Speaker 1: 0:41

Welcome back to another Super Awesome Mix. My name is Matt Siddholm, alongside my co-host and co-founder of Super Awesome Mix, sam Abusalbi. Sam, how are we doing this week? Doing real well. How are you Doing great? Doing great.

Speaker 1: 0:55

This week we've got another one of our intro mixes when we just kind of focus on one artist and we are going to focus on Stevie Wonder and this is my intro mix. So I'm going to intro all, or you're going to intro all the songs and I'm going to talk about each one. But let me give you a little bit of a bio. Stevie Wonder that's not his God-given name, it is Stevlin Hardaway Judkins and he was born in saginaw, michigan, in 1950, still alive today, age of 75 and, in spite of the internet rumors, he is and has always been blind. Okay, there is if you, you could do a deep dive on stevie wonder not being blind, but he is actually blind Signed to Motown at age 11.

Speaker 1: 1:40

Barry Gordy, the famous Motown producer, calling him Little Stevie Wonder and later the word little was dropped from that and he just became known as Stevie Wonder. He topped the Billboard 100 in 1963 at just age 13, which is still the record for the youngest to achieve that mark. He won Grammy Album of the Year with three straight album releases in the 1970s, so that's the only artist to ever do that. So that's not three consecutive years, it's just every time he released an album like three straight times they won Grammy Album of the.

Speaker 2: 2:12

Year which is incredible.

Speaker 1: 2:15

His biggest commercial hits probably occurred in the 1980s, um, I mean, I've only got 12 songs here, which was really hard because he has 26 studio albums, um, and and a bunch of them come out in like the 60s and 70s. So this was really hard to get down to 12 songs because, trust me, if you do a deep dive into stevie wonder, you'll find you know, you know a ton of his music. But, sam, how familiar were you prior to getting this mix?

Speaker 2: 2:44

I. I would say I was like 75 familiar with with this mix. It was really good. I think you did also an excellent job with the shift in sound which we'll get to um, because that's something that actually never occurred to me. I was telling my wife about that, that I think I was more familiar with the front half of this mix, the A side, if you will, and then less familiar funny enough with his stuff in the 80s. I had heard it, but I guess I never connected the dot that I was listening to Stevie Wonder, because it just sounds different.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, it's definitely got a very different tone to it, both in subject and sound, I think.

Speaker 2: 3:18

Yeah, yeah, no, but it's an excellent mix. I really enjoyed it. It's also, if you are worried about time, only 46 minutes long Like this is great.

Speaker 1: 3:26

Short songs. Short songs so short, it's incredible.

Speaker 2: 3:32

I think music did like a full thing right, like they started short, they got really freaking long and now they're like here's a 57 second song and you're like okay, like well, what's the minimum on spotify?

Speaker 1: 3:44

isn't it 30 seconds to like kind of have a song that? I would think so on spotify yeah, I think that's the shortest possible song you could sort of upload yourself.

Speaker 2: 3:54

Yeah we're gonna get there. It's just the tiktokification, I think, is what's happening.

Speaker 1: 3:58

It is, yeah, you're just not listening to the whole thing.

Speaker 2: 4:01

Yeah, all right with that, though let's get into this mix and I'm going to kick off every song. As Matt mentioned, I'm not going to repeat his name, so you'll just have to follow along that Stevie Wonder each time, and we're going to start off with Uptight parentheses. Everything's All Right.

Speaker 1: 4:19

All right, this one is from 1966. You can do the math. He was just 16 years old. The album was called Uptight. People know this song. I mean it hit the top five at the time.

Speaker 1: 4:34

But I feel like it's been used in so many movies and TV shows that just even if you didn't know stevie wonder, I feel like you would recognize the song when it came out. Um, this, I think, is just indicative of just his whole catalog and that his sound just makes you feel good, right, like it's just such a, there's such joy in his music and that's, I think, what I probably love the most about it. And he sings about love and in this way, like he sings about it, you know, in this way and this is kind of a recurring theme that he's kind of like not worthy of whoever. This partner is right, which is kind of cool, kind of different. You know he's not necessarily like a supplicant to it it, but it's also just like he's he's definitely sort of thankful that this person is in his life. It's really interesting.

