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.)