As Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs In the Key of Life’ Turns 50, Musicians Reflect on Its Impact: ‘An Actual Gift to

É o maior disco já feito na minha vida," Meshell Ndegeocello diz à Billboard sobre o álbum.

• Alex Isley Songs In the Key of Life me moldou como estudante na UCLA, enquanto eu descobria a mim mesmo como artista. Isso influenciou minhas possibilidades como escritor e músico. Songs In the Key of Life é uma tapeçaria atemporal dos tecidos musicais mais ricos e do espectro de cores completo, uma verdadeira história de amor com mensagens urgentes para a humanidade, doce nostalgia, coração partido agonizante, as declarações mais belas e a documentação de simplesmente existir e viver. Este álbum é uma enciclopédia, um diário e um olhar microscópico sobre como a vida pode ser bela, triste e alegre. E se eu tiver que escolher um favorito, “Summer Soft”.
• Danielle Ponder I think this is one of those albums that I listen to when I think, “How do you talk about love, how do you talk about justice, how do you talk about these things in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or phony.” It’s just so real and authentic, and I think that’s the greatest thing about his writing. When I think of a song like “As” — which is the greatest love song ever written — it doesn’t have this sappiness to it. I don’t know how he does it. I don’t know how he writes such a deep love song, and at the same time, you feel like you can dance to it. But lyrically, its saying the deepest, most profound statements. This is one of the albums that I gravitate to, and I wish I could write like Stevie Wonder.
• Dawn Richard Songs In the Key of Life is one of those records that taught artists like me that you don’t have to choose between experimentation and soul. Stevie Wonder could move through gospel, funk, jazz, pop, R&B and social commentary without ever losing the humanity at the center of the music. The musicianship is extraordinary, but what stays with me is the freedom of it. As a New Orleans artist, I’ve always understood music as a conversation between cultures, rhythms, generations and genres. Stevie showed us how expansive Black music could be, that our stories could be technically ambitious, politically aware, joyful, spiritual, strange, beautiful and still reach everybody. Fifty years later, Songs In the Key of Life still feels like permission to be limitless. That kind of freedom has deeply influenced how I approach my own work.
• Fergal Lawler, The Cranberries Stevie Wonder’s Songs In the Key of Life was the album that introduced me to this wonderful and inspiring artist. I remember hearing “Sir Duke,” “I Wish” and “Isn’t She Lovely” on the radio constantly. Years later, I saw a video of Stevie performing a stunning drum solo and was blown away. I had known him as a singer, songwriter and pianist but hadn’t realized he was also “a beast” behind the drum kit! His positivity and integrity have always been at the forefront, and he has influenced many, many musicians and singers. This whole album is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago — a timeless masterpiece.
• George Benson We were friends, and then one day, he asked me to come to the studio where he was, and I accepted because I wanted to see what he was doing. I was very interested in seeing how he worked and what kind of equipment he used. So while I was there, I was listening to the songs for his new album … and he played me lots of songs and they were all masterpieces. But none of those songs got on that album. I was shocked that I didn’t see any of those wonderful titles on the final album, but I remember them like it was yesterday. But I was wondering what he had in mind for me. I was listening to all this music and loving all of it. Then he said, ‘I got a song, man, that I think you’ll like. I want you to sing on this for me.” I said, “I hope it ain’t no duet thing.” [Laughs] I didn’t want to try and mess this cat’s record up. But he played it for me and gave me quite an interesting part. I didn’t know I was going to be, but I knew it was going to be something different because he is a guy who thinks outside the box all the time anyway. And so I happened to get a good one, out of all those incredible songs that he had on that album. It wasn’t a big part, but it was interesting and joyful to listen to, and inspiring. Editor’s note: Benson appears on the track “Another Star.”.
• Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Digable Planets/Shabazz Palaces That dude is just a marvel, man. Back then, that was the vibe: You had to come with this comprehensive thing. It was rare, it was going to be released on a certain day. There wasn’t a deluge of albums of this nature to listen to. It was highly anticipated. So cats were going into the creation of it with that in mind: People are going to put this on and listen to it all the way through and get lost in the crescendos and the different sequencing of the record. That’s how you’d digest the thing back in those days. That run of albums Stevie had leading up to Songs In the Key of Life in addition to Songs were things that I would listen to over and over and over again. It must be in my chromosomes at this point in my life, like a part of me that I can’t even see. It’s hard to comprehend how deep this music goes for me. It’s guided my life, my romance, my creativity, playing music for girlfriends, sending friends mixtapes. Stevie, man. It just doesn’t get any deeper and wider than him.
