Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life

Where do I even begin! 21 songs that span almost one and a half hours, Songs In The Key Of Life is Stevie Wonder’s magnum opus. It is widely recognized as one of the most influential and acclaimed albums of all time. Released in September of 1976, the project earned Stevie Wonder Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance- Male at the 19^th Annual Grammy awards. A staple of immaculate production, this album has been named a personal favorite of artists Elton John, Prince and Will Jones. 

Songs In The Key Of Life is highlighted funk hits Sir Duke a tribute to jazz icon Duke Ellington) and I Wish (cheery childhood memories set to a killer funk beat). Stevie shows hos spirituality on tracks such as Love's In Need Of Love Today and Have A Talk With God while Afrocentric tunes such as Black Man, Village Ghetto Land, and Pastime Paradise served to reassure his black fan base that his  crossover into popular music culture had not made him forget his Saginaw, Michigan roots. My favorite song off the album, and possibly my favorite song ever written is As. To me, this song really speaks to the theme of the whole album. It really helped (presently helping) me in my grieving of family I lost this past year. The second verse of the song goes as follows: 

Did you know that true love asks for nothing
Her acceptance is the way we pay
Did you know that life has given love a guarantee
To last through forever and another day
Just as time knew to move on since the beginning
And the seasons know exactly when to change
Just as kindness knows no shame
Know through all your joy and pain
That I'll be loving you always

The joys and pains of life are inevitable and unavoidable. I’m living today but I could die tomorrow. So how could anything I do be eternal, when I myself am not eternal? The love that I leave behind in the form of memories, is eternal.