Speaker 1: 5:24

Um, but you know, like lyrically poor man's son from across the railroad tracks only shirt I own is painted on my back, and so there was also this sort of rich poor thing that he gets into a lot in in a number of his songs. Now he's been married three times so there's probably a few people that'll tell you that he gets into a lot in in a number of his songs. Now he's been married three times so there's probably a few people that'll tell you that he doesn't carry this, this great love, over into his personal life. But he certainly sings about it in an amazing way right?

Speaker 2: 5:49

no, I think. Um, I I agree with everything you're saying in terms of like it's just uh, it's a happy song, it's very joyful, it's timeless. In that regard, one thing that made me laugh is the lyrics here of I got empty pockets. I'm a poor man's son, can't give her the things that money can buy, but I'll never, never make my baby cry, which I think is very different from a lot of modern rap and hip-hop songs. You know, that's the message.

Speaker 1: 6:16

They kind of reversed it complete opposite. Yes, kind of reversed it.

Speaker 2: 6:19

Nowadays where it's like you should be thankful to be with me, okay and I I'm loaded, I got everything like, so I really appreciate that this is all about love.

Speaker 1: 6:30

It's very nice yeah, stevie is kind of the anti-rap musician, isn't he? Because I got nothing, just I could just be here for you, you know, I can just be here, yeah, exactly it's really nice.

Speaker 2: 6:42

It's very kind, all right, um. On that note, a great segue um track number two is I was made to love her all right, this one is from 1967 and at this point this is his seventh studio album.

Speaker 1: 6:57

Okay, he's 17 years old. It's insane now. Albums back then, let me just note were like 10 songs. A number of them we've talked about this before from like older artists were cover songs, because you were trying to put out an entire album and so they'd have a handful you know five, six original songs. Then they just kind of put some covers on there. So if you go back and listen to his early albums, a lot of them are things that other artists have done that he's just re-recording. But this is his seventh album. So he's 17 years old, and I mentioned that because I think this idea of I was made to love her is kind of a youthful idea you know if he's 35 years old.

Speaker 1: 7:36

and singing about this, like I feel like it's a little bit more disingenuous than when you put it in the perspective of being a teenager, and even lyrically, I was knee high to a chicken when that love bug bit me. I had the fever with each passing year, like he's just love is new to him and it's just like this was what I was made for, like this amazing feeling. So, uh, I don't know. I've always loved this song and and and again.

Speaker 2: 8:02

there's just joy in it, the way he sings it and it's, it's just a great love song yeah, I, I also was going to highlight that line um, the knee high tune chicken when that love bug bit me. Um, because it's true, I think that's like a great kind of description of love at that age, because it does kind of feel like an infection in some ways. It just takes you over. You know like you're in another world. When it's happening, it's like new and exciting and, yeah, you're just imagining yourself. I very much remember, I think, my first high school. If you could even call her my girlfriend, I don't think I would looking back, but I was like, oh, I got, got a girlfriend and I was already planning what house we were gonna buy when we were older.

Speaker 1: 8:41

You know like it lasted three weeks matt if you had a cell phone at the time, you would have been sending her like zillow listings and stuff like this. One's gonna be a good school district, okay, this.

Speaker 2: 8:59

The kids are going to love this pool in the backyard.

Speaker 1: 9:02

Just text back. We need to talk.

Speaker 2: 9:04

Oh no, what. So I can relate real hard to this song, but yeah, it's a really nice one. This is one of the ones that I don't think I had heard before, but it's a really really lovely one. All right, let's go to track number three, one of my favorites, actually, on this mix. I just really like this one, and it is Yester Me, yester you, yester Day.

Speaker 1: 9:30

Okay, this is from 1969. And it's a my Cherie Amour album. My Cherie Amour is another kind of bigger hit for him. I like including this one because it kind of bigger hit for him. Um, I like including this one because it kind of like indicates a jump in maturity from from like a song output standpoint, because it's almost like rueful right and just sort of like wishing things were the way they used to be and I mean, I don't know, I've always loved this one.