• James Atkin, EMF Over 20 years ago, at a party at my house, I gave a girl a copy of Songs In the Key of Life. She told me that “As” was her favorite song of all time, but she didn’t own a copy of the album. Fast forward 20 years, and that girl became my wife. We’ve now been married for 20 years, have two grown-up boys, and that very same copy of Songs In the Key of Life has now been passed on to one of our sons. From a party at my house, to our family, and now to the next generation, Songs In the Key of Life has been part of our story for over two decades. It’s a truly special album that transcends time and generations.
• Jim James, My Morning Jacket Stevie Wonder is like the light of the sun — without his music and energy, we would all surely perish! I covered “Love’s In Need of Love Today” with The Sachal Ensemble back in 2016, and it was one of the most joyous songs I’ve ever enjoyed singing, as its light and power radiated through me, and arguably the greatest album opener of all time. I remember hearing “Isn’t She Lovely” at the store with my mom as a kid, and delighting in the joy of the love of family expressed in that song. I remember hearing “As” in my 20s and feeling so inspired by its divine architecture … it is still something I look up to and aspire towards, a landmark recording that has defined and become one of the main mirrors that reflects just what is possible when someone gathers a great community around themselves and holds nothing back. Songs In the Key of Life has always been there and will always be there for as long as humans roam the earth. We will need its healing messages of love, community, family and social consciousness.
• Joyce Wrice My dad loved Songs In the Key of Life, and thankfully, I grew up around a father and mother who love soul music and had great years for timeless music that will deeply move you, and it’s very unique and distinct. So thankfully, my parents introduced me to Stevie Wonder. Especially with the world being so discouraging, I like to start my day with some positivity and encouragement — something meditative and therapeutic. And from the voice to the lyrics to the message, Songs In the Key of Life is at the top of my playlist.
• Kiefer, Fathers Being a keyboard player, Stevie Wonder is really special as a composer, as a songwriter, as an arranger, as a producer. He’s probably the most multi-hyphenated talented musicmaker there’s been. One of the things that he represents is a holistic, all-encompassing mastery of Black music, whether its soul, funk, jazz — his jazz harmony is respected at the highest level — and hitting on all categories: the rhythm, the harmony, the melody. And I think if Stevie Wonder is one of the most holistic, well-rounded artists of all time, this is his most well-rounded album. You have stuff that is more pop-sensible; you got “Contusion,” which sounds like some early Return to Forever B-side, and then you have “As,” which has Herbie [Hancock] on it. And then the topics range from political to romantic to cosmic — he’s just hitting on every possible subject as well. So it’s a super, all-encompassing album, which, as the title suggests, was the goal.
• Lenny Kaye, The Patti Smith Group When I listen to Songs In the Key of Life, I don’t feel the individual songs so much as this entire world that it creates when you enter into it. It’s a remarkable achievement, especially coming on the heels of those incredible four albums that preceded it. And of course, with Stevie going through that horrible car accident right after Innervisions, it’s almost like he found a certain sense of resurrection. I have to say if I only had Talking Book or Fulfillingness’ First Finale, I would have been happy. But then to have this double album emerge from this man’s consciousness, the breadth of the amount of music it contains, the sense of resurrection it seems to offer to the listener, it really is quite stunning.
• Meshell Ndegeocello Just the title [of the album] alone is so thought-provoking and gives a clear intention that definitely changed how I listen to music. I was always a big fan. It’s funny, I think early in my career, I was always excited about Prince, but let’s talk about why the beginning of Songs In the Key of Life is probably where Prince got the introduction for his first album, For You. Think about that a cappella beginning harmony — it just brings you into a vocal state of mind, a certain sort of mental clarity. Let’s talk about how Songs in the Key of Life opened up my mind to the music of Africa, South America and the structures that occupy European classical music — it was so different and exciting. It’s a life-changing album in terms of what you’re exposed to, emotionally and spiritually. I could go song by song, but I’ll just start there: It is the blueprint for my understanding of the concept album, more so than any other. People probably cite David Bowie, but as a person of color, I have to say that’s my first true concept record. Songs In the Key of Life is also one of the records that gave cohesion to my life, in the sense that it was popular R&B music, yet, you know, “Have a Talk With God” — it was still something. My mother enjoyed it as well, so it was something that brought unity to the household listening experience, especially being a person of color. And it’s my favorite Herbie Hancock experience, it has Michael Sembello, it has some of the greatest arrangements ever conceived — it shows profound orchestration craft. I could go on forever. I realized it’s on Songs in the Key of Life that you first experience TONTO, during “Village Ghetto Land.” The strings and the sounds Stevie Wonder brings to life, he becomes his own orchestra — pretty incredible. And the classical overtones — that was a first for me on an R&B album. Also, “Black Man” — that was like a history lesson. It was so life-affirming, again, being a person of color. Life is a life-changing experience in song. I think it’s the greatest record ever made. I’ll say it. That can be my quote: Songs in the Key of Life is the greatest record ever made. .. It’s the greatest, it is the North Star, it is Saturn. It is transcendent. It’s just an endless exchange of positivity, love, musical excellence, songwriting excellence. It’s the greatest record ever made in my lifetime.
