rockofallages81-tvgda

On August 5, 1975, Stevie Wonder signed a recording deal with Motown that was the biggest in history at the time. This was a seven-year, seven-album deal that granted Stevie full artistic control. Not counting compilation albums, it actually took Stevie sixteen years to release seven albums – four studio albums and three soundtracks – under Motown and its Tamla division. The first of those seven was his magnum opus, Songs In The Key Of Life, released in September 1976.
If you’re wondering (hehe) why Stevie was getting played on rock stations, it’s because he’s Stevie Freaking Wonder, that’s why. Personally, I like 1973’s Innervisions more, but Songs In The Key Of Life is still the undisputed peak of Stevie’s career. The album hit #1 in the U.S., as well as Canada and The Netherlands. It was the third album ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200. Since the first two albums were both by Sir Elton John, Stevie was the first American artist to achieve the feat. Furthermore, “I Wish” and “Sir Duke” were #1 hits on both the Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart.
But is the album actually that good? Before I answer that, I should tell you that original copies of the album included a bonus four-song EP called A Something’s Extra. If you look for the album on streaming, it is only available with the four songs attached. I should also tell you that my parents and I saw Stevie Wonder on an anniversary tour for the album. His band was great, he had India Arie with him, it was a hell of a time. I liked the show, but my mom didn’t because Stevie famously talks a lot. However, neither of those two things change the fact that I’m typically not a fan of long albums. It might make sense in a concert setting, where you can do an entire show of songs from just one album. But I value my time. When I’m sitting at home with an album, and there is even one second that I feel is being wasted, I will be checking how much time is left.
I’m not saying Songs In The Key Of Life does that. It would’ve been very sad if the album had any filler tracks after the two whole years Stevie spent working on it. But there are multiple songs on the album that run over six minutes in length. A few even pass seven and eight minutes. All I’m saying is that the album would not have lost anything if a minute or three was trimmed off of certain songs. Ultimately, though, it isn’t a dealbreaker. Songs In The Key Of Life is still a hell of a record… although the part in “Black Man” where they praise Cesar Chavez has not aged well.