Speaker 1: 9:56

I think the lyrics are very clever and even just the title you could see that like using that yester part, you know to kind of think about yester me, yester you and and it's just a little bit lower energy than kind of what you're used to at this point. Now this is album number 11 for him, okay, and it's again he's 19 years old. He puts out 26 albums, so he's not even he's not even 20 years old and we're about halfway through his catalog and so it's incredible. But you think about how long he's been in the music business at that point and he probably has done quite a bit of growing up and he's probably significantly more mature for a 19-year-old than most people would be. But it does start to represent a little bit of a transition in kind of the songs he's putting out there.

Speaker 2: 10:43

Yes, yeah, that's insane to think about how prolific he was at such a young age Like that's. I can't even wrap my head around that. But I really, really loved the, the lyrics of this one, and I think it's again, especially now as the world continues to feel like it's just off its train tracks. I know a lot of millennials around my age are looking back to the 90s and probably could revert recite you know what happened to the world. We knew when we would dream and scheme while the time away, while the time away.

Speaker 2: 11:14

So, yes, I think that that right there I instantly connected with because the 90s, you know, when we were kids you just felt like everything was like just so easy and it made sense.

Speaker 1: 11:23

And now we're all like take us back but everything I I do think not to get off on a tangent, but things seem more chaotic. I feel like as an adult, when you are more in tune with, like the news and the world around you Cause, like my kids, right now they have no concept of anything being bad or messed up Like, so they'll probably someday be like man. The 2020s were so easy. Right Like that was such a great time, but any adults from that era would be like it was insane. Are you kidding?

Speaker 2: 11:55

me it was awful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't believe that you're not serving breakfast with, like nprorg or politicocom. Come on, come on.

Speaker 1: 12:06

I do love those posts where it's just like how am I supposed to talk to my children about this? And I'm like why are you talking to your children about this?

Speaker 2: 12:14

About Senate voting yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:17

Look when my son looks at me and asks me why our representative voted this way. It's like wait, your son's asking you about this. I don't even know who my representative is now Like well into my 40s, right?

Speaker 2: 12:32

Oh my gosh, that's great. Well, little Timmy, let me talk to you about riders on bills and the Senate parliamentarian.

Speaker 1: 12:45

Yeah, the schoolhouse rock is just like you know what I'm talking about short songs becoming longer. Right, it's a seven and a half minute version of I'm just a bill. Yeah, I'm just an executive order.

Speaker 2: 13:00

All right, let's go on to just a forever classic, and this one is For Once in my Life.

Speaker 1: 13:09

Yeah, this one I feel like it's great because it is both kind of a blues song and a joyful song all at once. So he's talking about how kind of difficult his life is, but now for once, for once this thing has happened to him and again it's sort of this elevation of the idea of being in love and how much better it makes your life. And I just think it's amazing how he kind of does both here, because if you're sort of you don't have to be in this like amazing position in life to have love sort of lift you up. And I think that's sort of the running thing with Stevie Wonder.

Speaker 1: 13:44

It's like I said it earlier, he's like kind of the anti-rap person. It's not I can do all these things for you, it's just at a very basic level. I can love you, right, and it's like that's what's so cool about this. And in this case he's receiving love and how uplifting that is for him versus you know, not having that and sort of this, this picture of his life otherwise, that that maybe isn't this glamorous life. So I don't know, it's just amazing. But I do think it's very indicative of kind of his music overall.

Speaker 2: 14:15

Yeah, well said. No, I think that's great. This one is just. It's really, really sweet. I love the lines here. For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me. Somehow I know I'll be strong and you know, again, just singing to that quality of like, what love can make you feel like you can do anything, and that's that's awesome. So I love this one and it features a harmonica solo and if you've been a longtime listener of the show, you know that I'm all about harmonicas. They're great. So I'm always here for that so great song.

Speaker 1: 14:43

Yeah, and Stevie first became known as just a harmonica player and then later, you know the piano. So he is, you know, not just a singer. I mean, even though he's blind, he can play the piano. And, yeah, he's got an amazing ear.

Speaker 2: 14:58

Yeah, unbelievably so. All right track number five A funny one because it sounds one way, but it's actually like the lyrics are something a little different. I believe we've talked about this before on the show. In that regard, and this is signed, sealed, delivered parentheses I'm yours.

Speaker 1: 15:13

Yeah. So I think these next few songs kind of get into this stretch where it's like the first few notes. You next few songs like kind of get into this stretch where it's like the first few notes, you kind of recognize that it's a stevie wonder song, right, at least for me it's just right away, I don't even need to hear his voice, um, but yeah, this one it's. It's kind of a love song, right, but it's, but it's not like. It's definitely kind of like I'm an idiot, like I screwed up, right, definitely did not.

