Songs in the Key of Life

Songs in the Key of Life
Stevie Wonder's studio album
Publication (s)	1976
Label (s)	Motown
Format (s)	LP, CD
Genre (s)	Funk , pop , soul
Title (number)	17 original double LP
running time	105: 04
occupation	Stevie Wonder: harmonica, keyboards, programming, vocals, drums Michael Sembello  : guitar Sneaky Pete Kleinow  : steel guitar George Benson  : guitar, vocals Ronnie Foster  : Organ Herbie Hancock  : keyboards, handclapping Dean Parks  : guitar Greg Phillinganes  : Keyboards WG Snuffy Walden  : Guitar Nathan Watts  : bass, vocals, handclapping Greg Brown: drums Raymond Lee Pounds: drums Hank Redd: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone George Bohanon  : Trumpet Ben Bridges: guitar Dorothy Ashby  : harp Bobbi Humphrey  : Flute Howard Buzzy Feiten: guitar Steve Madaio: Trumpet Trevor Lawrence: tenor saxophone Glenn Ferris  : Trumpet Jim Horn  : Saxophone Deniece Williams  : vocals Minnie Riperton  : vocals
production	Stevie Wonder
Studio (s)	Crystal Sound Studios, Hollywood
chronology Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) Songs in the Key of Life Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979)

Songs in the Key of Life ( English : Songs in the key of life ) is a music album by Stevie Wonder , which was released on Motown on September 28, 1976.

History of origin

It was the last album in a series of five albums that are considered the "classic period" of Wonder, along with Music of My Mind , Talking Book , Innervisions, and Fulfillingness' First Finale . It is a very ambitious album with 130 musicians and the best-selling in Wonder's career. Wonder wrote all the pieces himself, musically he was supported by renowned artists such as Mike Sembello, the then 19-year-old Gregory Phillinganes, George Benson and Herbie Hancock. The recordings for the album took two years to complete.

successes

Songs in the Key of Life won a Grammy for “Best Male Voice” and “Album of the Year”. The album was the first album in history to hit number 1 on the Billboard charts in its first week of sales and set another record by staying in the top 40 for 44 weeks.

Songs in the Key of Life is considered to be one of the best albums in pop history; it was voted best album of the year by The Village Voice ; In 2001 the TV station VH1 voted it 7th of the “Best Albums of All Time”; The Rolling Stone magazine chose it to number 57 of the top 500 albums. The People magazine described the double album as final confirmation of his overwhelming talent , Melody Maker called it one of the absolutely indispensable records of the year , a critic of the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote in 2010 of a definition of black (s) contemporary music ... that one by a black opus magnum can speak as there is no other in popular music of the 20th century, especially since Duke Ellington .

Album pieces

The original album was released as a double LP with a bonus record attached; in the CD edition, CD1 contains pages 1 and 2 and page 1 of the bonus record, and CD2 contains pages 3 and 4 and the Page 2 of the bonus record. With the CD edition from 2000: CD 1 with pages 1 and 2 of the original album, CD 2 with album pages 3 and 4 as well as bonus records pages 1 and 2.

page 1

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

Page 2

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

Page 3

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

page 4

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

Bonus plate page 1

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

Bonus plate page 2

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

Other participating musicians

• Singing:

Gary Byrd - Michael Wycoff - Jay Boy Adams - Henry America - Linda America - Baradras - Brenda Barnett - Khalif Bobatoon - Starshemah Bobatoon - Sudana Bobatoon - Berry Briges - Cecilia Brown - Jean Brown - Rodney Brown - Addie Cox - Agnideva Dasa - Duryodhana Guru Dasa - Jayasacinandana Dasa - Jitamrtyi Dasa - Vedavyasa Dasa - Cinmayi Dasi - Yogamaya Dasi - Carolyn Dennis - Bhakta Eddie - Doe Rani Edwards - Jacqueline F. English - Ethel Enoex - Al Jocko Fann - Barbara Fann - Melani Fann - Shelley Fann - Tracy Fann - Susie Fuzzell - Anthony Givens - Audrey Givens - Derrick Givens - Mildred Givens - Michael Lee Gray - Mimi Green - Susaye Greene Brown - Bhakta Gregory - Jeania Harris - Troy Harris - Terry Hendricks - Adrian Janes - Josie James - Calvin Johnson - Carol Johnson - Patricia Johnson - Madelaine Jones - Bhakta Kevin - Phillip Kimble - James Lambert - Irma Leslie - Kim Lewis - Carl Lockhart - Gail Lockhart - Carolyn Massenburg - Artice May - Charity McCrary - Linda McCrary-Camp bell - Lonnie Morgan - Kim Nixon - Lisa Nixon - Larri Nuckens - Gwen Perry - Gregory Rudd - Rukmini - Keith Slaughter - Rosona Starks - Dennis Swindell - Sundray Tucker - Gary Veney - Sheryl Walker - Mary Lee Whitney - Syreeta Wright - Michael Gray - Susaye Greene - William Moore - Linda Lawrence - Yolanda Simmons

• Bass:

Nathan Watts

• Drums:

Raymond Pounds (among others with " Sir Duke ") - Greg Brown (with "As")

• Percussion:

Carol Cole - Bobbye Hall - Nathan Alford, Jr. - Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Colleen Carleton - Renee Hardaway - Larry Latimer - Marietta Waters - Josette Valentino - Amale Mathews - Edna Orso - Shirley Brewer - Charles Brewer - John Fischbach - Nelson Hayes - Carmelo Garcia - Raymond Maldonado

• Programming, sound effects:

John Harris - Don Hunter - Larry Scott - John Harris

Cover versions

Various songs from "Songs in the Key of Life" were covered

"Love's In Need of Love Today"

later recorded by 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 on his song "Conversations" (2006).

"Contusion"

mixed with other songs on the Venetian Snares song "Banana Seat Girl" (2002).

"I Wish"

recorded by Will Smith with other text for Wild Wild West .

"Isn't She Lovely"

a UK top ten hit by David Parton (1977).

"Pastime Paradise"

recorded by Ray Barretto and recorded as " Gangsta's Paradise " by Coolio (1995), whose version in turn derided by Weird Al Yankovic as "Amish Paradise" (1996). It was also recorded by Patti Smith on her cover album Twelve (2007).

"Knocks Me Off My Feet"

recorded by Luther Vandross (1996) and by Donnell Jones (1996).

"Village Ghetto Land"

covered by George Michael and Warren G as "Ghetto Village"

"As"

recorded by Michael Bolton (2001), also as a successful duet by George Michael and Mary J. Blige (1998). Recorded in 1977 by jazz pianist Gene Harris on his album "Tone Tantrum", which was released on the Blue Note label.

"Another Star"

covered by Kathy Sledge and Salomé da Bahia (Outro Lugar)

"Sir Duke"

covered by Wise Guys on their album Haarige Zeiten .

Chart positions of the songs

• 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

Web links

• Album lyrics
• Review of Songs in the Key of Life at Rolling Stone
• Review in NYTimes
• Review at SWR
• Songs in the Key of Life at Allmusic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Review at discotheque
2. ↑ Review at Arte  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Classic Albums at Arte  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Levy, Joe (Ed.): Rolling Stone. The 500 best albums of all time . (Original edition: Rolling Stone. The 500 Greatest Albums of all Time . Wenner Media 2005). Translation: Karin Hofmann. Wiesbaden: White Star Verlag, 2011, p. 74
5. ↑ Review at Musicline ( Memento of the original from August 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ^ Review by Alexander Gorkow