This week I’m looking at five more albums from 1973 that I know and like, but not as much as I know and like the five I covered last week. Next week I’ll get to albums I don’t know well at all.
Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions was his 19th album, released when he was just 23 years old. It came right in the middle of a five-year streak among the greatest of all time: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life. I’m not a Stevie Wonder fanatic — I appreciate more than love his music — but the genius of that run of albums is undeniable.
A strong case can be made that Innervisions is the best of them all. Alternating between beautiful ballads and funk-fueled R&B, love songs and message songs, it doesn’t strike a false note. Wonder plays every instrument on most of the nine tracks, making this a truly singular vision, one that earned Wonder his first of three straight Album of the Year Grammys.
Three days after Innervision‘s release, Wonder was in a car accident (no, he wasn’t driving) that left him in a coma for four days. Not even that could slow him down.
Everybody’s got a thing
But some don’t know how to handle it
Always reaching out in vain
Just taking the things not worth having but
[Chorus 1]
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing on the side
When you check it out
[Verse 2]
They say your style of life’s a drag
And that you must go other places
But just don’t you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces
[Chorus 2]
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing on the side
When you check it out
When you get off your trip
[Bridge]
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
[Chorus 2]
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing in the side
When you check it out
When you get off your trip
[Verse 3]
Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
But you’re the only one to see
The changes you take yourself through
[Chorus 3]
But don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, pretty mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing in the wings
When you check it out
[Outro]
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, ooh
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Yeah
Don’t worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, sugar
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing hey
Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, sugar
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing….
Stevie is definitely in the pantheon of musical geniuses.