Speaker 1: 15:39

It does, by title, just kind of be like hey, here I am, I'm yours. But it's like he's clearly gone off track here with this relationship and he's trying to win her back. Um, seeing a lot of things in this old world when I touch them they mean nothing, girl, yeah, but stevie, you are touching something, right, like. So you're not totally innocent here, okay, so it's a fun song, it's a joyful song, but you know it does, you're right, kind of serve that dual purpose because he has screwed up and he's trying to win her back. But I do think you're right, a lot of times it is served up as just a straight sort of romantic kind of love song.

Speaker 2: 16:17

Yeah, I can't remember if we put it on our Do Not Play At my Wedding mix, but if we didn't, it would go on there. I would say, because it does again off-title, you're like, oh, that's so cute. And he's like I'm yours, I'm here. But literally, as you're saying, it's because he's been cheating and running around the world with other people and then he realizes what a mistake it was and now he's here. So maybe not the vibe you want at your wedding after after your vows have occurred.

Speaker 1: 16:42

So I think ups or the us postal service also paid him a ton of money at one time to use it in commercials that's appropriate, though you know your package has been all around. Yeah, that's right, that's right. I'm surprised jeff bezos hasn't paid that to. You know, promote prime days, or something right, right, all right.

Speaker 2: 17:04

Here is where that shift occurs in sound.

Speaker 1: 17:06

Uh, this is track number six and it is superstition yeah, I, I kind of went back and forth on including this one because I feel like I've heard it so many times and it's been covered by so many different artists. But then I was like, well, that's why I should include it, because it's kind of like one of his more famous songs. It's been covered by so many different artists. But then I was like, well, that's why I should include it, because it's kind of like one of his more famous songs. It's considered like one of the greatest songs of all time. When you, if you read you know any number of lists uh, it's from the album talking book in 1972, which also included you are the sunshine of my life. Um, but superstition, I but Superstition, I mean it's such a cool combination of synthesizers and horns and I mean it's 1972, so it's kind of a unique sound for the time right, very much ahead of it. But it also doesn't sound overly dated. You know it's not synthesizers from like the 80s where you could kind of pluck out all right, this song came out in 1984. Really it creates this really kind of timeless sound. Um, it's been covered, like I said, a number of times.

Speaker 1: 18:07

I know stevie ray vaughan did a pretty somewhat famous cover of it, but there's been a number of artists who have who have done it and it's been used in. Uh, you know, similar to a lot of his music's been used in in various movies stuff. So you've heard it. But it's really pretty straightforward. It's just about superstition and he kind of lays that out in the lyrics. But this is one of those and he's got a number of them where you could just drop the lyrics and listen to the music and it's just amazing on its own. And then his voice just kind of adds to that.

Speaker 2: 18:39

I agree. Yeah, this is a great song. Um starts to be a little bit more funky, if you will, and uh, it just. Yeah, I agree with the synth thing. It's funny that you say that, because 80s synth music not not all of it, but most of it did not age well um and you hear it.

Speaker 1: 18:55

Yeah, yeah, you can immediately tell like. I said, like you know the year and the era and some people hate that stuff.

Speaker 2: 19:02

Yeah, I don't know if you're listening or watching us on video, but I'm raising my hand Dislike.

Speaker 1: 19:16

I was trying to cover for you and just say, yeah, some people, okay, some people, some people.

Speaker 2: 19:20

They might even be on this recording right now and just say, yeah, some people, okay, some people, some people, they might even be on this recording right now. They might yeah. But no great song and lyrics that I think also stand the test of time. Right, when you believe in things you don't understand, then you suffer, and I think that that is a really good summation of what's happening all the time, all the time.

Speaker 2: 19:38

That's a universal thing, all right, all the time. That's a universal thing, all right. Track number seven this is Don't you Worry About a Thing?

