With the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday coming up this Monday, I think it's only right that we show our appreciation for Stevie Wonder's song "Happy Birthday".

This song was recorded in 1980 and Stevie did all he could to make Dr. King's birthday a national holiday. I was only in the eighth grade but I can remember watching the news and seeing Stevie arrested for picketing or something. Does anyone have any details on that?

Usually when songs are done for a good cause, they are usually slow wishy washy songs that aren't really that great. Not only was "Happy Birthday" for a good cause but it was also a jam.

This song is extra special to me this year because of the good thing that is happening in my state right now. I'm from Mississippi and it looks like Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen's time has finally come. He is 79 years old and is the accused killer of three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman, in 1964. He may finally be convicted for these killings and I think that is just wonderful. Just to show what type of person he is, here is an excerpt from yesterday's "The Clarion Ledger" newspaper in Jackson, MS:

When a sniper assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1968, at a Memphis motel, FBI agents fanned across the nation, searching for clues and suspects.

They arrived at the doorstep of Edgar Allen Killen on the edge of Neshoba County. He refused to speak with agents, but after some time passed, he called back, wanting to know who killed King. "Why do you want to know?" the agent asked.

"Man, I just want to shake his hand," Killen replied.

As I said before, with this man finally facing charges, this is why this song and holiday means so much to me this year. If he is convicted, I'm going to start another thread urging everyone to write Ms. Grace Jones and have her to perform "Pull up to the bumper in your long black limousine" for the inmates at Parchman State Prison.
[Edited 1/14/05 7:06am]

vainandy said:

Eggs-xaaactly! Maudlin crap. "Happy Birthday" is a gem. Thank you Dr. MLK, Jr. Thanks Stevie.
[Edited 1/14/05 7:13am]

I love this song. If this song doesnt uplift your spirit, nothing will!
Happy birthday Martin Luther King, Jr.

You guys should also check out the inside sleeve of Stevie's "Hotter Than July" album. One whole side is nothing but pictures of the civil rights movement. Stevie gave it his all that year.

vainandy said:

No details, but Stevie was pretty much known to go to marches even at the chagrin of Berry Gordy during Stevie's heyday.

I have mixed feelings about this song. I think for me, it marks the end of stevie's prime and the beginning of his descent into excessive sentimentality and over-dependance on synthesizers. It's catchy, but it's a little too sugary, even for stevie, and lyrically it's almost embarassing.

I think "Hotter Than July" is Stevie's last great album, unless you count "Original Musicquarium's" new tracks but the rest of it was greatest hits so I don't really count it as an album.

Lyrically embarrassing??? Pffft.

vainandy said:

That's what I think too, although I like his later albums, just not as much as his 70s run.