Songs In The Key Of Life

i like, can see where this has been used as inspiration for other songs. listened to on 16/12/25 whilst driving around doing errands

El mejor álbum de la historia. Punto se acabó.

3.5

good

Just as I was beginning to wonder when I'd roll the next big shot album, I happen upon this. This is my second Stevie Wonder album, with it being exactly 120 albums since I first listened to Innervisions. I don't remember much about the previous album, which is probably sacrilege to the music-listening community. I think it was folky or autumnal or something. Anyways, I'm keen to listen to this album as I'm pretty sure it's his most well-received release. The illustration of Stevie on the cover reminds me of that illustration of the Unabomber, which is also promising. There's nothing I love more than a good Ted talk. Fuck. It's a double album. fkyotuv fucky ou fuckh nyiy. I was airpunching my monitor in rage seconds prior to writing this sentence. Many of the songs are long as shit, too. What are you doing, Stevie? It seems that any attempt I make at trying to like an artist is punished, as I can't stand excess in my albums. 48 minutes is the perfect runtime for an album, as scientifically proven by me. You would think that an extra hour couldn't do that much damage when it makes the album equivalent in length to an average movie, but it does, trust me. This is pretty interesting as far as a soul showing is concerned. I'm not used to this level of variety or spread of influences on a soul album. I view soul music as synonymous with a muddy, moderately frustrating sound, so it's good to finally have a bit of clarity. Anyways, the actual music. There's some good stuff in here. It's hard not to feel uplifted by this music. The breezy vocals and Wonder's charasmatic vocals are a consistent highlight. I had a perfectly good time listening to this one, though whether it has any staying power is anyone's guess. It's easygoing and likeable without necessarily hooking me. There is also the obvious issue of the farhkinggg length. I'd already gotten my fill by the time I reached "Joy Inside My Tears", with the remaining songs marking a considerable drop off in quality for the album (it also doesn't help that the remaining songs are LONG AS SHIT). "Village Ghetto Land" is decent. I like the strings, and the songwriting is well-matched to boot. The lyrics are the most memorable aspect because of the contrast, obviously. "Contusion" is also pretty cool. A bit of a jazz fusion sound going on. The cool, confident guitars carry the song, though I also quite like the synthesiser and some of the miscellaneous digital effects. "I Wish" is another good, funky tune. I like all of the bridges, and the aforementioned funk sound has a lot of kick to it. Good vocals, too - they're pretty fun. No fucking way. There's no fucking way that Gangsta's Paradise is a flip of "Pastime Paradise". That's hilarious. I'd say it's shameless, but the music industry gets up to all kinds of nefarious tomfoolery. Anyways, it's alright. The string sections are good. The feel-good energy of "Summer Soft" is also nice. The lyrics and songwriting are likely the best on the album. I've heard "Isn't She Lovely" before. That vocal melody is pretty golden and the song being a tribute to Stevie's daughter is heartwarming, but god damn if it ain't long as shit. Please retcon the latter three minutes from all of reality, I beg you. Book time. Wonder was in a bit of a creative frenzy while making this album. A lot of collaborators. Very well received at release. I mean, I know this one's a big deal, so I don't need to consult Wikipedia for this album. I cosign this inclusion.

i enjoyed it lots, there was a wide variety and i saved all the songs i liked, i didnt end up completeing it , i got to the the 70% mark tho, def appreciate the production on the tracks and his voice is heavingly . i will go through my faves son again and continue listening to the album

(1:25:43 double album, 17 tracks, 1976, 18th Album) R&B/Soul Eighteenth album - incredible - for Stevie Wonder. Singles: I Wish Isn't She Lovely Sir Duke Another Star As Pastime Paradise is infinitely recognizable as Coolio's rework Gangsta's Paradise. I Wish (Wild Wild West, Will Smith)

If there is a better album on this list, I don't believe I've heard it. This is the benchmark by which all musical creativity should be measured, twentieth century pop music does not get any better. I'd give another star if I could.

This was a great listen. Not going to lie, I was a bit apprehensive when I saw there were 21 songs over 1 hour 44 minutes. Great production, some catchy tunes, Stevie obviously can sing and there was a nice mix of styles and tempos (unlike say the Sinatra and Loretta Lynn snoozefests I had on my listen list last week). Bravo, Stevie, I really enjoyed it.

