Music Diary Songs of Note: Stevie Wonder – Genius

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If you grew up watching Eddie Murphy and Jo Piscopo parody Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra, or have only seen recent performances by Wonder in which he looks almost like a self-parody of what Murphy was doing, you probably don’t ‘get’ why so many call Stevie Wonder one of the great geniuses of modern popular music.

When you look back at the period from the early and middle 1970s in particular, his compositions – songs like You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Higher Ground, Superstition, My Cherie Amour, Signed-Sealed-Delivered, and the entire albums Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life remain major milestones in popular music. Wonder created songs that were musically interesting as well as catchy, with great melodies and significant lyrics.

This live performance was recorded in the wake of Innervisions, featuring many songs from that album. This video isn’t just a song … it is a full half-hour live ‘concert’ from 1974 on the German TV show Musikladen/Beat Club! Here is the set list:

1. Jam
2. Contusion
3. Higher Ground
4. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing
5. I Can See The Sun In Late December
6. He’s Misstra Know-It-All
7. Living For The City
8. Superstition

So go ahead and check out this amazing show by one of the truly legendary figures in popular music.

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!

1 Comment on "Music Diary Songs of Note: Stevie Wonder – Genius"

  1. My Dad–a white guy from Connecticut, and a naval officer–*loved* Stevie Wonder. When I was old enough to understand music a little bit and was listening to “Innervisions”, I asked my Dad what he thought of Wonder. “Oh, he’s *good*,” my Dad said. (Which for a stoic New Englander was saying a *lot*.) Just a testament to Wonder’s wide appeal.

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