Music & Nightlife
8 7 6
‘Higher Ground’ Such is the quasi-spiritual status of the man born
Stevland Morris that this explosively shuffly song about
‘You Met Your Match’ Shout out to the pre-’70s, pre-synth Stevie, who could
seemingly slam down a floor-filing funk masterpiece – in
the classic ’60s Motown mould – on an almost daily basis. From 1968, this is Stevie in a super-flirty, super-funky mood.
‘Love Light in Flight’ Some Wonder lovers might think it sacrilege to choose
a song written for ‘The Woman in Red’ – an ill-received
1984 comedy starring Gene Wilder. But it’s a prime example of Stevie crossing over into the bleepy, drum machine-aided ’80s with trademark style.
reincarnation was written just before he was involved in a near- fatal car accident. Thank the Lord he survived.
Stevie Wonder songs 5
Eight great... Get ready for Stevie’s Hyde Park show with this countdown of classics
‘Happier Than the Morning Sun’ Tucked away on the second side of his often-overlooked
1972 album ‘Music of My Mind’, this beatless ballad is not
only heart-melting in its emphatic romanticism, it’s also a great display of his virtuosity: dig the way he slows the tempo right down to a playful sway for the last verse. Oh Stevie, you genius.
4 3 2 1
‘Do I Do’ Insanely fiddly and complicated horn arrangements:
check. Melody so joyful it could heal the world: check.
Groove that’s able to keep you glued to a floor for over ten minutes (the length of the LP version of this 1982 classic): check, check and check!
‘Living for the City’ Never knowingly unambitious, Wonder attempts to
encapsulate the black American experience in just one
song. And of course, not only does he nail it lyrically, he evokes the significance of the subject with operatic flourishes and a demanding, foot-stomping groove.
‘Superstition’ It’s an obvious choice. If you feel like the inherent
genius of this 1972 hit may have been chipped away via
overexposure at weddings, then listen to Todd Terje’s masterful edit of ‘Superstition’ and marvel at the swing in those drums, the squelch in that bass and the command in Stevie’s voice.
‘I Wish’ Given that Stevie’s coming to Hyde Park this week to play
all of his seminal album ‘Songs in the Key of Life’, it’s only
fair to stick one of the album’s standouts at Number One. A combination of childhood-evoking lyrics and a mesmerisingly clever bass groove make it the quintessential Stevie track. Surely the only song in history that can withstand getting sampled by Will Smithand covered by Celine Dion. n
à Stevie Wonder plays all of ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ at British Summer Time, Sun Jul 10.
Time Out London July 5 – 11 2016
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