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

Yeah, my first tiebreaker was # of votes.

oh shiiii another song i love and didn't know to vote for

― Ravaging Rick Rude (a hoy hoy), Friday, October 7, 2011 1:05 PM (2 minutes ago)

My first tiebreaker would've been if there were any #1 votes attached, but as it shook out, none of the ties involved #1's.

So, yeah, I'm gonna let more votes = higher position.

I just kept mine as ties fwiw.

In the last one, I really had no choice.

32. BIG BROTHER (Talking Book, 1972) -- 140 points, 6 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqGvwGz7B6g

OK, I promise to stop posting weird videos of cute/awkward boys dancing to Stevie Wonder. Maybe.

31. LOVE HAVING YOU AROUND (Music of My Mind, 1972) -- 140 points, 7 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so9_Vb5yY4k

I could have chosen any of the first four songs, but opted for Love Having You Around on the strength of Stevie's growly "baby, baby, bayby", followed by him doing the same thing through a vocoder. I LOVE that bit.
― Stew, Tuesday, August 19, 2008 8:02 AM (3 years ago)

Last five will have to wait for about an hour now. Work beckons.

I discovered 'Big Brother' just after I sent in my ballot - it would have been top 10 for me if the deadline had been extended just two more days...

hmmm dont rly care for big brother. love lhya though and voted for it p high iirc

damn. BIOTS, UYCBTM and It's A Shame are all too low. all three are on a short list of his greatest contributions to mankind

The most annoying thing about this poll has been the recognition of so many songs by their samples, instead of the original tunes. This one for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSU73awbZUw

can't think of too many Stevie samples tbh, besides the two already mentioned (and the brief vocal snippet in Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos). Kinda assumed Stevie was largely anti-sampling

Shakey, surely you've heard the "I Can't Help It" sample in De La's "Breakadawn."

actually, Stevie has supported hip-hop from the beginning.

Wild Wild West?

Shakey, surely you've heard the "I Can't Help It" sample in De La's "Breakadawn."

thought this was a Michael Jackson song - is Stevie on it?

he wrote it, right?

apparently - this is news to me. altho I guess I really shouldn't be surprised whenever an MJ song turns out to not be written by MJ lol

but let's not derail this thread with that discussion...

He cowrote it.

he = Stevie

Here are some more (ex)samples.

Rocket Love seems a p big one imo.

Oasis - "Step Out"

btw lol at calling this a "sample"

Wild Wild West?

I'll try not to reveal much about the results here, but I will say that "WWW" got (at least) 1 vote.

Wild Wild West?

thankfully I have never heard this song

the Will Smith one that samples "I Wish"

30. JESUS CHILDREN OF AMERICA (Innervisions, 1973) -- 148 points, 9 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM4wvq8MtHA

best songs that mention jesus

"Jesus children of America" by Stevie Wonder and "They aint makin' Jews like Jesus anymore" by Kinky Freidman
― Michael Bourke, Wednesday, March 7, 2001 7:00 PM (10 years ago)

yeah I know I looked it up. Will Smith is an abomination.

JCOA is p dope

"Jesus Children of America" is probably the quintessential Stevie deep cut.

Love the tone in his voice in the verse after the key change so much.

29. LOVE'S IN NEED OF LOVE TODAY (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 155 points, 7 votes, 1 #1 vote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euc7Yu7-O3Y

POLL IN THE KEY OF LIFE

My vote went to "Another Star," though if you'd asked me in fall 2001 it would have been "Love's in Need of Love Today."
― Joseph McCombs, Friday, December 14, 2007 11:09 PM (3 years ago)

I'll say it. I think "Love's In Need" is maybe one of the weakest opening salvos of any classic album ever.

Love "Love's in need of Love", my #2. It's incredibly soothing. The vocals are beautiful (and endlessly varying). I can remember one day in particular, wrung out and overtired, when I had it on repeat and couldn't listen to anything else.

28. TOO HIGH (Innervisions, 1973) -- 167 points, 14 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ODRdRYRso

Love's in Need of Love Today is one of his stupidest titles unfortunately

Too High more like TOO LOW

Too LOL

Too High more like TOO LOW

― unorthodox economic revenge (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 7 October 2011 20:39 (38 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

has stevie ever acknowledged/discussed any personal drug use...?

He said no after his stint opening for the Stones.

27. YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE (Talking Book, 1972) -- 170 points, 11 lurker votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOwAJ9JJTes

You are the sunshine of my life. The first and only love. You are the apple of my eye. You suck my blood. And I hate you more than life itself.
― marilyn manson

Ah c'mon, it's a good song. Didn't vote for it, though.

I'm cool with the original LP version. The Musiquarium version with the horns added, tho, is excruciating.

If I had to choose between "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "My Love"--think they were probably on the radio at the same time--it'd be close. I don't hate either one, but neither do they retain any special nostalgic value for me, as they didn't register very strongly at the time.

Deeply nostalgic song for me, no matter how saccharine. Early childhood in the mid-to-late 70s sounded so much like this, and like classic album era Stevie in general. I guess Sesame Street had more than one song in this style?

...or at least with Big Brother style clear harmonica?

26. HEAVEN IS 10 ZILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY (Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974) -- 174 points, 9 votes, 1 #1 vote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIE6unjkXmc