Day 125 So many classics on one album, as easy a 5/5 as there is on this list Highlights Sir Duke Pastime Paradise Black Man

Banger, quelques tubes connus (Sir Duke), ça donne le smile

J’ai noté cet album avant de l’écouter car… j’ai le vinyle, je le connais très bien. Je l’écouterai après ! C’est un artiste que j’aime beaucoup, album avec des sons que j’aime profondément (as, pastime paradise, I wish, isn’t she lovely, etc etc). C’est un album qui fait du bien

Banger cet album, je connaissais Isn't She Lovely évidemment mais tout le reste de l'album est top. J'aime bien la vibe Stevie Wonder je pense 5/5

I'm not a massive Stevie Wonder fan, and so this drifts in and out for me a bit. Some classic, great songs. High 3

At its core this is a political album with a dance beat. I’m rarely a fan of double albums, but this is one of the few that justifies its length. A great talent and a great person. Low 5

#1 album of 1976 and my favourite from Stevie. Chock full of amazing tunes right up to, but not including, the last 2 tracks, which would have been on the b side of the accompanying EP.

After recently spinning Curtis Mayfield’s edgy and captivating 1970 album Curtis for the first time I’ve been excited about dipping into some of the classic soul, funk and disco albums of the 1970s. The stand out hits on Songs in the Key of Life are impossible not to know. ‘Sir Duke’ and ‘I Wish’ have a whole life outside this LP on radio stations and party playlists across the world. ‘Pastime Paradise’ sounds very modern, the use of synthetic strings is ahead of its time and can be heard in plenty of the soul, R&B and rock records that proceed this album. Upsettingly, outside of these hits there is not a lot for me here. I don’t feel like much effort was put into cutting this 2LP + 1EP album to its key, most attractive elements. It’s a very long record to get such little pleasure out of. Most of the tracks on this record are very safe, sedate and glossy. Every track that Stevie Wonder performs lives or dies on whether those vibrant and vital feelings translate to the listener, I personally can’t tap into it. I’m delighted that nearly every other person digs this, but for me I feel like a child being forced to listen to their parent’s boring music. There are very few songs that give me the kind of rash like negative reaction I get from ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. It makes me nauseous - it simply won't end! Stevie Wonder has enough fans without me butting in. I’m gobsmacked at how much more famous Wonder is than Mayfield though… its mad.

Reasonably speaking this is all v high quality, I need more listens but I think it’s a v low 5 for me and his best that I’ve heard so far

This is my first one of these so lets see how it goes. Good work background music. Pastime paradise was a jump scare. Calming, I think I prefer the music to the vocals significantly. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but enjoyed regardless.

Most liked tracks were “Have a talk with god” and “I wish” but the whole album just isn’t my type of music

I don't think it'll be in my regular rotation but it is an excellent album!

Another blockbuster from 1976.. except I disliked it back then. Several songs were massive hits on mainstream radio so I skipped them as much as possible. 50 years later, I didn't mind it all. Maybe not in rotation but not something to be ignored. Very good songwriting, musicianship incredible.

Stevie never disappoints

Alla hits man känner igen, mycket bra

I don't really listen to much of this genre of music, however this album sounds so upbeat and catchy, yet makes you feel emotionally calm and at ease

Pretty good 4/5

I hadn't listened to much Stevie Wonder before this and I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. I enjoyed every song on the album, in particular I thought "village ghetto land" was quite a beautiful song and was followed by "contusion" which had some great guitar sections. "Summer soft" was a good 'bop' and was very nice to listen to. I also enjoyed the lyrics and message of "Black man". Really enjoyable overall, great listen. 84/100 Score edited 28/01/26

Wow at the guitar playing in contusion. Never knew Gangsta's paradise had used Pastime Paradise. Perhaps I live under a rock. A really good one. I think it slowed down a bit at times but in general very very good. Tempting to give this a 5.

Another one I already know. It's a bit inconsistent here and there because some songs are very underwhelming compared to the rest - but still a great album I would say.

Some nice tunes but a lot of it I found quite backgroundy. I'm not a huge soul person and I find the vocal histrionics a bit offputting in places.

