If you had to listen to only one Stevie Wonder song for the rest of your life, what would it be? This is the premise of my music blog, Desert Island Mixtape. Each month we choose a new artist and pose the same question. I then share the results with high school students in hopes that they are inspired to learn more about older musicians. Thanks.

 

Edited March 29, 20196 yr by Guest
spam ringtones link removed

What a worthwhile project - good luck to you with this

Before making any nominations, are we to choose any or all of the following:

(a) Songs performed by Stevie

(b) Songs written and performed by Stevie

(c) Songs written by Stevie and performed by others

I wholeheartedly approve of this thread !

Coincidentally, I've just spent the last week or so listening to a different Stevie Wonder album everyday ..

I nominate 'For Once In My Life' which is my all time favourite SW track.

Good luck with the project, @HarryJS 

Edited March 15, 20187 yr by Soulsides

I might have chosen For Once in my Life too. A song of great optimism.

 

Instead I’ll go for Mon Cherie Armour which I still think of as a really happy love song.

 

In terms of sad songs, they don’t get much sadder than Lately.

'All I do' would be my choice

A bit ironic choosing a song called "For once in my life" to play every day 

I would hope there would be some driftwood on the island so that I could fashion a dance floor,in which case my choice would be "Uptight (Everything is alright)"

Edited March 15, 20187 yr by martyn pitt
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7 minutes ago, SWIFTY said:

'All I do' would be my choice

Which is why I asked the questions above - Stevie's own version on the "Hotter than July" album is strong, but hearing Tammi Terrell's version just blew me away, and to think it had been stuck in a vault for all those years ... but I haven't made up my mind on a nomination just yet

If you really love me , remember it on   the  juke  box in my local pub ( those were the days ) 👍🎶🎶🎶

Edited March 15, 20187 yr by Spain pete
athe

There's a place in the sun is about the only one I could think of.   Not my favourite artist. Took Lou to see him for her 50th at the Manchester evening news arena.  She loves him. 

Steve 

Remember Colin Curtis doing a mix of this little ditty a few years back at modern soul night in Leyland , completely blew my head of, think it went on for about 12 minutes, anyways this gets my vote, interesting thread btw, neither really delved into stevie wonder catalogue so will be interesting to see what comes up...phil

 

Hey Love....

 

 

Has to be "As" for me, although I prefer the Gene Harris version.

 

11 minutes ago, Steve S 60 said:

Hey Love....

 

 

WOW, love this

Bought for my first girlfriend's 15th birthday in October 1967.

Sweet and innocent times. lol!

So for me it can only be this one.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, garswood said:

Remember Colin Curtis doing a mix of this little ditty a few years back at modern soul night in Leyland , completely blew my head of, think it went on for about 12 minutes, anyways this gets my vote, interesting thread btw, neither really delved into stevie wonder catalogue so will be interesting to see what comes up...phil

 

ron hardy used to play it at the power plant, at +8 apparantly

this one for me

 

 

"you are the sunshine of my life"................

 

29 minutes ago, geeselad said:

this one for me

 

 

Now that ,is amongst the very best of Stevie Wonder's tracks in my opinion..

Top stuff !..

 

As much as I love his 70's stuff, it would have to be a 60's cut ... Love A GoGo, Uptight, I Want My Baby Back, Ain't That Askin For Trouble or Angel Baby I guess.

"Yesterme Yesteryou Yesterday" for me

For me it has to be heaven help us all

I'd have to go with

 

'Joy inside my tears' for me 

Most of my top picks have been listed- this one definitely would have been in my top 5 though

 

my pick from "Innervisions" has to be "living for the city"...........

 

Not a big Stevie wonder fan but 'Never dreamed you'd leave in summer'

can't stop now ................

 

got a DJ copy of this one, sounds better and better with time, written & produced by S.Wonder

check out the back up singers & drummer

 

4 hours ago, Modularman said:

I'd have to go with

 

Also on the same LP the original (I think) version of this classic

Angel Baby 

 

always loved I Don't Know Why I Love You 

 

Seldom heard, would be a pleasant surprise to hear this as a great "last record"

Got to be Nothing's to good for my baby.

Hugh

6 minutes ago, MsSoulie said:

Got to be Nothing's to good for my baby.

Hugh

one of the records that really got me into soul music, although he didn't write or produce it? regardless top tune

Edited March 15, 20187 yr by Shufflin

Was waiting for someone else to pick this, can't believe it's not up yet. Probably the best lyrics ever, think it edges my first pick. 

https://youtu.be/GYQfWJNWe3I

cracker of a tune

Take your pick from pretty much anything between 65-75. 

Every Christmas you’ve gotta play ‘one little Christmas tree’ repeatedly though, it’s the law.

Absolute genius 

Tough call between his original 'till you come back to me' and this killer, straight from the intro you can almost hear the waves lapping onto the beach of your desert Isle. 

 

Incredibly hard given his output, if forced to pick i'll go for 'Living for the City' given the aim of the project 

6 hours ago, algsoul said:

cracker of a tune

Totally agree - the sound of summer. It was one of the few new tracks that appeared on his "Original Musiquarium" double LP in 1982, alongside this, which I think deserves better recognition:

So much good stuff in this thread. The "Down to Earth" album right up to "Songs in the Key of Life" is pretty much drop the needle wherever quality. Afterwards the greatness was more sporadic but with catalogue like this, he'd already claimed his place.

 

 

Angie Girl, All I Do, Hey Love and Do I Do all nail it for me.

Dx

 

I hear a symphony by Stevie is quite simply the best record ever made. Err...so I would choose that one....

 

I've played this a lot at home over the past 5 years or so. I never got into it originally. It could also be a good choice for the vocoder thread

 

 

Another cracking track.

I've always loved his earlier work as much as the stuff he was doing in the mid 70's tbh.

 

PS Love A Go Go always puts a smile on my face too (in fact with Contract On Love, Ain't That Asking For Trouble, I Want My Baby Back and of course Nothing's Too Good For My Baby you can't really go wrong with the whole album)

 

Edited March 16, 20187 yr by DaveNPete

31 minutes ago, DaveNPete said:

 you can't really go wrong with the whole album)

 

.......my pick from "Up-tight"........("ain't that asking for trouble")......flip of "Blowin in the wind"......

 

......more 70's social commentary that's still relevant today......."big brother".........

 

From the "Songs In The Key Of Life" album

 

4 hours ago, back street blue said:

.......my pick from "Up-tight"........("ain't that asking for trouble")......flip of "Blowin in the wind"......

 

Knowing me as you, and so many others do, plus my well documented intense distaste for absolutely anything "70's", you'd think that my choice would be either this, Uptight, Angel Baby, or  Nothin's too good....Not so. Surprisingly my choice would be "There's a place in the sun". Dunno why, just loved it since the first time I ever heard it.

 

Love Steveland  Morris up to and including this LP

Cheers Paul

Can't think of many other artists whose output I either absolutely love or totally dislike, but I'm never far from a SW tune

Shortlist would be For once in my life, Sir Duke, his version of Light my Fire, Fingertips (which I'm surprised no one has mentioned?), but number one definitely 'If you really love me'