• Robert Glasper When I was younger, I appreciated it musically. But as I got older, I understood on a deeper level things that Stevie was writing about as a grown person with kids. “Love’s In Need of Love Today,” I’ve always heard that my whole life. But now that you see what is going on in the world today, you really realize that love is in need of love on so many levels. I’ve only played that song one time in my life, and it was in 2012 the day of the Sandy Hook shootings. The Sandy Hook shootings happened in the morning, and I just so happened to have a Stevie Wonder tribute that I was doing with my band that night. We ended up at soundcheck adding “Love’s In Need of Love Today” because of the shooting. And at the time, my son was 4 years old, and he was in the front row of the concert. When I looked at him when he started playing it, I couldn’t stop crying. I could barely play it. Also, my friend Jimmy Greene, his daughter Ana, she was killed in that. And, man, that song hit me so hard — and when you hear what Stevie is saying, mixed with what was going on that day, it totally hits you different. Especially when you’re a grown person who has gone through stuff. That song, in particular, hits so different for me since playing it that night.
• Rufus Wainwright Songs in the Key of Life é essencialmente sobre o poder eterno do amor. Que mensagem precisamos agora, talvez mais do que nunca.
• Samara Joy My first introduction to SITKOL was “Knocks Me Off My Feet” in middle school. My mom is the biggest Stevie fan and she shared her love of his music with me. This album means so much to so many people, and it’s a reminder for artists to, first and foremost, make music that you love and believe in. Fifty years later, that message still holds true.
• Saul Williams Imagine a contemporary “R&B” album without a drop of braggadocio, not an ounce of “Black Capitalism,” nothing but concern for humanity, a celebration of life that centers neither the party nor the listener as consumer — an unapologetic Blackness that makes no attempt to appeal to a “demographic” rather purely to the heart of the matter (and a heart that goes well beyond romantic love, that is steeped in a love of his people, their history and their future). It almost feels that these are the songs Stevie catches himself singing as he’s putting fresh dirt in pots and tending to sprouting seeds, like literally working in his garden. Songs In the Key of Life is a walk through wisdom. Like many life-changing albums, it is an actual gift to humanity. That we are so far removed, so filled with racial capitalist collusion and delusion that contemporary music itself pays the cost and drags us deeper into its commodified trap is depressing AF — what I mean is SITKOL is a touchstone that clarifies the mess we have become (as is evidenced by our taste).
• Tank, Tank and the Bangas Ele era tão jovem quando fez este álbum. Eu não conseguia imaginar fazer tanta mudança na idade dele com um álbum como Songs In the Key of Life. Ele me influenciou muito, especialmente na minha voz. Se alguém me perguntar quem são meus artistas favoritos, Stevie está sempre, sempre, sempre no topo. Só a forma como ele escreve e como ele teria tantos temas que tocaria. Eu não faço isso de propósito, mas não sou o tipo de cantor que canta apenas sobre amor. Há muitos cantores que cantam apenas sobre relacionamentos. Mas nós tocamos em muito mais, assim como Songs faz com músicas como “As,” “Village Ghetto Land,” “Sir Duke” e “Love’s In Need of Love Today.” Eu gosto que ele sempre escrevesse sobre coisas diferentes do mundo ao seu redor. Eu gosto que Stevie seja esse tipo de escritor. E “As,” eu não conheço ninguém que possa escrever uma música assim.
• Tracy Bonham I was 9 years old when Songs In the Key of Life came out and I convinced my mother to let me have a turntable in my bedroom so I could play this album on repeat and sing along with Stevie’s beautiful voice. It might be surprising to some, but Stevie became my first vocal coach as I absorbed his tone and timbre and rich harmonies and tried to emulate his inflections and vibrato at the end of his notes. I grew up in Eugene, Ore., studying European classical music, but this album took me to a different dimension where I could travel in my mind. Eugene in the 1970s was not Detroit in the 1970s and, with the sounds and images that Stevie projected, I was transported to a world where darkness and light could exist at the same time. Pain and joy could exist. He showed me the underbelly of humanity with stories of racism and bigotry while expressing his love for all humanity. This was an education that I would never have gotten from any school. Not from my family. Not from my teachers. My ability to see darkness and know that it only exists because there is an absence of light, an absence of love, is because of Stevie and this beautiful album. It has been my desert island album my entire life. Meeting Stevie has always been on my bucket list and, when I attended the Grammys in 1997, I had the pleasure of meeting him. I tried to describe to him the way I was feeling in his presence with tears rolling down my face. He just pulled me close, held my hand, and said, “Stop your damn crying.”.
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Adam Weiner, Low Cut Connie Sabemos do gênio melódico de Stevie, de sua genialidade vocal e de sua maestria no estúdio, mas vamos falar do gênio de Stevie em termos de encontrar alegria e amor entre a dor e o trauma da vida.

