Music review: Stevie Wonder
I Wake up to Stevie Wonder. Walking to class, more Stevie Wonder. Going to bed, yup, Stevie Wonder.
At any point during the day, I can listen to Stevie Wonder’s “Fulfillingness’ First Finale” album and feel utter joy inside.
If my day has taken a turn for the worst, I play this album to cheer myself up and whistle to the melody. I’ve never enjoyed an entire album as much as I do this Stevie Wonder classic.
When I first heard this album, I was incredibly surprised when I realized I had listened to the whole CD without changing the song once. After I heard “Fulfillingness’ First Finale,” I explored other Stevie Wonder songs and quickly decided he was my all time favorite artist. I listened to such an array of Stevie Wonder songs my dad didn’t even recognize a few I played.
My father and I play, ‘”If you were stuck on an island and had to pick five artists who would they be?” quite a lot and each time Stevie Wonder never fails to be in my top choices.
“Please Don’t Go” is my favorite song off the album. My father and I have marked it ‘our song,’ maybe because the feeling and melody of the song can turn my mood completely around.
When this album was released in 1974, it hit the top pop charts and remained there for an impressive two week time period. Later in the year the album was nominated for album of the year and led to a Grammy. Amazingly, Wonder was signed to Motown records at the age of 7, despite being fully blind since shortly after birth. I’m still in disbelief that someone who hasn’t seen the world can write such meaningful and colorful music.
Throughout this album, Wonder plays all the instruments in every song and also wrote every song himself. The talent he shows compared to singers now is unbelievable. This is my favorite album for more reasons than just the music. It’s rare that you like each and every song an artist produces. I encourage anyone to listen to this album, hopefully others enjoy it like I have and continue to do daily.
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