Stevie Wonder needs to learn when to stop singing. The songs in this album are really good, and obviously his voice in incredible, but you don't need a 6 minute long song with 3 minutes of outro. Cut the fluff out of this, and it would turn it from a 4 rated 86 minute behemoth to a more manageable length with an easy 5. Starts off nice and chill with Love's In Need Of Love Today, Have A Talk With God, and Village Ghetto Land. Sir Duke was pretty fun. I Wish is a classic, wonderful song. Knocks Me Off My Feet was really sweet. And then I got hit with quite the surprise. Pastime Paradise comes on and I hear that music. I did not know Coolio sampled Stevie for Gangsta's Paradise. And Stevie's version is also incredible. Next couple tracks drop back down a little bit. Then Isn't She Lovely takes it right back up. Joy Inside My Tears was beautiful. Black Man had a really nice message in it, that was a fun listen. As and Another Star end things out nicely. This was my fourth and final Stevie Wonder album on this list, and it was the best one of the bunch. Love you, Stevie! Best song: Pastime Paradise

Well hot damn I haven't had a 5 for a while. He's a genius, that's it.

Very nice listen! Would listen to it again. The almost two hours did not feel like almost two hours. The commentary on racism was also very onspot.

amazing funk

So much has been written about this album that I feel I don't have much to add. It's not completely perfect. Some of the ways Stevie Wonder approaches his themes are a little dated, and the album is a bit sprawling. But this is one of the best popular expressions of the unity of all of humanity in general and Americans in particular. It's a masterpiece. Five stars

Fantastic. Pretty much a near perfect record. Listened 04/13/2021

Not much more you can say about this album that hasn't been said before. Incredible songwriting, performance and influence... just a stone cold classic and my goto Sunday morning album. The Legacy of this album speaks to the range of musical styles with artists from Elton John, George Michael and Whitney Houston to Brann Dailor and Phil Anselmo citing it as either their favourite album or a massive influence.

Classic

This is just not my thing. His voice is great and it’s got super slick production, but I’m not that fussed by it. It’s fine but I won’t listen to it again.

This album never disappoints

Excellent but he does keep going on a bit too long sometimes

3,5

Amazing. I had never listened to whole album from start to finish before, and what a trip. I feel like this is one of those albums that requires multiple listens over time to truly appreciate, but already I see the genius. It’s funky, soulful, beautiful, introspective, socially relevant, and everything in between.

literally so good..... so joyous...... felt absolutely timeless

This was just….. sooooooo longggggg

хороший альбом, но нудный и долгий, пиздец

This album RULES! So inventive, revolutionary, memorable, no skips ever.

A massive album full of wonderful music. However the length also means you'll quickly forget some of the less memorable songs

do love a bit of motown. Some classics here, also some Mario Kart sounding themes lol

It was good, in special the pastime paradise song. The others is also good, but not so good. Its a very long album, and in the end i was tired of listening. If it were a little smaller, like just one hour, it would be better. Very consistente and the instrumental are very good. I think it make sense that Stevie Wonder be a great name of the music. After all, still not the kind of music i would listen again, maybe one or other song, but thats it!

its good yeah.

I enjoyed all the familiar songs but it took a second listen to enjoy the rest of the album. It really fits together. Not everything works perfectly and some sounds very dated but a masterpiece album.

It seems blasphemous to say anything critical about one of the best regarded albums ever, and I don't have much bad to say. The 2nd album starts with my least favorite Stevie Wonder song (Isn't She Lovely") even worse is that I've never heard the 6 minute version with the kid squealing noises halfway through...which made it worse. If it were me in the producing booth, I might have pushed for a couple fewer songs, or maybe a shorter edit here or there... but for the most part, this was truly an excellent album.

Better than his first album

Simply one of the best albums of the 20th century

Overall an enjoyable album - but was a bit long. Ofc Sir Duke and I wish were favorites. I appreciated the message conveyed in Black Man. Was shocked to learn that Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise is based off of Pastime Paradise!

Great album! Such soul!

Classic. So many styles in one album.

5/5

Great how the material I was not familiar with sounded so fresh and other hits felt wonderfully nostalgic yet the record is generous and wonderful to listen to with head phones.

All time banger!

