Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

Image courtesy of Motown Records (via ABC News Radio)

One of Stevie Wonder 's most celebrated albums, Songs in the Key of Life , turns 40 years old on Wednesday.

The 18th album from the decorated artist was released by Motown Records in 1976 and features some of Wonder's most memorable tracks, including "I Wish," "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke."

In October 1976, Songs in the Key of Life shot to number one on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 82 weeks on the chart.

The album won two Grammy Awards in 1977 -- one for Album of the Year and another for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Songs in the Key of Life was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2005. In 2014 and 2015, Wonder showcased the album during a popular North American tour.

One of my all time favorites. I must have played it hundreds of times on my turntable..now it's on my iPhone..Love Stevie Wonder!

JabarR74 said:

Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

Wednesday, September 28, 2016 7 a.m. EDT

Image courtesy of Motown Records (via ABC News Radio)

One of Stevie Wonder 's most celebrated albums, Songs in the Key of Life , turns 40 years old on Wednesday.

The 18th album from the decorated artist was released by Motown Records in 1976 and features some of Wonder's most memorable tracks, including "I Wish," "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke."

In October 1976, Songs in the Key of Life shot to number one on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 82 weeks on the chart.

The album won two Grammy Awards in 1977 -- one for Album of the Year and another for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Songs in the Key of Life was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2005. In 2014 and 2015, Wonder showcased the album during a popular North American tour.

It's truly an all-time great album, the peak of what is likely the greatest run in the history of rock music.

sticky

ldmendes said:

One of my all time favorites. I must have played it hundreds of times on my turntable..now it's on my iPhone..Love Stevie Wonder!

It was a real thrill to get to see Stevie perform this album in it's entirety. In my top favorite albums of all time.

Please could someone make a review song by song. It's a good album, not his best album, and sure not my favorite from him, that tiles will go to Innervisions. Having said that, i love As, one of his greatest and most beautiful songs.

When this came out..you had to listen to the whole album..flip it over and listen to the other side and flip it back. So many favorites. I think it was the first double album I ever bought. When I saw Stevie in concert..people cried..myself included..I'm gonna go listen to it right now

Love in need today

Have a talk with god

Village ghetto land

Contusion

Sir duke

I wish

Knocks me off my feet

Summer soft

Ordinary pain

Isn’t she lovely

Joy inside my tears

Black man

Ngiculela

If its magic

As

Another star

Ebony eyes

All Day Sucker

ldmendes said:

When this came out..you had to listen to the whole album..flip it over and listen to the other side and flip it back. So many favorites. I think it was the first double album I ever bought. When I saw Stevie in concert..people cried..myself included..I'm gonna go listen to it right now

Love in need today

Have a talk with god

Village ghetto land

Contusion

Sir duke

I wish

Knocks me off my feet

Summer soft

Ordinary pain

Isn’t she lovely

Joy inside my tears

Black man

Ngiculela

If its magic

As

Another star

Ebony eyes

All Day Sucker

I had it on 8-track.

Superstition said:

This album has been amazing me non-stop. My favorite thing about this album is the comparison between two songs: Joy Inside My Tears and Another Star. Joy Inside My Tears sounds like a a sad, melancholy song, but it actually is a very positive song with happy lyrics. Another Star sounds like a happy, Latin-infused song, but it's actually about a sad loner who's lover left him and he doesn't think he'll get over it. I love the video doc where Stevie said 'As' was originally a country-tinged song like I Ain't Gonna Stand For It. Truly a brilliant album. I wish (no pun intended) Stevie would release some more stuff. There is a LOT of unreleased demos, complete songs, compositions and maybe full albums out there. Some of his early demos make his later realeses sound like remakes. I heard an early demo of Cryin' Through The Night, and unlike the version that appeared on Characters, this sounds like a Donny Hathaway song.

Really a contry song? wow how it would sound, to me that's the masterpiece in the album.

214 said:

Superstition said:

This album has been amazing me non-stop. My favorite thing about this album is the comparison between two songs: Joy Inside My Tears and Another Star. Joy Inside My Tears sounds like a a sad, melancholy song, but it actually is a very positive song with happy lyrics. Another Star sounds like a happy, Latin-infused song, but it's actually about a sad loner who's lover left him and he doesn't think he'll get over it. I love the video doc where Stevie said 'As' was originally a country-tinged song like I Ain't Gonna Stand For It. Truly a brilliant album. I wish (no pun intended) Stevie would release some more stuff. There is a LOT of unreleased demos, complete songs, compositions and maybe full albums out there. Some of his early demos make his later realeses sound like remakes. I heard an early demo of Cryin' Through The Night, and unlike the version that appeared on Characters, this sounds like a Donny Hathaway song.

Really a contry song? wow how it would sound, to me that's the masterpiece in the album.

It actually made it to a subsequent album, Hotter Than July, released around 1980, I think. It would make a perfect country song.

namepeace said:

214 said:

Really a contry song? wow how it would sound, to me that's the masterpiece in the album.

It actually made it to a subsequent album, Hotter Than July, released around 1980, I think. It would make a perfect country song.

Not, As was in SITKOL actually it was a single.

Speaking of As, check out this cover of it

214 said:

namepeace said:

It actually made it to a subsequent album, Hotter Than July, released around 1980, I think. It would make a perfect country song.

Not, As was in SITKOL actually it was a single.

Actually, I was talking about "Ain't Gonna Stand For It."

I remember standing in the ran waiting for the record store to open to buy this album.

It's my absolute favorite album of all time This album is sheer brilliance.40 years later,these songs still sound fresh,vital and truly inspired! I honestly can't even pick a favorite song from this album because there's so many highlights here.

My husband and I went to the SITKOL show in Philadelphia on October 7, 2015. It was my first time seeing Stevie in concert and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Stevie is my favorite artist of all time. He had a great live band, members of the Philadelphia orchestra performed, and he had several excellent background singers. It was fantastic!

It's not a perfect album, but it's a classic, to me his best album is Innervisions or Talkin Book.

I know so many people who went for this tour last year but I couldn't make it. It's full of classics, ones that have been sampled and often imitated but never duplicated.

DarylB said:

I still hope a Dvd comes out from the tour and I mean soon!

It would be great, but why does he commemorate this album's anniversary and not the other albums.

214 said:

It's not a perfect album, but it's a classic, to me his best album is Innervisions or Talkin Book.

SITKOL is a classic, but I think that Innervisions is probably his greatest album. "Living for the City" is the greatest song he ever made, in my opinion. It's not my personal favorite, although I love it, but it's such a monumental track in every way--lyrics, sound effects, vocals, instruments, and social commentary. "Too High" and "All in Love Is Fair" are also incredible tracks that would be career-defining tracks for most other artists. But Stevie is Stevie, so these are outstanding tracks among an enourmous catalogue that has many outstanding tracks.

--

Personally, Talking Book is my favorite, but Talking Book has very sentimental value to me. I have listened to it since I was a little girl. I can remember playing it in the tape deck of the black stereo in my childhood home. I know the words to all of the songs. I bought a copy of the CD either in high school or early in my college years. I just love the album in every way.

Just yesterday i listen the whole Songs and i have to say after a second orthird thought, it really is a great album, i used to despite songs like Joy, Ebony Eyes and All Day but yesterday i realized how great they actually are.

[Edited 10/12/16 15:44pm]