POLLTIME PARADISE: ILM Artist Poll #9 Results -- Stevie Wonder

Maybe the most directly aimed at an individual. "Big Brother" seems a lot more overall political.

Hey, kornrulez, that was yours truly--I see I am in fine company myself!

Yes! It should have been everybody's favorite.

But when you say they're voting wrong, they tell you they know they're voting right.

Still hoping "You Will Know" will place

If you haven't heard the bootleg of SW at the Rainbow Room, NYC in 1973, it's unsurprisingly incredible
http://bootlegsfrombucklberry.blogspot.com/2009/03/stevie-wonder-new-york-1973.html

...Sir Duke... I've had the tune stuck in my head forever, but never actually found out what it was until this poll (I'd been 99% sure it was Stevie, I'd just never pinned it down before).

Ditto, but for Master Blaster

11. HE'S MISSTRA KNOW IT ALL (Innervisions, 1973) -- 317 points, 13 votes, 2 #1 votes
12. YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' (Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974) -- 278 points, 17 votes
13. I BELIEVE (WHEN I FALL IN LOVE IT WILL BE FOREVER) (Talking Book, 1972) -- 274 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 vote
14. IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME (Where I'm Coming From, 1971) -- 268 points, 13 votes, 2 #1 votes
15. I WAS MADE TO LOVE HER (I Was Made To Love Her, 1967) -- 254 points, 15 votes
16. SUPERWOMAN (WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU) (Music Of My Mind, 1972) -- 247 points, 13 votes
17. WE CAN WORK IT OUT (Signed, Sealed & Delivered, 1970) -- 231 points, 12 votes, 1 #1 vote
18. CREEPIN' (Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974) -- 225 points, 14 votes
19. MY CHERIE AMOUR (My Cherie Amour, 1968) -- 221 points, 11 votes
20. THE TEARS OF A CLOWN (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Make It Happen, 1967) -- 216 points, 10 votes
21. BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN (Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974) -- 204 points, 13 votes
22. VISIONS (Innervisions, 1973) -- 204 points, 9 votes
23. DO I DO (Original Musiquarium, 1982) -- 190 points, 10 votes, 1 #1 vote
24. ANOTHER STAR (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 185 points, 7 votes
25. MASTER BLASTER (JAMMIN') (Hotter Than July, 1980) -- 181 points, 8 votes
26. HEAVEN IS 10 ZILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY (Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974) -- 174 points, 9 votes, 1 #1 vote
27. YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE (Talking Book, 1972) -- 170 points, 11 votes
28. TOO HIGH (Innervisions, 1973) -- 167 points, 14 votes
29. LOVE'S IN NEED OF LOVE TODAY (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 155 points, 7 votes, 1 #1 vote
30. JESUS CHILDREN OF AMERICA (Innervisions, 1973) -- 148 points, 9 votes
31. LOVE HAVING YOU AROUND (Music of My Mind, 1972) -- 140 points, 7 votes
32. BIG BROTHER (Talking Book, 1972) -- 140 points, 6 votes
33. IT'S A SHAME (The Spinners, 2nd Time Around, 1970) -- 137 points, 6 votes
34. PASTTIME PARADISE (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 135 points, 9 votes
35. (tie) UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME (Aretha Franklin, Let Me in Your Life, 1973) -- 131 points, 7 votes
35. (tie) BLAME IT ON THE SUN (Talking Book,, 1972) -- 131 points, 7 votes
37. SUMMER SOFT (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 128 points, 9 votes, 1 #1 vote
38. FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE (For Once in My Life, 1968) -- 111 points, 9 votes
39. ALL IN LOVE IS FAIR (Innervisions, 1973) -- 103 points, 7 votes
40. ORDINARY PAIN (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 100 points, 8 votes

Is "You Haven't Done Nothin'" Stevie's most openly political song?

― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, October 10, 2011 4:15 PM (2 hours ago) Book

"Skeletons" too.

"It's Wrong (Apartheid)"
"Livin' for the City"
"Higher Ground"

Also, "Happy Birthday" and "Cash in Your Face."

Also: I'm gay, so every love song is political.

More like sci-fi to me. A solid match with the Clavinet lines.

Was out golfing, so missed today's countdown...I think four of my top five showed up today.

Alright. Last 10 coming your way momentarily.

I was having a think about this last night and could only name six nailed-ons for the top ten.

Oops, just noticed an error. "Misstra Know It All" got 316 points. Which only matters in that ...