Listening to Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life is like signing up for a quick coffee date and realizing you’ve accidentally agreed to a 2-hour TED Talk on joy, heartbreak, and cosmic funk. It’s not an album—it’s a full-blown life seminar with a soundtrack so good you forget you’re being educated. Every track feels like Stevie personally broke into your soul, rearranged the furniture, and left a disco ball in the living room. The man plays more instruments than most people own socks, and somehow makes you feel guilty for not practicing piano harder in third grade. Favorite tracks are still the commericially known hits- Sir Duke, I Wish, Isn't She Lovely, and I had no idea Coolio sampled from Pastime Paradise

Some fantastic songs, a little bloated but nothing bad.

The first track is unmatched

Masterpiece. There isn’t a bad song on this.

Loves in Need

Way too long. Knew some songs, vibe was all-right but not cohesive.

Downright listenable, downright lovely. Hard album to review - Stevie Wonder's an unimpeachable god of music and he deserves to be - but this album didn't inspire some kind of grand exaltation in me, some great epiphany...it just made me feel pretty goddamn good for 2 hours. That, itself, is pretty goddamn good.

The one-two of “If It’s Magic” and “As” really gets me

Absolutely adore this album. Reminds me of my mama

Wow. I mean just WOW. Not one bad or uninteresting song on the album. I REALLY loved As and Another Star, both amazing, and of COURSE Sir Duke and I Wish are top on the list. Would be HAPPY to come back to this album over and over again.

This starts off really weak, and there's no impactfull tracks until 'Contusion' which could be 70s Zappa, 'Sir Duke' and 'I Wish', which all lift the album noticeably, before a bland run of filler. Then we get to 'As' and 'Another Star', again highlights in what is, at 21 tracks and 1hr 45, far too long. It's no Innervisions. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Bloated★★★☆☆ (5/10)

brilliant

Not only one of the better albums of all time, but one of the most aptly named albums of all time. Stevie Wonder sings about the human experience, and often the black American experience, with such conviction and joy that even the saddest songs in here are still comforting and uplifting. The first disc of the double album is generational, specifically the run of songs from “Sir Duke” to “Pastime Paradise”. Those songs don’t need to be talked about. But honestly the second disc is no slouch either, it makes it hard to say that this album is too long - which is insane to say out loud about an hour 45 minute long album. The confident proclamations of “Black Man”, the warmth of “As”, the piano groove in “Ebony Eyes”. Not to mention the perfectly-timed introductions of things like an electric guitar in one song, or a harmonica solo in another song; this album plays itself out with perfect pacing. If you told me to hand you an album that best encapsulates the emotions of the overall human experience, I’d likely give you Songs In The Key Of Life. I don’t want to presume toooo much about the demographic of people who get through these 1001 albums, but I’m guessing a large subsect is atheistic white men? So it’s a testament to the strength of this album that

A double album to end stevie wonders imperial phase, yeah it’s pretty cool

An absolute classic. Loved the chance to revisit it. Strangely enough ‘I Wish’ and ‘Sir Duke’ were played today at random…

Impeccable

Incredible. Might convert. Fav songs: Love's In Need Of Love Today, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Black Man, If It's Magic. Saved a song: Y RYM: Y (#27)

Sublime!

The Stevie Wonder question. I am never quite won over and never quite haw been. Maybe it’s overexposure; hearing the hits so often (over the course of a life, more often than songs I genuinely love) that fatigue has given way to resentment. Or maybe it’s the opposite, under exposure – it’s the timing that’s been all wrong and I’ve never listened closely enough. But now that I am … maybe it’s just not for me? I don’t know, but somehow finding Stevie Wonder boring does start to feel - in a world festooned with adulation for his catalogue of undeniably classic inter-generational megahits – like a sort of moral failing. The weight of opinion would indicate the problem is me. Why can’t I just enjoy things? And on we go. And on it goes. Interminably. It starts to feel like “Songs That Will Last Your Whole Life” is the more appropriate title. The earnestness of the whole thing irks me in a way I again cannot justify; the lack of enjoyment compounding into something more existentially troubling. I open the Guardian app to, if I’m honest, distract myself enough to just get this done. There’s an article about Gen Z’s increasingly conservative attitudes to gender roles – shit news to read, and especially for a father of two girls (“Isn’t she lovely” indeed) and, oh good, something by Jonathon Liew about football’s own “converging moral panic”. I’ll take that. The soundtrack to this one will be “As”. It’s a driving piece of music that even the most Stevie-sceptic bore can’t deny is a masterpiece of pop. It’s likely the first time I’m listening to the full version, and as I’m carried toward the article’s conclusion the song’s chanted coda is just shifting into gear. The final paragraph: “But I still want to believe. I believe in the good bits and I’m prepared to put up with the bad bits because the high is still like nothing else on Earth. I want to believe this game is still beautiful. I want to see the miraculous save Jordan Pickford made at the weekend, and Alex Iwobi’s goal against Tottenham, and pretty much everything Bruno Fernandes is doing at the moment. I want to feel the joy of the already relegated Rob Edwards on a Tuesday night, and hear the way the Stadium of Light rises when Sunderland go on the counter. Boredom is a choice, and so too, I guess, is beauty.” And with that, I’m overcome. There’s tears. “Hate knows loves the cure” says Wonder, and so too Liew. All at once two magnificent loves: “As” with its relentless groove, Liew with his fight for foregrounding the bloody beautiful. It leaves me somewhere between edified and enraged. Anything but bored. So yeah, on the whole I’d have to say that for me, this album is background music. But it’s background music to the sort of thoughts sometimes you need to have to keep it all in perspective. Maybe I’m not the problem. Beauty.

