of G-Funk.

"As" 

Later recorded as an instrumental by Jean-Luc Ponty in 1982. Other covers include Nichole Nordeman in 2000 and by Michael Bolton in 2001. Also a successful duet between George Michael and Mary J. Blige in 1998.

"Another Star" 

Covered by Kathy Sledge and included (twice) in the 1995 Ministry Of Sound Sessions 4 double CD. Later recorded by Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul in 2002. Brazlian singer Salomé de Bahia with production credits by Dj/producer Bob Sinclar released in 1999 "Outro Lugar" that heavily samples "Another Star" with lyrics sung in Portuguese by Salomé.

"If It's Magic" 

Covered by Sarah Connor for her album Soulicious.

[edit] Chart Performance

[edit] Singles

Year	Title	Chart	Position
1976	Another Star	Club Play Singles	2
1977	Sir Duke	Adult Contemporary	3
1977	I Wish	Adult Contemporary	23
1977	Isn't She Lovely	Adult Contemporary	23
1977	Another Star	Pop Singles	32
1977	I Wish	Pop Singles	1
1977	Sir Duke	Pop Singles	1
1977	Another Star	Black Singles	18
1977	Another Star	Adult Contemporary	29
1977	As	Black Singles	36
1977	I Wish	Black Singles	1
1977	Sir Duke	Black Singles	1
1977	As	Adult Contemporary	24
1978	As	Pop Singles	36

[edit] Album

Year	Chart	Position
1976	Billboard 200	1
1976	UK	2
1976	Norway	6 [19]
1976	Sweden	9
1976	Austria	15
1976	Netherlands	9

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Davis, Sharon. Stevie Wonder:Rhythms of Wonder. 
• Lundy, Zeth. Songs in the key of life. 

[edit] External links

• [1] Audio streams: WBEZ program 'Extensions' broadcast a 3 hour special commemorating the album's 30th anniversary
• [2] Songs In The Key of Life Review & Videos
• [3] Bette Midler announcing Stevie Wonder's winning of Album of the Year at the 1977 Grammy Awards

Preceded by Fleetwood Mac by Fleetwood Mac

Billboard 200 number-one album October 16, 1976 - January 14, 1977 January 29, 1977 – February 4, 1977

Succeeded by Hotel California by Eagles

v • d • e Stevie Wonder Studio albums The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder · Tribute to Uncle Ray · With a Song in My Heart · Stevie at the Beach · Up-Tight · Down to Earth · I Was Made to Love Her · Someday at Christmas · Eivets Rednow · For Once in My Life · My Cherie Amour · Signed, Sealed, and Delivered · Where I'm Coming From · Music of My Mind · Talking Book · Innervisions · Fulfillingness' First Finale · Songs in the Key of Life · Hotter than July · In Square Circle · Characters · Conversation Peace · A Time to Love Live albums Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius · Stevie Wonder Live · Natural Wonder Soundtracks Journey through the Secret Life of Plants · The Woman in Red · Jungle Fever Compilations Looking Back · Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium · At the Close of a Century · The Definitive Collection · The Complete Stevie Wonder Top 10 US/UK Singles "Fingertips - Part 2" · "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" · "Blowin' in the Wind" · "A Place in the Sun" · "I Was Made to Love Her" · "For Once in My Life" · "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" · "My Chérie Amour" · "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" · "Never Had a Dream Come True" · "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" · "Heaven Help Us All" · "If You Really Love Me" · "Superstition" · "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" · "Higher Ground" · "Living for the City" · "He's Misstra Know it All" · "You Haven't Done Nothin'" · "Boogie On Reggae Woman" · "I Wish" · "Sir Duke" · "Send One Your Love" · "Master Blaster (Jammin)" · "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" · "Lately" · "Happy Birthday" · "That Girl" · "Do I Do" · "Ebony and Ivory" · "Ribbon in the Sky" · "I Just Called to Say I Love You" · "Part-Time Lover" · "That's What Friends Are For" · "Go Home" Related articles Discography · Syreeta Wright · Motown Records · Soul music

v • d • e Grammy Award: Album of the Year (1971-1990) 1971: Bridge over Troubled Water · 1972: Tapestry · 1973: The Concert for Bangladesh · 1974: Innervisions · 1975: Fulfillingness' First Finale · 1976: Still Crazy After All These Years · 1977: Songs in the Key of Life · 1978: Rumours · 1979: Saturday Night Fever · 1980: 52nd Street · 1981: Christopher Cross · 1982: Double Fantasy · 1983: Toto IV · 1984: Thriller · 1985: Can't Slow Down · 1986: No Jacket Required · 1987: Graceland · 1988: The Joshua Tree · 1989: Faith · 1990: Nick of Time Complete List · Winners (1959–1970) · Winners (1971–1990) · Winners (1991–2010)