10. I WISH (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 317 points, 18 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi-BUgf8Ohw

Don't all jump in with comment at once.

One of the problems with discovering a whole body of work at once is having to remind yourself what half of these things are. I didn't vote for this. Turns out I didn't vote for a lot of things I'd thought I'd cast for.

I always remembered the middle verse as:

"..writing something nasty on the wall (you nasty boy..)
You grow up and learn that it's not the thing to do
but while you were doing it, boy did it feel good?
I wish those days...."

Then I heard it again and realised I'd remembered an English version, and not the original American version!

^ OTM

Nice autobiographical lyrics - his childhood was pretty hard (just reading about his mother's first husband gives you the chills). I like this observation:

"Tryin' your best to bring the water to your eyes
Thinkin' it might stop her from woopin' your behind"

I also have to take a look at that Classic Albums episode - looks cool!

(The 'OTM' was for Ismael.)

Oh, and speaking of the lyrics, that line break in

Why did those days ev-
er have to go

is UGLY.

The biggest problem with that VH1 special is that the story behind the making of the album ... isn't really all that interesting.

09. SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED I'M YOURS (Signed, Sealed & Delivered, 1970) -- 318 points, 17 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbPHu8T5lQ

XP I guess they don't interview Margouleff and Cecil, who don't have a lot of good words for the album, or its production, in the biography I read.

Man, that would've been a great get.

There are times when I really love the sound of SITKOL, tho. I kind of like the claustrophobic, cramped mix on "Another Star."

Cecil has a great quote in that book, something about how Stevie didn't know how to program a synthesizer and only used factory presets on SitKoL.

Sadly, the remainder of his career would tend to confirm that claim.

Haha, right.

For those few lost souls who don't recognize the greatness of the early singles, here's the original version for archival purposes. And because it ROCKS of course!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inXC_lab-34

You don't know how close I came to posting Michael McDonald's "Signed, Sealed."

08. DON'T YOU WORRY 'BOUT A THING (Innervisions, 1973) -- 337 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 vote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zywDiFdxopU

I speak VERY FLUENT SPANISH

I can actually lip sync to that whole bit now.

Craigery Morgan : Kristen Wiig characters on SNL :: Me : Stevie Wonder

07. HIGHER GROUND (Innervisions, 1973) -- 366 points, 16 votes, 1 #1 vote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCPjeOPjH5Y

So I guess we can safely say all of Innervisions will place?

i voted for 7/9 of them. i approve.

Now, that one would have been my Number One. Except maybe for.... (soon come, I guess)

06. GOLDEN LADY (Innervisions, 1973) -- 368 points, 16 votes, 2 #1 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTX2Db6naaU

Good job, ILX voters. This one bobbed in and out of the top 10 for awhile. Then it began bobbing in and out of the top 5 before settling just outside. <3 all those who voted for it.

Bleh, more album filler :)

I think you're kidding. But then again, you didn't vote for it.

And I hold anyone who doesn't vote for this in suspicion.

I think it was pretty clear from the start that our tastes are not very alike ('Summer Soft'??). And I didn't vote for it because I think it's the worst song on Innervision.

I love the bass and piano at the beginning. Like a lot of Stevie's songs from this period, it could go anywhere.

I'm learning that other people rate Stevie's non-funk stuff way higher than I do

Cecil has a great quote in that book, something about how Stevie didn't know how to program a synthesizer and only used factory presets on SitKoL.

― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:37 AM (1 hour ago)

Sadly, the remainder of his career would tend to confirm that claim.

― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:39 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

But were there such things as factory presets on analog synths in 1976?

Eric H OTM. My first thought (which I think I've posted elsewhere) when I heard "I Just Called..." was, "Oh, he wrote a song around the 'demo' button on a Casio." My second was that he must've thought, "Hey, I don't have to play the drums anymore! This keyboard plays them for me!"

XP - If by "non-funk stuff" you mean his ballads, that's about 2/3 of his output - even on his greatest albums - right there. And if you don't love at least a few of Stevie's ballads...well I don't mean to judge, but gosh. I feel sorry for your ears.

"Higher Ground" = my #1. Surprised "Golden Lady" did slightly better, but I voted for that too.

Great top 10 so far.

I think it was pretty clear from the start that our tastes are not very alike

Um, you voted in a Stevie Wonder poll. They can't be THAT far off.

My favorite poll so far.