A single album worth of a 4 but as a double only a 3

My father would be proud of this rating

Nice

Beloved by music forum users everywhere, this album has it all. All 17 (or 21, in the expanded edition) tracks, from front to back, are great or better. And as voted by people on some subreddit somewhere, it's the best feel-good album of all time. In a strange turn of events, the album starts with a the slow, soulful ballad Love's In Need Of Love Today, and continues the relatively mellow mood with Have A Talk With God and Village Ghetto Land. It's interesting to note that Wonder performs nearly every instrument in every track. The energy really ramps up with the wacky instrumental Contusion, featuring a slew of different time signatures, key changes, and weird melodic ideas. But for some people, these sorts of songs don't quite hit the right spot. Hip-hop heads and pop enthusiasts might turn their noses up at the weird sort of home-studio feel of the opening quartet of songs. But that all changes with the one-two punch Sir Duke/I Wish. I Wish is phenomenal. It's one of my favourite songs of all time. (In fact, it's in my very short playlist of "perfect songs".) The lyrics are top-tier rascally storytelling, the bass riff is ridiculously catchy, the horn hits are amazing, and Wonder's singing is at its sassiest. The preceding track is the other hit, Sir Duke, which boasts its own insane bassline and a sort of anthemic chorus ("You can feel it all over..."). And all the instruments playing octaves of a rapid melody just after the climax... nearly as perfect as I Wish. Nearly. Pastime Paradise is a substantially better version of the spinoff Gangsta's Paradise released 19 years later. It features a lot of keyboard-string effects and a bizarre yet enchanting atmosphere. Summer Soft is another big highlight, with one of the absolute peaks of the album being the gradual semitone-modulation and increasing intensity of the repeated chorus in the song's second half. Disc is just as strong. The two main highlights are also the two hits. Isn't She Lovely is just catchy as heck (though I could do without the baby SFX – really holding my hand there with the song's meaning, Stevie). And a lovely sax part too. The penultimate song on the main album, As, is another intensity-building song. And the backing vocal hook, "Until the X / Until the Y" (ad infinitum) under Wonder's repeated "Always". Beautiful, I tell you. There's so much more to say about this record, but it's all been said before. The top-rated review sums it up: "That's what blows me away; despite the hour forty-five runtime, the songs never grow stale, and not a single track doesn't carry its weight (...) 6 out of 5 stars." 5/5 Key tracks: Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, As

Lot of hype surrounding this album. 1 hr 40 is quite long. Enjoyed Contusion. Enjoyed Sir Duke. I Wish is great, too. Isn't she Lovely is a classic as well. There is a lot of variety here. There's also a ton of songs that have been sampled-like Pastime Paradise. This album really does live up to the hype.

01) Love's in Need of Love Today - 8,0 02) Have a Talk with God - 8,5 03) Village Ghetto Land - 8,0 04) Contusion - 8,0 05) Sir Duke - 10,0 06) I Wish - 10,0 07) Knocks Me Off My Feet - 8,5 08) Pastime Paradise - 10,0 09) Summer Soft - 8,5 10) Ordinary Pain - 8,5 11) Isn't She Lovely - 10,0 12) Joy Inside My Tears - 9,0 13) Black Man - 9,0 14) Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing - 8,5 15) If It's Magic - 8,0 16) As - 10,0 17) Another Star - 10,0 TOTAL: 8,97 (90/100) Current ranking: 68/744

I know this is a masterpiece. But…I didn’t capture my attention like I’m sure it would have when it was released. Also, coolio? Haha

Honestly, I just don't get it. I get that it's good, it's just not my cup of tea.