Neste álbum, ruminações melancólicas sobre opressão e violência na América moderna, como “Village Ghetto Land” e “Pastime Paradise”, ficam confortavelmente ao lado de peças exultantes como “I Wish” e “If It’s Magic”.

O álbum explora uma gama tão ampla de sentimentos e é autêntico e relacionável em cada curva. É uma das representações musicais mais completas e profundas do que significa ser humano neste planeta dia após dia — literalmente é uma coleção de Canções na Chave da Vida.

Darryl Jenifer, Bad Brains, este álbum, Songs In the Key of Life, tem uma presença que foi revolucionária na música gravada. Por algum motivo, parecia diferente, como quando há uma resolução diferente na TV.

Eu sentia algo forte sobre isso, mas naquela época, quando eu era jovem, eu curti coisas como Return to Forever e Led Zeppelin. Mas eu sempre soube que havia algo especial em Stevie e, em particular, neste álbum.

Agora isso foi em 1976 e Stevie já era um pouco mais velho do que quando eu o ouvi pela primeira vez, e você pode perceber que ele tem sido influenciado por Donny Hathaway.

Ele é cego, então todas as energias subliminares, sublimais e cósmicas que acompanham uma pessoa sem visão, ele está absorvendo essas vibrações. E isso entrou neste disco, que é um disco perfeito.

Não há nada sonoramente, ritmicamente, estilisticamente imperfeito nesta gravação. Em muitos aspectos, também. Há diversidade … e o trabalho de baixo de Stevie é subestimado.

Baixo de sintetizador de mão esquerda, improvisando nas linhas de baixo e abordagens que ele escolheu, foi genial. E sua bateria. Este é um orbe de energia espiritual positiva, este disco.

Eu sei disso. Eu podia sentir, e estou profundamente envolvido na música como um cara não estudado.

Bridget Barkan, Scissor Sisters Ouvi este álbum de Stevie como meditação e oração há anos. Cada música é um hino e verdadeiramente uma consciência musical que busco.

Para criar canções como “Love’s In Need of Love Today”, “Have a Talk With God”, “Summer Soft” e “As”, não há dúvida de que Stevie teve muitas conversas com Deus para escrever assim.

Essas músicas me curaram repetidas vezes. Ele é o padrão para mim — a honestidade lírica, a prosa, o calor musical e a orquestração imprevisível, e a mensagem e o amor em cada nota.

Fishbone “Se existem sete maravilhas do mundo, então Steveland Morris é, sem dúvida, a oitava. Songs In the Key of Life é um disco que floresce como uma flor rara, passa pelas estrelas como o mais raro dos cometas e aterrissa como um beija‑pássaro, delicadamente extraindo o néctar da invenção.

A cada sabor, ele se desdobra em uma compreensão mais profunda da experiência humana. “Joy Inside My Tears”, “Pastime Paradise” e “Summer Soft” revelam camada após camada de perfeição.

Mas nenhuma música fala mais profundamente à minha alma do que “If It’s Magic”. Ela faz algumas das maiores perguntas já postadas ao espírito humano. Ela clama, chamando-nos para uma maior compreensão e lembrando-nos do mistério e da beleza que nos cercam.

Ele teve um efeito positivo na forma como canto soul, que é a base de todos os gêneros que compõem a música do Fishbone. Minha música favorita do álbum é ‘Joy Inside My Tears’.

