Stevie Wonder: Hey Love
From Down to Earth (Motown, 1966)
Seriously? How the f— have I never posted this before considering it’s pretty much one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs of all time which is another way of saying it’s one of the greatest songs of all time. Perfect pop song: under 3 minutes long, killer hook, a beat that you can’t help but smile at and Stevie at his finest, vocally.
Lately, I’ve gotten my wife hooked on the song after she heard it at a wedding I went to. Her and my daughter danced to it which only made good memories I have about this song even better.
Also: this is one of those songs that I just have to credit to hip-hop for my first encounter with it. I am talking, of course of:
De La Soul: Talkin’ Bout Hey Love
From De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy, 1991)
This was one of those moments where I heard the track and thought, “whoa, what is the original? I need this.”
(By the way, I had no idea until now that Betty Lavette covered this tune.)
The Stevie song appears on the Complete Motown Singles Vol 7: 1967, so I think it was release in 1967, though, I suppose it could have been released on an album in ’66.
Thanks for poking me to listen to it again. Great song.
Yeah, I think the song was on the “Down to Earth” LP before it was released as a single.
you playing at verdugo tonight?
Likewise, I discovered this song via De La!
“De La Soul is Dead” was the first hip-hop album I ever bought (and only because I liked “Ring Ring Ring”), but it ended up being my gateway into a whole world of 70s funk.
So wait; you got your wife (and subsequent dancing) on which song? De La? Or Stevie?
I recently rediscovered De La Soul is Dead at the end of last year, it’s a massively underrated album…
Wow. Magical stuff. All killin’ version, but how ’bout that Betty Lavett, huh? Man, she is amazing! Have you heard the album of her doing all the classic rock covers? It’s wild.
Amazing, a truly perfect song. Last time I heard you talk about a perfect pop song was “i want you back”.
http://soundcloud.com/toffeecookies/morefreshness