Songs In The Key of Life. Whew! Such a loaded title for an album, right? Originally released on September 28, 1976, it is widely considered Stevie Wonder’s magnum opus, i.e. his greatest work. It is indeed a masterpiece, even if it is not necessarily my personal favorite of his. I do love it, but Stevie is one of those artists whose catalog is too varied and prolific to declare outright favorites. I also happen to adore the albums that preceded it, mainly Music Of My Mind and Fulfillingness’ First Finale, neither of which seems to get the level of praise in hindsight of its contemporaries Talking Book and Innervisions (both of which I also love, by the way). I’m pretty sure I may have posted something similar to that before. At any rate, I couldn’t let this milestone anniversary pass without acknowledging. I am an exhausted teacher, so this post may not be as lengthy or as detailed as previous entries.
One thing that constantly amazes me whenever I reflect on Stevie’s “classic album period” in the 70s is how young he was. Like, HOW was he only 26 when Songs In The Key of Life was released? How is that even possible?! The lyrical subject matter, the musical compositions and productions, and his amazing vocals all suggest someone much older. The title of the album itself is even mature. He is literally saying that the songs that comprise the album are in “the key of life”, meaning they cover all aspects of life…from social justice issues, to religion, to love, to heartbreak, to developing into adulthood, to reminiscing about childhood, and everything in between.
As per usual, here are a few(well, 10) of my favorites from the album, as well as brief explanations as to why. Spoiler alert: One of my favorite songs of ALL time period is “Summer Soft”, the first song in the list.Also, honorable mentions to “Contusion”, my one-time ringtone, and “Knocks Me Off My Feet”, a classic love song.
The songs in the key of life…
“Summer Soft”: I’ve written about this song on here before, so all I will really say is that it is gorgeous…melodically AND vocally, especially when those modulations kick in towards the end. Even he had to let out a “whoo!” once he was done. It is truly THAT good. I also adore the lyrical word play; he essentially likens the seasons to romantic relationships. Genius.
“Ordinary Pain”: What starts out as a mellow, mid-tempo song about love and heartbreak transitions into a funky, guttural expression of frustration from the woman’s perspective. It blows my mind that Stevie was able to write from that perspective so convincingly. Background vocalist Shirley Brewer killed the vocals on that second half of the song.
“Another Star”: This song hypes me up from the second it starts. Lyrically beautiful with an upbeat tempo to match its lovestruck theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ4bQfR7xBY
“Joy Inside My Tears”: It’s the instrumentation and the chorus for me. Stevie tore up the ad libs towards the end too.
“Love’s In Need Of Love Today”: The opening song of the album, its meaning is eerily and prophetically relevant to this very day.
“Have A Talk With God”: Because sometimes, this is just what you need to do.
“If It’s Magic”: If love is this magical and beautiful thing, then why do bad things sometimes happen with it? Such a simple yet poignant way of thinking about it.
“As”: Without a doubt, this is one of the strongest love songs ever written and recorded. Check out my more in depth caption from a previous post on it here.
“Black Man”: I always call this song a history lesson set to soulful funk. I wrote about it previously here.
“I Wish”: Classic joint. One of those songs that makes you move as soon as you hear the bass intro. Lyrically, it is super relatable too, as it is Stevie reminiscing about his childhood and wishing that “those days could come back once more”. I have definitely had similar thoughts about my carefree days as a kid(especially since they contrast so strongly to my adult life, but I digress!)
