Marvel has actually included social issues into his music a minimum of considering that he was 16, when he had actually a struck with Bob Dylan's “Blowin' in the Wind.”
Stevie Wonder carries out onstage throughout The Art of Elysium provides Stevie Wonder's HEAVEN – Celebrating the 10th Anniversary at Red Studios on Jan. 7, 2017 in Los Angeles. Emma McIntyre/GI for The Art of Elysium
Stevie Wonder's brand-new single, “Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart?,” shows the famous artist's deeply-felt political and social issues. Marvel has actually integrated these issues into his music a minimum of considering that he was 16, when he had a leading 10 struck on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Top Selling R&B Singles (as the chart was called then) with a cover variation of Bob Dylan's timeless “Blowin' in the Wind.”
Marvel has actually likewise composed and presented numerous tunes of this nature, consisting of “Higher Ground,” a 1973 smash that he sang at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21. He carried out “All About the Love Again” at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. 2 of his politically-charged tunes were directed at Republican presidents who he felt weren't representing all individuals. “You Haven't Done Nothin'” was a biting attack on President Nixon, launched simply days before Nixon was required to resign in 1974 amidst the Watergate scandal. Marvel's 1987 single “Skeletons” was a similarly pointed attack on President Reagan in the middle of the Iran/Contra scandal.
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Marvel's “Living for the City,” with its finely-detailed songwriting (“her clothing are old/but never ever are they filthy”) topped the R&B chart in 1973 and became his 2nd Grammy winner for finest R&B tune. Marvel's 1980 tune “Happy Birthday” assisted in the reason for turning Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday into a legal holiday. (An appealing tune can do more than a thousand speeches.) His 1982 teaming with Paul McCartney, “Ebony and Ivory,” is shiny and candy-coated, however the plea for brotherhood and racial consistency was wholehearted.
Here are 18 politically or socially-charged tunes that Wonder has actually composed and/or tape-recorded. They are noted in alphabetical order by tune title. Which is your favorite? Vote!
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