Speaker 1: 19:45

All right. So if you're a fan of the movie Sing, you would know this one. I mean, that's an animated movie with a lot of music in it, but there's an elephant in it named Mina. It's voiced by Tori Kelly, who is a pop star in her own right, and she quite literally brings down the house at the end of the movie with this song and does an amazing version of it, and I think a lot of people have covered this one as well. But I love this song just sort of vocally. And he's got and I'll mention this earlier or later with another one of his songs, but the cadence at which he sings is so unique and I think this indicates that and there's another song later that I want to point that out in. But I think it's so cool and just makes it so unique. But I love the theme in this one.

Speaker 1: 20:36

This one's a more straightforward kind of love song, like just don't you worry about a thing. It's from the album Inner Visions, which is another pretty famous album. The song Higher Ground comes from that as well, which was famously covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as Living for the City, and that was a song that was sampled by many others, and that's another thing. If you get into Stevie Wonder's songbook you're going to be like have I heard this song before? And I guarantee you have, because so many of his songs have been sampled by rap artists and other artists. It's incredible. But anyway, going back to this one, I don't know. I've just always loved this song, just sort of vocally, the way he sings it and just lyrically.

Speaker 2: 21:21

I agree. Yeah, this one is such a strong one. I love the opening notes and I think that's something that is really he does very well, is like and maybe it's just because we've heard these songs over and over, but I find that these opening notes always on all these tracks just immediately pull you in, whether it's nostalgia, because you've heard it a lot, or I think they're just really strong hooks basically, and I think he's he's always done that very well. So I love this song. I love kind of the latin beat here and I love the lyrics. All right.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Track number eight this is boogie on reggae woman okay, this is from the album fulfillingness's first finale, which is quite the tongue twister, uh, but that that was one of his three grammy winning albums in the 1970s.

Speaker 1: 22:07

I don't love reggae music I think I'm on record saying that but this is, I mean, such a cool fusion of reggae and funk, and again, this one, just sort of from a musical standpoint. I can listen to this all day. I just love it and I don't know what it is about the hook that just sucks me in in. You know, there's nothing too notable, I think, about the lyrics, but I mean, again, like I said, I just love listening to this one over and over again and it's kind of a this one's kind of cool because it does go on for a little bit we talked about some of his shorter songs earlier, but this one, I think in recognition of just how cool it sounds, just kind of keeps going yeah, this one is definitely much more like r&b and funk, I would say, instead of like reggae, and it sounds so cool.

Speaker 2: 22:55

I, I loved this. I totally agree with you. Um, it almost reminded me of like a flight of the concords track. I feel like they. Those guys definitely love I'm sure that they love and appreciate stevie wonder. They love and appreciate a lot of like musical influences. But a couple of their songs come to mind when I listen to this one where they kind of probably took inspiration and wrote it so great, great track.

Speaker 1: 23:18

I don't think I would have thought that one of the artists inspired by Stevie Wonder that you would name would be Flight of the Conchords, but I love it, stevie wonder, that you would name would be flight of the concords, but I love it.

Speaker 2: 23:29

They're one of the shows like their, their hbo show is one of the ones that I will just watch on repeat especially when I need like a pick me up because it's just so fun, it's so fun, I want to live in their world, all right.

Speaker 2: 23:41

Track number nine this one was so crazy to me because you mentioned about the sampling and I was like, oh my god, I know this song, um, from the sample that or the song that sampled it, but it is, I wish, and I'm sure you will mention which song famously sampled it yes, I will.

Speaker 1: 23:55

This is from the album. First I'll mention the famous album. It's from songs in the key of life, um, which again another grammy winner, and it's considered like one of the greatest albums of all time and includes the songs uh, not just I wish, but also sir duke, isn't she lovely? And uh, pastime paradise. Now that's another uh, one that gets sampled. Um, pastime paradise is sampled in coolio's gangsta's paradise. I wish is sampled in the will Smith song, wild Wild West, which was the theme song to a very forgettable music which got forgettable movie, I should say, which got me thinking that great song, bad movie might be a good mix to put together.

Speaker 2: 24:40

It's from a rose. It would be on there from Seal from the Batman film. Yeah, batman, well, batman, foreverman forever. I think that.

Speaker 1: 24:52

I think so it's something like that yeah, no, exactly, yeah. So there's a lot of like great soundtrack song, bad movie um, which this definitely falls into. We're gonna do that one I I'm coming up with so many.

