34. Stevie Wonder, "Innervisions"

 


Released less than a year after Talking Book, this album has about three absolute first-ballot all time classic songs, "Higher Ground," "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing," and "Living For the City."  The last of these is the remarkable and heartbreaking tale of a man "born in hard time Mississippi" who leaves for New York City where he is immediately thrown in jail and then, when released, lives as a homeless person on the streets.  It's a sad and all too familiar story of racism and unfairness that Womder pairs with a melody that's catchy as hell.

"Higher Ground" is a funk masterpiece, bubbling with Wonder's synth and his exhortations to "Teachers keep on teaching/Preachers keep on preaching/World keep on turning/'Cause it won't be too long."  The song was famously covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who, I must begrudgingly admit, did a pretty good job.  

"Don't You Worry Bout a Thing" has a distinctly Spanish feel and an absolutely magnificent vocal melody, especially in the verse, where it winds and weaves it way up and down, inexorably drawing you in.  Wonder's always been a genius at the vocal melody, and this is one of his best examples.  (Wonder says it was inspired by meeting a Puerto Rican girl named "Rain" in a record store and she said "Todo 'stá bien chévere" - roughly "everything's gonna be great" - and he used it.)

Other songs take a more introspective and moody tone.  "Visions" is one of the more free-jazz influenced tracks, with a vision of an ideal society that seemed like a pipe dream then and still does.  I don't love the song, to be honest.  "Jesus Children of America" has more of a groove, building slowly as it poses questions about religious belief in general and Christianity in particular:

(Tell me!)
Tell me holy
(Holy roller)
Holy roller
(Are you standing)
Are you standing
(Like a soldier)
Like a soldier ?
(Well)
Are you standing for everything you talk about ?
(Holy roller)

As with most of the songs on the album, Wonder played every instrument on this remarkable track, a feat that's hard for most accomplished musicians who can see.  "He's Misstra Know-It-All" is a catchy pop song that is rumored to be about Richard Nixon, who seems almost benign compared to the horrors we've been subjected to lately.

So I'm about 50/50 with this album.  I obviously realize its huge importance and why it's regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, but only about half the tracks hit for me.  That said, it's worth it just for "Higher Ground" and "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing" alone.

Is this album in my personal Top 100? No.

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