STEVIE WONDER;THIS SINGER’S TOP 50…25-1

- Related Stories
- STEVIE WONDERÂ Â First of all, let me qualify; there is no off...
- 50 of the Most Underrated, Obscure, ‘B’ SidesLong before I bought my first of many albums, tape...
- A View from the MikeA couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to check o...
 You’ve seen 50-26…here are my absolute best. Feel free to comment, this is all-inclusive. There is no shortage of favorites, so it makes for some interesting feedback. Keep this in mind; this is solely from my perspective, but I do know that some of these are some of your…favorite Stevie Wonder songs.
25-HIGHER GROUND-Played in the 2 bands I sing with, my own MDIII, and the Bernadettes, a high energy jam if there ever was one.
24-CREEPIN’-Sorry, Luther fans,the dreamy original is the shizit, with the late Minnie Riperton on background vocals.
23-OVERJOYED-A classic wedding song, but a damn good one.
22-LOVE’S IN NEED OF LOVE TODAY-Sang this with New York City based band Soul Nites, which featured vocalists like ex-Slave and Aurra lead Curt Jones, and Funkin’ For Jamaica co-creator Toni Smith. In need of more airplay.
21-LOVE’S LIGHT IN FLIGHT-An underrated gem, one that very few have dared to cover, agressive and funky, from the Woman In Red soundtrack.
20-ALL DAY SUCKER- The funkiest song on the Songs in the Key Of Life CD,hands down.
19-ANOTHER STAR-A great song, not easy to interpret, but I don’t do easy.
18-AS-Still waiting for the Bernadettes to dust this off, one of my good friend and devoted Stevie fan Kat Collins’ favorites.
17-ALL IN LOVE IS FAIR-Haven’t covered this in a minute, a classic lament on love from the Innervisions CD.
16-SMILE,PLEASE-A wonderfully-crafted song, if you don’t know,YouTube it. Love to sing it.
15-KNOCKS ME OFF MY FEET-Takes me back to my junior year in high school, a most familiar classic.
14-IT AIN’T NO USE-One of the saddest love songs I’ve ever heard, without sounding that way…check it out.
13-THANK YOU LOVE-Little Stevie in full effect, if you can find it, its a keeper.
12-GOLDEN LADY-An MDIII favorite that I dedicate to the ladies whenever I sing it.
11-TOO HIGH-Another MDIII song, a funky classic that so many sleep on, with an anti-drug message.
10-TEARS OF A CLOWN-Smokey Robinson sang it, Stevie co-wrote it, listen closely, musical DNA is all over this one.
9-YOU’VE GOT IT BAD GIRL- A song I don’t do enough of, on the games that females play, the hardtoget thing.
8-YOU HAVEN’T DONE NOTHIN’-1974, hoop camp, 9th grade, Wonder put the politicians on blast in this timeless tune.
7-I DON’T KNOW WHY I LOVE YOU-Was hip to the Jackson 5 remake first, but the more mature version won me over.
6-UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME-Aretha took it to the house, but Stevie wrote and recorder it first…check it.
5-SOMEDAY AT CHRISTMAS-Could sing this all year round, did it for the first time this past Xmas, deserves to be in anyone’s top 5.
4-I GOTTA HAVE A SONG-Music can get you through heartbreak, as the song suggests, from Signed,Sealed,DeliTvered. Will cover this soon.
3-IT’S A SHAME- A tough song, but I nail it, can never sing it enough, takes me back to summer camp as a 9 year old in 1970, powered by G.C. Cameron’s crazy vocal range.
2-MY CHERIE AMOUR-The soundtrack of my pre-teen years, and BLACKPOWER baseball writer Carl Eliott’s favorite…would be mine if not for…
1-SUPERWOMAN[WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU]-My all time number one, the two-part breakup song reflected on his breakup from the late Syreeta Wright, the great singer/songwriter. Always at the top of my list of Stevie songs to perform.
HONORABLE MENTION [Great songs that didn't make the cut]
MORE THAN A DREAM- Harmonica magic on this instrumental.
ALL I DO-Written in 1965, recorded in 1980.
I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH-Funky as hell, from 1985’s In Square Circle.
TRY JAH LOVE-Written for Third World, in 1982, became a big hit.
STRANGER ON THE SHORE OF LOVE- Love that’s new is’so promising, but becomes compromised by insecurities, a great song.
HEAVEN HELP US ALL- Can be sung in anyone’s church, on any given Sunday.
I AM SINGING-Sung in 4 languages, music is so universal.
YOU WILL KNOW-This song got me one of my first band gigs.
FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE- A favorite of so many, check out the duet with Tony Bennett on YouTube.
NEVER DREAMED YOU’D LEAVE IN SUMMER-A song of lost love yearning, and sadness, with the 4 seasons as a backdrop.
- Recommend this?
Email This
This story is filed under: Entertainment
Now on Black Power
-
A Guy Named LeonArts & CultureThe Plight of the Black Comedian It's Just Comedy. Or is it?
-
Arts & CultureEntertainmentAlice Smith is the best singer you’ve never heard of. Touré lets the secret out.
-
EntertainmentPop VulturesWu: The Story of Wu Tang Clan BET's Account of the Wu's Verbal Intercourse
-
PoliticsThe Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal A Black Power Book Review
- Barnes and Noble Store Window Features Obama Alongside Monkey Book *UPDATE*
- Two Arizona Female Teens Accused of Pimping Other Girls
- Please Don’t Be Black
- Farajii Muhammad Leads a New School of Leaders
- Who Really Killed Malcolm X? An Exclusive Interview with Khalil Islam Who Spent 22 Years in Prison for His Murder
- Shocking Numbers Show African American Community Flourishing During Recession
- Black Iraqis in Basra Face Racism
- Women by Design
- See Baby Discriminate. Can Babies Be Racist?
- I Just Don’t See Her in the White House
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/blackpower2008









JUST AS NICE!
> Brian Holmes
Good list – you’re missing some of my favorites (what happened to Secret Life?):
Livin’ for the City – Amazing masterpiece
Bird of Beauty – best kept secret
Secret Life of Plants – wow!
Send One your Love – Beautiful harmonic progression
Visions – Stevie’s peak era – check out the pregnant pause after “ending”
Village Ghetto – the contrast of the Baroque chamber music to describe a ghetto is off the charts brilliance!
Innervisions is my desert island disc. Possibly the greatest single recording of the 20th century.
> Pat
I finally took a minute to read your article which I’ve wanted to read from the minute I saw who is was about. The living legend – Stevie Wonder! “Living Legend”. I can’t disagree with your list because Stevie’s influence is infinite and timeless. I will say, I don’t care what style of music you love,listen to, perform or write, if you take a ride on the Stevie Wonder train you can’t go wrong. “Good morn or evening friends…”
> Don Mulvaney
Leave a Reply