Speaker 1: 25:02

That's a good one no, trust me that that got in my head when I thought of this one and I immediately thought of this one and I immediately thought of a few others too. That was like God, that's another one. God, terrible movie, great soundtrack. But yeah, this one is. I mean, I love it because he's singing so specifically about things from his childhood and in such a way that, you know, even though in some cases he's getting in trouble, it's still in such a fun way and just kind of brings joy and will probably, you know, evoke childhood memories of your own while listening to this. So I've always loved this one, but it was tough to just pick one from songs in the key of life and and you know, I don't know I wanted to pick more than one, but I also it when I was down to pick one. That was hard to pick out. But anyway that that's a great album and definitely, if you're going to get into any one album, that's probably the one I would point to you yeah, this one is, is so good.

Speaker 2: 25:59

Uh, the line that I loved that made me laugh was looking back on when I was a nappy, a little nappy headed boy. Then my only worry was for Christmas, what would be my toy? And I laughed because I'm 40. And I still that's like actually my only worry at Christmas time. I want to know what I'm getting. Really, it's really important that people get me what I want.

Speaker 1: 26:19

Yeah, gift receiving is your love language. Not giving, but gift receiving.

Speaker 2: 26:26

I put together a gift guide. It's got sections and headers and clickable links.

Speaker 1: 26:31

Now is this stuff we're gonna, you're gonna buy us or no? No, okay stuff for you. Got it.

Speaker 2: 26:36

Okay, sam yeah yeah, it's all for me. Um, speaking of receiving presents, uh, birthday is another great time to do that, and this next song, track number 10, is Happy Birthday.

Speaker 1: 26:49

That is a heck of a segue. Thank, you.

Speaker 1: 26:52

It's from 1980's Hotter Than July. So this is kind of a shift for Stevie Wonder, because this is kind of a political song as he is advocating for making Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday, and this song was written in support of that campaign. There's a spoken word part at the end that really illuminates that message. So you know a lot of people and I think I even brought this one onto the show before is just like isn't this just a better version than the standard happy birthday song, even if you know, get away from the? You know, whatever the political message is, it's like just listen to this, you're going to be on a better mood on your birthday. And it was a successful campaign because the third Monday of every January here in the US is Martin Luther King Day, unlike your failed campaign to make Ralph Nader's birthday a national holiday. I don't know why you stuck to that, for so long.

Speaker 2: 27:49

I was only one million signatures, short, matt, all right, we were so close.

Speaker 1: 27:53

We were so close no, I'm surprised you got the 11 that you did um, I mean even ralph nader gave you a hard pass on that one he did.

Speaker 2: 28:03

Yeah, he was, was not interested.

Speaker 1: 28:04

His people passed on it, not him himself Couldn't get Nader. But anyway, yeah, I mean this one. I just love this song just how it sounds, but also really cool that you know I love it that, like in 1980, it was like, hey, we need to get people behind this, and Stevie Wonder's like I got it, I'll record this song and it'll be super famous and we will, you know, get this done and and he did so. So this is. This is kind of awesome.

Speaker 2: 28:33

That is really cool. That could be another mix we do one day, like songs that that created change in the world. That would be really interesting. So this would be on that list for sure. But I agree with you about the happy birthday song. This is infinitely better and we should just adopt this one all right. Track number 11, final stretch here um, this one is is just a great one, classic, and it is I just called to say I love you okay, so this is both a grammy winner and an oscar winner for stevie wonder.

Speaker 1: 29:03

We talked about great soundtrack, bad movie earlier. It is from the soundtrack. He did the entire soundtrack to a terrible movie called the woman in red. And I know, sam, sometimes I come on here with 80s movies and I'm like, no, but you should see this right, like don't, do not actively avoid this movie got it.

Speaker 2: 29:23

It's so bad I can only imagine.

Speaker 1: 29:26

But the yeah, like for me to just be like no, no, no, don't even waste your time seeing it. Like. That's how bad this movie is. Um, but the soundtrack's excellent. You get this one. Um, it's a monster hit. It still gets played. Today he showed up on an episode of the cosby show. Um, doing this one. Uh, the premise of was like he'd gotten into a fender bender with one of the Cosby kids and then just becomes friends with the family Cause. Like, of course, that's how you're going to write Stevie wonder into a sitcom.

