I don't think there is anything I can say that would do Stevie Wonder's music justice. Quite simply, the man is a zenith of sorts. I could go on and on about his songwriting skills or incredible musical talent but I'd rather just tell you how his songs affect This Bug. When I was twenty, Innervisons became the soundtrack to my life. I rediscovered Stevie amid discovering myself- and I've never been the same since. Walk with me...
I'm too high
I'm too high
But I ain't touched the sky.
Too High: There was a time in my life when I smoked entirely too much marijuana. It started when I was in high school and didn't wind down until my mid-twenties. At the start of this song, he describes a girl that was not unlike myself. Granted, I never tried "hard" drugs but my world was a superficial paradise. It was all I had to escape from a reality of not being allowed to become who I wanted. I took another puff and observed that it was a crazy scene. By the time I stopped smoking weed- I was truly blessed that it all didn't get to me at last.
Or do we have to find our wings and fly away
To the vision in our mind?
Visions: In a time when the world made such little sense to me; I relied on Stevie's insight. He saw exactly what it was- and what it should have been. There was always a part of me that knew I had to become the change I wanted to see in the world. This song brought that vision gently into focus and knew I had to begin with myself.
He's almost dead from breathing on air pollution
He tried to vote but to him there's no solution.
Living For the City: My father was and still is a very hardworking man. Anyone who rises at 4:30 a.m. to end his day at 7:00 p.m. is no slouch by any stretch of the imagination. I remember hearing this song and feeling all of that struggle surround me. There were no silver spoons in any of our mouths. In fact, for most of my childhood it was hand-to-mouth although I didn't really know it until I got older. I heard inside Stevie's voice of sorrow and understood that better tomorrow my father was always working towards for all of us.
Looking at your hands
Hands can understand...
Golden Lady: The promise of true love is so much deeper than the premise of it. I recall listening to this and wondering, "Can someone really feel that way... about me someday?" The lyrics are full of adoration and for the first time in my young life I realized I was a queen worthy of the same poetic praise Stevie lavished on some woman out there. He convinced me. I was a Golden Lady. It was just up to the right person to see that shining through my tough Cancerian shell. All things in time.
Powers keep on lyin'.
While your people keep on dyin'.
Higher Ground: The news had me twisted for a while. So much was going on that upset me and I felt powerless to help in so many ways. But Stevie pointed out that world will continue to turn- so I just do what I do and then some. What I was not going to do was just keep sleeping. I had higher ground to climb to- and for that I had to be on my feet with my eyes open. There was no other way.
Are you hearing
What He's saying ?
Are you feeling
What you're praying ?
Jesus Children Of America: At a time when I was going through a significant spiritual shift, this song resounded with me on so many levels. By the time I was old enough to decide, I stopped going to the Roman Catholic church I confusedly attended as a youngster. My parents respected my viewpoint and fell back. I was searching for something more than kneeling, sitting, standing and confessing to a middle man. In my eyes, penance could not be given to me by someone who was just as human and flawed as myself on any given
This tune made me question just where my faith lied and partly thanks to it; I've never regretted my eventual decisions.
When all is put away
the losing side I'll play.
All In Love Is Fair: Love and loss is part of everyone's lives and no one told it better than Stevie. Many nights this song accompanied my glass of wine which I poured tears into. I'd lay awake on my back, unable to roll over for the planet of regret that rested heavily on my chest. I too tossed my coin in hopes that love would last forever. It is by far one of the hardest lessons everyone has to learn. Stevie's pain was my own. A writer takes his pen to write the words again- and I did also.
Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
But you're the only one to see
The changes you take yourself through
Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing: If there was ever a song to assuage all that I was going through- it was this. It brought me closer to the idea that everything would be alright. Whenever I felt put through the wringer- I reminded myself that given the circumstances it was all Chevere. I was also lucky enough to have someone special standing on the side when I checked it all out.
If you tell him he's livin' fast
He will say what do you know?
If you had my kind of cash
You'd have more than one place to go...
He's Misstra Know-It-All: At the expense of throwing him under the bus, this one always reminded me of my brother. He is not my blood brother. We are not related, but you can't tell either one of us that. While I was doing my own soul-searching, he was going through many changes as well. With a job in the entertainment industry, he was fast acquainted with all that comes along with such a high profile. His talk of parties and celebrities worried me to death. He was speeding and you couldn't tell him nothing. I wanted him to remain grounded but barely knew how to do that for myself. Thank God (and Stevie) that he eventually saw the forest for the trees. I'm so glad we didn't lose him to such an avaricious lifestyle.
Author's Note: This post was inspired by a kick ass party thrown in honor of Stevie Wonder's birth that I recently attended. It was inspired even more so by receiving this album on vinyl from someone very close to my heart. It would have been nice for them to be there. I feel about as blessed to know them as I do about experiencing Stevie's music. Just plain wonderful. I can only hope that they will both know it someday.
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