The Wonder of Stevie - Introducing The Wonder of Stevie

Episode Date: September 12, 2024

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Ooh, listen to that! Y'all know this song. But have you heard it like this? I know you know this music. I know you know this music. I know you know Stevie Wonder. But do you really know Stevie Wonder's music? It's the days, girl. Come back for smoke. Why did those days, hey,

forever go? Cause I love them so. I'm Wesley Morris. I'm a critic at the New York Times. I write about popular culture and the relationship between the present and the past. And I'm just going to say it. I love Stevie Wonder.

We all love Stevie Wonder. But depending on when this guy came into your life, you may not know just how justified your love for this man truly is. Because when he was just 21 years old, he started what grew into one of the greatest streaks in popular music ever. Five albums in less than five years.

And they call those years Stevie Wonder's Classic Periods. It starts with Music of My Mind in 1972. Mmm, yeah. It starts with Music of My Mind in 1972. Then comes Talking Buck. Inner Visions. Fulfilling Mrs. First Finale. And finally in 1976, songs in the key of life. I'm not exaggerating when I say

this classic period shaped lives. These albums are your favorites' favorites. And I saw that when we're talking to people about Stevie, you hear this different side to folks that you thought you knew. People like Barack Obama. I loved Superstition, but I think it was songs like To No Monet. I was just like, this is not Stevie Wonder. Tuesday heartbreak. Janelle Monae. I was just like, this is not Stevie Wonder, as I know Stevie Wonder.

Smokey Robinson. One of the greatest things that ever happened was Stevie Wonder getting a chance to start doing his own music. Yolanda Adams. He was always talking about a higher dimension of your existence. Dionne Warwick. He can't do what Stevie does. Of course he's going to reject me. Michelle Obama.

As long as I was at my grandfather's house and I had control over the turntables, I was listening to Stevie. Babyface. The way he used those synths was talking directly to my emotions. Questlove. That album taught me to fantasize, how to vision a future. That album taught me to fantasize, how to vision a future. That album taught me to dream. We're going to explore the music, of course, that's understood, but we're also going to delight and reflect on the man, his talent,

and the world that made this classic period possible. And we're going to talk about how this man, Stevie Wonder, one of the greatest musicians ever to walk this planet, a man who sold so many millions of albums and won a mountain of Grammys and is practically a member of so many Black families. I want to talk about whether this artist

has gotten his full due. I mean, I'll say it again, Stevie being a free-ass motherfucker. From Pineapple Street Studios, Higher Ground Audio, and Audible, this is The Wonder of Stevie. Follow The Wonder of Stevie on Audible or wherever

you get your podcasts.