Songs in the Key of Life

Untitled

Songs in the Key of Life is an album by 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", 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 most critically acclaimed album of his career, reaching a Diamond certification by the RIAA and being called the "best album ever made" by Elton John.

"Songs in the Key of Life" won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal and Album of the Year. The album also topped Billboard's Pop Albums and Black Albums charts for a record-breaking 14 weeks out its 44 week in the Top 40 alone, and was one of the first albums by a solo artist to debut at #1 in its first week of sales (Elton John released two albums in 1975 that entered the chart at #1). It has surpassed a total of 10 million units in the U.S. alone.

"Songs in the Key of Life" is often cited as one of the greatest albums in popular music history. 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.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Wonder) – 7:05
2. "Have a Talk with God" (Calvin Hardaway, Wonder) – 2:42
3. "Village Ghetto Land" (Gary Byrd, Wonder) – 3:25
4. "Contusion" (Wonder) – 3:45
5. "Sir Duke" (Wonder) – 3:54

Side two

1. "I Wish" (Wonder) – 4:12
2. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) – 3:36
3. "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) – 3:27
4. "Summer Soft" (Wonder) – 4:14
5. "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) – 6:23

Side three

1. "Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) – 6:34
2. "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) – 6:29
3. "Black Man" (Byrd/Wonder) – 8:29

Side four

1. "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" (Wonder) – 3:48
2. "If It's Magic" (Wonder) – 3:12
3. "As" (Wonder) – 7:08
4. "Another Star" (Wonder) – 8:28

A Something's Extra

Side one

1. "Saturn" (Michael Sembello, Wonder) – 4:53
2. "Ebony Eyes" (Wonder) – 4:08

Side two

1. "All Day Sucker" (Wonder) – 5:05
2. "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" (Wonder) – 3:56

Album Lyrics

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.

Trivia

• The song "As" makes a key appearance in the 1999 film The Best Man.