Speaker 2: 29:55

Yes.

Speaker 1: 29:57

If you, he did it on carpool karaoke with James Corden. Stevie wonder was not driving, in case anyone was wondering about that. But if you watch the movie high fidelityidelity, jack Black's character is not a fan of this song. So some people who are hardcore Stevie Wonder fans will be like, look, this is just commercial and schlock and the really good stuff is back in the 70s. But it is undoubtedly his biggest hit and probably the thing he's most known for, and I think it's a pretty good song.

Speaker 2: 30:32

Yeah, I agree. I think it's a staple song and we have to give him credit for it. And this is also one of the songs that I think my parents had on one of their Forever mixes. It's been a minute since we've talked about those, but this is definitely on that mix because that was instant time capsule when I hit play I remember.

Speaker 1: 30:52

Yeah, I'm glad we got another puzzle piece in that mix. I think it has been a while since we referenced it um, it really has, yeah now stevie wonder.

Speaker 1: 30:59

This was not his only soundtrack that he contributed to, um, later on he did the entire soundtrack to the spike lee movie jungle fever and, uh, the title track that one is is really um, I mean, I think it sounds great, um, and that's a pretty, pretty unique soundtrack, pretty unique movie by spike lee. So, uh, definitely something else to check out there. Uh, a few years, a few years after this one, that one's in the early 90s nice, all right.

Speaker 2: 31:26

Track, number 12, last one on the mix and it is Overjoyed.

Speaker 1: 31:30

Okay, so this is from the 1985 album In Square Circle, which is album number 20 for him. So he would come out with six more albums after this, and that was between 1985 and I think 2005 was the last release we got from him. But this album also included the song part-time lover, which I think was kind of a moderate hit for him as well. I just love how timeless this one sounds. I mean, it's squarely in the mid eighties. But you know, and you could probably correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it sounds like an eighties song, right, it just sounds like almost like an American standard, if you will.

Speaker 1: 32:09

Right With the piano and just the way his voice sounds. And again, I mentioned this earlier, with the way he sings, don't you Worry About a Thing? But here he's just got this unique cadence to how he sings. So if you're trying to sing along to his music in the car, it's probably going to take some time to get used to it, because it's just a little bit. He speeds up at times and he slows down, but it doesn't bump you in any way. Like you can, you're totally into it. And again, this is just kind of a beautiful song.

Speaker 2: 32:39

Yeah, no, it's, it's incredible. I think it's it's interesting and again kind of comes back to that original message, because in this case it's like unrequited love, um of just like he's, he's putting his love out there but you know, he's maybe not getting in return, so still singing about that, in this case like 20 years after his first, roughly 20 years after his first track, so. But this is a really beautiful song and uses a lot of really pretty imagery as well yeah.

Speaker 1: 33:04

So, like I said, I mean hasn't come out with a new album since 2005. Every now and then we get teases about, you know, him coming out with something new. You know, in a similar vein, we had the random single from billy joel, I think, last year, which was his first original song quite a long time as well, so maybe we'll get something like that popping up, but he still makes appearances. He received the presidential medal of freedom in 2014 and Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, which is their you know music school, if you will, gave him the George Peabody medal for outstanding contributions to music and dance in America in 2024. So still still out there, still receiving honors as he should.

Speaker 1: 33:44

He's an American legend and, honestly, like, I think you're really going to enjoy just any one of his albums. I think you could just put it on beginning to end. It's going to put you in a good mood and it was really hard to just get down to 12. So, trust me, you're going to listen to a bunch and probably reach out and say you missed this one or that one.

Speaker 2: 34:05

Yep, no, it was a great mix. He's an amazing artist and I think we could be talking about him in another hundred years Like I think he's just one of these artists that has that staying power, even outside of the volume that he's produced. I think they're just amazing songs that just continue to get played generation after generation.

Speaker 1: 34:23

All right. Well, there you have it. Another super awesome mix for your collection. Check us out on social media at super awesome mix, on Instagram and threads and YouTube, and so you can watch the video of this, as well as other videos that we're posting on there. So like and subscribe to that, because that helps other people find us. You can also leave us a review on our podcast page. Anyway, sam and I have plenty of other mixes to get to, so we'll get to work on that. So for Sam, this is Matt. We'll see you next time.