Stevie Wonder is one of those artists that everybody knows. You’ve definitely heard his work, even if you know him just by ear and not by name. Here are a few songs that might help you get to know the musical icon on a more personal level. I present a few underrated hit records, from Songs In The Key Of Life to Innervisions.
“Contusion”
“Contusion” appears on Wonder’s album Songs In The Key Of Life but is often overlooked because it’s instrumental. The word “contusion” refers to a bruise caused by blunt trauma, but this song takes you headfirst into a funky jazz wonderland.
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“Be Cool, Be Calm (And Keep Yourself Together)”
This song appears as the fifth track on Wonder’s album Down To Earth, which came out in 1966. “Be Cool, Be Calm (And Keep Yourself Together)” presents the listener with a heartbroken Wonder, who is given a piece of advice from his mother after crying over a girl. Honestly, the lyrics serve as a good mantra for anyone who needs to keep their head up.
She said, “When things give up, be manly ‘nough
To be cool, calm, and keep yourself together.”
That’s what my mama said
“Be cool, calm, and keep yourself together.”
“Music Talk”
In “Music Talk”, Stevie Wonder explores how music is the universal language, the one thing that unites us all together. This song appears on his album Up-Tight, which also includes a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”. Wonder fell in love with music at a young age, which led him to a deal with Motown at 11. A true child prodigy, he was no stranger to the impact music makes on people’s lives. You know he meant these lyrics when he said:
“Yeah, ah, it’s just the music that pretty little music talkin’ to your soul / It can make you blue or make you feel so glad / Oh, it’s the best way of talkin’ that man has ever had /Everybody around the world sing with me now.”
“Golden Lady”
On Wonder’s album Innervisions, he gets political with songs like “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” and “Living for the City”, which won the Grammy for Best R&B Song. “Golden Lady” showcases a different side to the singer, in which he asks a woman he describes as his “dream come true” to take him to a heavenly place.
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