Personnel

• Stevie Wonder - Harmonica, Arranger, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals, Drums
• Michael Sembello - Guitar
• Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel
• George Benson - Guitar, Vocals
• Ronnie Foster - Organ
• Herbie Hancock - Keyboards, Handclapping
• Dean Parks - Guitar
• Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
• W.G. "Snuffy" Walden - Guitar
• Nathan Watts - Bass, Vocals, Handclapping
• Greg Brown - Drums
• Raymond Lee Pounds - Drums
• Hank Redd - Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
• George Bohannon - Trombone
• Ben Bridges - Guitar, Sitar
• Dorothy Ashby - Harp
• Bobbi Humphrey - Flute
• Howard "Buzzy" Feiten - Guitar
• Steve Madaio - Trumpet
• Trevor Lawrence - Sax (Tenor)
• Glen Ferris - Trombone
• Jim Horn - Saxophone
• Deniece Williams - Vocals
• Minnie Riperton - Vocals
• Gary Byrd - Vocals
• Michael Wycoff - Vocals
• Larry Scott - Sound Effects
• Carol Cole - Percussion
• Bobbye Hall - Percussion
• Jay Boy Adams - Vocals
• Nathan Alford, Jr. - Percussion
• Henry America - Vocals
• Linda America - Vocals
• Baradras - Vocals
• Brenda Barnett - Vocals
• Khalif Bobatoon - Vocals
• Starshemah Bobatoon - Vocals
• Sudana Bobatoon - Vocals
• Charles Brewer - Percussion, Programming, Vocals
• Shirley Brewer - Percussion, Vocals, Speaking Part
• Berry Briges - Vocals
• Cecilia Brown - Vocals
• Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Percussion
• Jean Brown - Vocals
• Rodney Brown - Vocals
• Colleen Carleton - Percussion, Vocals
• Addie Cox - Vocals
• Agnideva Dasa - Vocals
• Duryodhana Guru Dasa - Vocals
• Jayasacinandana Dasa - Vocals
• Jitamrtyi Dasa - Vocals
• Vedavyasa Dasa - Vocals
• Cinmayi Dasi - Vocals
• Yogamaya Dasi - Vocals
• Carolyn Dennis - Vocals
• Bhakta Eddie - Vocals
• Doe Rani Edwards - Vocals
• Jacqueline F. English - Vocals
• Ethel Enoex - Vocals
• Al Jocko Fann - Vocals
• Barbara Fann - Vocals
• Melani Fann - Vocals
• Shelley Fann - Vocals
• Tracy Fann - Vocals
• John Fischbach - Percussion, Programming, Vocals, Engineer
• Susie Fuzzell - Vocals
• Carmelo Garcia - Percussion, Timbales
• Anthony Givens - Vocals
• Audrey Givens - Vocals
• Derrick Givens - Vocals
• Mildred Givens - Vocals
• Michael Lee Gray - Vocals
• Mimi Green - Vocals
• Susaye Greene Brown - Vocals
• Bhakta Gregory - Vocals
• Renee Hardaway - Percussion, Vocals
• John Harris - Sound Effects
• Jeania Harris - Vocals
• John Harris - Programming
• Troy Harris - Vocals
• Nelson Hayes - Percussion, Sound Effects, Vocals
• Terry Hendricks - Vocals
• H. David Henson - Assistant Engineer
• Don Hunter - Programming, Sound Effects
• Adrian Janes - Vocals
• Josie James - Vocals
• Calvin Johnson - Vocals
• Carol Johnson - Vocals
• Patricia Johnson - Vocals
• Madelaine Jones - Vocals
• Bhakta Kevin - Vocals
• Phillip Kimble - Vocals
• James Lambert - Vocals
• Linda Lawrence - Vocals,
• Irma Leslie - Vocals
• Kim Lewis - Vocals
• Carl Lockhart - Vocals
• Gail Lockhart - Vocals
• Raymond Maldonado - Percussion, Trumpet
• Carolyn Massenburg - Vocals
• Artice May - Vocals
• Charity McCrary - Vocals
• Linda McCrary-Campbell - Vocals
• Lonnie Morgan - Vocals
• Kim Nixon - Vocals
• Lisa Nixon - Vocals
• Larri Nuckens - Vocals
• Larry Latimer - Percussion, Vocals
• Amale Mathews - Percussion, Vocals
• Gary Olazabal - Engineer , Bass Sound
• Edna Orso - Percussion, Vocals
• Marietta Waters - Percussion, Vocals
• Josette Valentino - Percussion, Vocals, Handclapping
• Gwen Perry - Vocals
• Gregory Rudd - Vocals
• Rukmini - Vocals
• Yolanda Simmons - Vocals, Handclapping
• Keith Slaughter - Vocals
• Rosona Starks - Vocals
• Dennis Swindell - Vocals
• Sundray Tucker - Vocals
• Gary Veney - Vocals
• Sheryl Walker - Vocals
• Mary Lee Whitney - Vocals
• Syreeta Wright - Vocals
• Michael Gray - Vocals
• Susaye Greene - Vocals
• William Moore - Vocals
• Fountain Jones - Programming

Covers and Samples

Jazz saxophonist Najee covered the complete album as a tribute to Stevie Wonder in his 1995 release aptly named "Songs In 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.

"Contusion"

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

"I Wish"

Later recorded, with different lyrics, by Will Smith as the theme song for the film "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".

"Isn't She Lovely"

a UK top ten hit for David Parton in 1977.

"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.

"Knocks Me Off My Feet"

Later recorded by Luther Vandross in 1996 and then by Donnell Jones in 1996.

"Village Ghetto Land"

Covered by George Michael. Later sampled on Warren G's "Ghetto Village", off his 2001 album "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 by 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.

"If it's magic"

Covered by Sarah Connor for her album Soulicious.

Charting singles

• 1976: Another Star (Club Play Singles) - No. 2
• 1977: Sir Duke (Adult Contemporary) - No. 3
• 1977: I Wish (Adult Contemporary) - No. 23
• 1977: Isn't She Lovely (Adult Contemporary) - No. 23
• 1977: Another Star (Pop Singles) - No. 32
• 1977: I Wish (Pop Singles) - No. 1
• 1977: Sir Duke (Pop Singles) - No. 1
• 1977: Another Star (Black Singles) - No. 18
• 1977: Another Star (Adult Contemporary) - No. 29
• 1977: As (Black Singles) - No. 36
• 1977: I Wish (Black Singles) - No. 1
• 1977: Sir Duke (Black Singles) - No. 1
• 1977: As (Adult Contemporary) - No. 24
• 1978: As (Pop Singles) - No. 36
• 1978: Knocks Me Off My Feet (Pop Singles) - No. 11
• 1978: Knocks Me Off My Feet (Black Singles) - No. 4

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1976	Billboard 200 (80 weeks)	1 (14 weeks)

External links

• [1] Audio streams: WBEZ program 'Extensions' broadcast a 3 hour special commemorating the album's 30th anniversary

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