Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is a landmark album by
Stevie Wonder, released on
September 28,
1976 (see
1976 in music). A highly ambitious and experimental double LP,
Songs in the Key of Life became one of the best-selling albums of his career.
Songs in the Key of Life won a Grammy Award for Pop Male Vocal and Album of the Year. The album also topped Billboard's Pop Albums and Black Albums charts.
Track listing
- Love's in Need of Love Today (Wonder) - 7:05
- Have a Talk With God (Hardaway/Wonder) - 2:42
- Village Ghetto Land (Byrd/Wonder) - 3:25
- Contusion (Wonder) - 6:23
- Sir Duke (Wonder) - 3:45
- I Wish (Wonder) - 3:54
- Knocks Me off My Feet (Wonder) - 4:12
- Pastime Paradise (Wonder) - 3:36
- Summer Soft (Wonder) - 3:27
- Ordinary Pain (Wonder) - 4:14
- Isn't She Lovely (Wonder) - 6:34
- Joy Inside My Tears (Wonder) - 6:29
- Black Man (Byrd/Wonder) - 8:29
- Ngiculela-Es Una Historia-I Am Singing (Wonder) - 3:48
- If It's Magic (Wonder) - 3:12
- As (Wonder) - 7:08
- Another Star (Wonder) - 8:28
- Saturn (Sembello/Wonder) - 4:53
- Ebony Eyes (Wonder) - 4:08
- All Day Sucker (Wonder) - 5:05
- Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call) (Wonder) - 3:56
Personnel
- Greg Brown - Drums
- Deniece Williams - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Minnie Riperton - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Dorothy Ashby - Harp
- George Benson - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Vocals
- Ronnie Foster - Organ
- Herbie Hancock - Keyboards, Handclapping
- Bobbi Humphrey - Flute
- Gary Byrd - Vocals
- Michael Wycoff - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Larry Scott - Sound Effects
- Michael Sembello - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
- Carol Cole - Percussion
- Bobbye Hall - Percussion
- Tony Warren - Illustrations
- Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel
- Jay Boy Adams - Vocals
- Nathan Alford, Jr. - Percussion
- Henry America - Vocals
- Linda America - Vocals
- Baradras - Vocals
- Brenda Barnett - Vocals
- Andrew Berliner - Mastering
- Khalif Bobatoon - Vocals
- Starshemah Bobatoon - Vocals
- Sudana Bobatoon - Vocals
- George Bohannon - Trombone
- Charles Brewer - Percussion, Programming, Vocals (bckgr)
- Shirley Brewer - Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
- Ben Bridges - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Sitar
- Berry Briges - Vocals
- Cecilia Brown - Vocals
- Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Percussion
- Jean Brown - Vocals
- Rodney Brown - Vocals
- Colleen Carleton - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
- Addie Cox - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Agnideva Dasa - Vocals
- Duryodhana Guru Dasa - Vocals
- Jayasacinandana Dasa - Vocals
- Jitamrtyi Dasa - Vocals
- Vedavyasa Dasa - Vocals
- Cinmayi Dasi - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Yogamaya Dasi - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Carolyn Dennis - Vocals (bckgr)
- Bhakta Eddie - Vocals
- Doe Rani Edwards - Vocals
- Jacqueline F. English - Vocals
- Ethel Enoex - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Al Jocko Fann - Vocals
- Barbara Fann - Vocals
- Melani Fann - Vocals
- Shelley Fann - Vocals
- Tracy Fann - Vocals
- Howard Buzzy Feiten - Guitar
- Glen Ferris - Trombone
- John Fischbach - Percussion, Programming, Vocals (bckgr), Engineer
- Susie Fuzzell - Vocals
- Carmelo Garcia - Percussion, Timbales
- Anthony Givens - Vocals
- Audrey Givens - Vocals
- Derrick Givens - Vocals
- Mildred Givens - Vocals
- Michael Lee Gray - Vocals
- Mimi Green - Vocals
- Susaye Greene Brown - Vocals
- Bhakta Gregory - Vocals
- Renee Hardaway - Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- John Harris - Sound Effects
- Jeania Harris - Vocals
- John Harris - Programming
- Troy Harris - Vocals
- Nelson Hayes - Percussion, Sound Effects, Vocals (bckgr)
- Terry Hendricks - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Bruce Hensal - Assistant Engineer
- David Henson - Vocals, Handclapping
- Jim Horn - Saxophone
- Don Hunter - Programming, Sound Effects
- Adrian Janes - Vocals
- Josie James - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Calvin Johnson - Vocals
- Carol Johnson - Vocals
- Patricia Johnson - Vocals
- Madelaine Jones - Vocals
- Bhakta Kevin - Vocals
- Phillip Kimble - Vocals
- James Lambert - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Larry Latimer - Percussion, Vocals
- Lynda Laurence - Vocals
- Linda Lawrence - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Trevor Lawrence - Saxophone, Sax (Tenor)
- Irma Leslie - Vocals
- Kim Lewis - Vocals
- Howie Lindeman - Assistant Engineer
- Carl Lockhart - Vocals
- Gail Lockhart - Vocals
- Steve Madaio - Trumpet
- Raymond Maldonado - Percussion, Trumpet
- Carolyn Massenburg - Vocals
- Amale Mathews - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
- Artice May - Vocals
- Charity McCrary - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Linda McCrary-Campbell - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Linda McCrary - Vocals
- Lonnie Morgan - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Kim Nixon - Vocals
- Lisa Nixon - Vocals
- Larri Nuckens - Vocals
- Gary Olazabal - Engineer
- Edna Orso - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
- Dean Parks - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
- Gwen Perry - Vocals
- Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
- Raymond Lee Pounds - Drums
- Hank Redd - Saxophone, Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
- Gregory Rudd - Vocals
- Rukmini - Vocals
- Yolanda Simmons - Vocals, Handclapping
- Keith Slaughter - Vocals
- Rosona Starks - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Dennis Swindell - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Sundray Tucker - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Josette Valentino - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr), Handclapping
- Gary Veney - Vocals
- W.G. "Snuffy" Walden - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
- Sheryl Walker - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Marietta Waters - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
- Nathan Lamar Watts - Bass, Percussion, Vocals
- Mary Lee Whitney - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Stevie Wonder - Harmonica, Arranger, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals, Producer
- Syreeta Wright - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Rick Smith - Assistant Engineer
- Ray Pound - Drums
- Michael Gray - Vocals
- Chris Morris - Assistant Engineer
- Jeff Sanders - Mastering
- Susaye Greene - Vocals
- Nathan Watts - Bass, Vocals (bckgr), Handclapping
- William Moore - Vocals
- Greg Brown - Drums
- Rick Smith - Assistant Engineer
- Fountain Jones - Programming
Remakes
- Pastime Paradise - Later recorded, with different lyrics, as "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio in 1995
- Love's In Need of Love - Later recorded by Dave Hollister in 2002
- Knocks Me Off My Feet - Later recorded by Luther Vandross in 1996
- As - Later recorded by Michael Bolton in 2001
- Another Star - Latered recorded by Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul in 2002
Charting singles
1976 Another Star Club Play Singles No. 2
1977 Sir Duke Adult Contemporary No. 3
1977 Another Star Pop Singles No. 32
1977 I Wish Pop Singles No. 1
1977 Sir Duke Pop Singles No. 1
1977 Another Star Black Singles No. 18
1977 As Black Singles No. 36
1977 I Wish Black Singles No. 1
1977 Sir Duke Black Singles No. 1
1978 As Pop Singles No. 36