Eu sempre gostei da linha descendente do verso e da resolução curta ascendente. O refrão tem um intro elevado e a resolução da prancha de descanso.” — Angelo Moore.

Gregg Alexander, New Radicals Eu tinha 6 anos quando ouvi pela primeira vez “Sir Duke”, e essa é a minha música favorita deste disco. Era uma época em que ainda havia uma monocultura, onde, não importava onde você fosse, você ouvia a mesma coisa.

Eu crescia em Detroit quando aquela música estava na rádio, e minha mãe adorava especificamente “Sir Duke” e a tocava em alto volume, cantando junto sempre que era reproduzida.

Há tantas coisas fascinantes sobre essa canção. Liricamente, trata do poder da música, e em termos sonoros, esses metais fazem você sentir que está na sala com eles.

Quando escuto hoje, é surpreendente para mim o quão verdadeiramente musical ela é.

Quando *Songs In the Key of Life* saiu, eu estava no ensino médio, no nono e décimo ano. E, como aquele disco continha tantas músicas radio‑friendly, eu sentia que ia para a escola com esse álbum.

Pode ter havido faixas mais profundas que eu não ouvi na época, mas, sendo um ávido ouvinte de rádio FM — que eu era com meu pequeno rádio de relógio que usava para levantar de manhã — eu passei grande parte da minha juventude adolescente até a formatura ouvindo Stevie Wonder, porque *Songs In the Key of Life* continuava no topo das paradas da Billboard; nunca saiu porque é tão bom.

Existem artistas que ficam sempre com você e se tornam parte do seu DNA, porque os sucessos continuam chegando. Esse é Stevie Wonder para mim. À medida que envelheci, ouvi músicas e álbuns diferentes, e, como adulto, percebi que ele é tão brilhante quanto qualquer músico que já existiu: Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder.

Lalah Hathaway Muitas vezes agora, se estou conversando com alguém mais jovem do que eu, eu pergunto se eles têm *Songs in the Key of Life*. E eles respondem: “Oh, isso saiu antes de eu nascer.” Isso é a razão deles não explorarem música, porque a música que eles têm agora os prende em um trecho de dois minutos, 250‑Hz (explosão) através dos fones de ouvido no telefone que eles não têm compromisso de ouvir para sempre.

Isso é um animal totalmente diferente de ouvir *Songs in the Key of Life*, que exigiu uma avaliação totalmente diferente de como as pessoas criam música. E é por isso que é tão importante; é como um livro que toda criança deveria ler.

Isso me ensinou muito sobre matemática e linguagem e inglês e poesia e justiça social. Há tantas coisas que eu gostaria que nossos filhos agora tivessem tempo para se envolver.

Richie Kotzen, Smith/Kotzen Songs In the Key of Life mostrou-me que grande habilidade musical e grande composição não precisam existir em mundos separados. Você pode ter músicos incríveis, harmonia profunda e arranjos sofisticados e ainda assim fazer música que se conecta imediatamente com as pessoas.

Esse provavelmente é o maior caminho pelo qual a música de Stevie entrou no meu sistema e permaneceu lá.

Rico Nasty, eu loooooove Songs In the Key of Life porque há tanta liberdade nele… você pode ir de uma música como “Sir Duke” para “Village Ghetto Land” e são dois mundos completamente diferentes, mas tudo ainda parece Stevie, e eu sempre me conectei com esse tipo de liberdade, apenas fazendo o que parece bom e não se colocar em uma caixa.

Sango, crescendo em Michigan, Stevie Wonder sempre foi um pilar. Este álbum é um pilar fundamental da cultura negra americana e ainda mais — uma pedra angular musical americana.

Está claro como o dia no título do álbum. Stevie se afastou para fazer as pessoas perceberem que a própria vida vale a pena ser vivida, e essas são as músicas que lembram você disso.

Pessoas negras passaram por tudo na história da América, e só se obtém esse tipo de profundidade de alguém que vivenciou tanta história. Stevie sempre esteve envolvido com cada geração quando se trata de música, e ele tocou a todos.

Que este álbum não seja uma Estrela do Norte em nossa cultura é criminoso. É um dos pilares finais da música soul e da música negra como um todo.

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Enquanto a Wonder se prepara para embarcar em uma turnê nacional e apresentar Songs In the Key of Life em sua totalidade em comemoração ao 50º aniversário, a Billboard conversou com inúmeros artistas de todos os cantos do dial de rádio proverbial para compartilhar suas opiniões sobre o álbum e seu impacto em suas vidas.

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