STEVIE WONDER: MAKES ME WEAK

(Quick editor’s note: I remain committed (perhaps stupidly) to 365 days of soul but the “post everyday” grind wasn’t sustainable, especially now that I have to manage book stuff. However, I’m trying to come back with clusters of back-dated posts and keep the calendar neat. –O.W.)

Stevie Wonder: Knocks Me Off My Feet (Tamla, 1976, Songs in the Key of Life)

One of the fun parts of prepping for a wedding is looking over the bride and groom requests and being compelled to listen to songs I had either forgotten or never listened much to begin with.¹ That certainly applies to this LP cut off of Songs In the Key of Life and yeah, yeah, Stevie masterpiece album, blah blah, but seriously, I’ve probably listened to the entire thing, straight through, once and outside of the singles and the sublime “Love’s In Need Of Love Today,” I’ve never sat with the rest.

Well, Randall and Tommy picked “Knocks Me Off My Feet” for their first dance song and I loved the choice especially since I listened to the tune a bunch, just to get a feel for it and super obvious point but Stevie is godly. My favorite part is the turn in the arrangement after the chorus (or is it the second part of the chorus?). Gorgeous stuff.

365 Days of Soul, #123