I just don't hear a 5. It's fine and maybe I'm an idiot for not clicking with it but what can ya do.

Really enjoyable on the whole. Would have benefitted from being cut in half, 1hr 44 is definitely too long and does start to drag on but there were a chunk of fantastic songs along the way. Listening to this also makes me wish I was growing up in this era of music, some proper talent on show. Solid 4/5.

Fucker be jammin

This record is such an explosion of talent, musicianship, taste, groove and feeling. It's one of those records that draw a line between before you heard it and after.

Like most double albums, this is a mixed bag. There are some fun, groovy numbers in here and a some forgettable easy listening. Stevie overall didn't radiate with me outside of a few songs, but even at two hours, this passes the time amiably enough.

Love it. Own it.

Maybe a hot take, but this album is overrated. It's still five stars, don't get me wrong! Just not a top-five album of all time. Innervisions is even better, in my opinion.

it's a bummer they ripped off gangster's paradise. also two disks was a lot of stevie wonder. but i did enjoy some groovy beats on the bus ride today

Fun! Could definitely see his influence on others. Wish I had time to write more but I want the next album.

Solid solid album. I think I will like it more and more the more I listen to it, but it’s just too long to fully appreciate the first time through- 80/100

Pretty damn good!

Really not a fan of the filler / non-classic tracks (I didn’t realise how whiny he can be), but this had too many greats/classics to be punished too harshly…..and I feel bad for doing that on his previous offering, so…

Bit too long. Very pleasant listen though.

Plethoric

It's not perfect but not enough to give less than 5

It’s very nearly a five star record, but for me, Stevie’s oeuvres - even at their absolute pinnacle - always contain works that are overly sentimental, borderline saccharine. Key of Life is true to that form with Summer Soft, If It’s Magic, and others. One is reminded of the artist responsible for I just Called to Say I Love You. Mind you, half of the tracks are absolute classics of the era and the genre. It’s a string record and deserves the accolades it receives.

Kæmpe classic. Det er virkelig flot, føler det er et album som belønner en for at give ens opmærksomhed til hvert eneste sekund af det og selv uden det kan det nydes. Det er et stærkt funk og soul album med nogle gode tracks og jeg forestiller mig helt sikkert det er en af de største nogensinde og har inspireret mange mennesker. Det er sgu bare kæmpe også imponerende det er noget han har udgivet som 26 årig. Der er sgu bare ikke noget som lyder som ham, så det er svært ikke at give det topkarakter synes jeg.

Arguably tpo long but enough top class stuff to justify a double. Ridiculous 18th album

It's 4.5.

A really good album, but like all double albums in genres you’re not super in to, a tad too long.

The lyrics veer into sentimentality and it's a bit too long. But musically? The range of emotion and influence, the complexity of the progressions and the arrangements, the strength of the melodic ideas, the precision of the performances, and the quality of the recording are just astonishing. It is among the most extraordinary productions of all time.

Is Songs in the Key of Life one of the greatest albums ever made? Oh definitely. That's why I decided to revisit it today and give this behemoth of an album a much deserved relisten and rating. What is there to be said about this album that hasn't been said before, it manages to tackle a 1hr 46 minute runtime, one that would kill most artists careers, beautifully and in a way that makes you wish there was even more to be desired here. Stevie Wonder somehow created one of the most tight and unbreakable streaks in music. Every section, song, and note is some of the most uplifting music ever created and yet it never gets old. Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest artists and no one can take that away from him, even if he just released this album his name would be known for the rest of time. Songs in the Key of Life will forever be a classic album, and beloved by all.

Top 5 most influential albums ever made

Stevie Wonder's finest hour, and also his longest and most ecletic record. There is so much going on here. Pretty much everything you'd want from Stevie and more appear on this album at some point. Yes, it is really long. Not only is it a double LP, but it also include and extra EP at the end. But I would say it's 100% worth it. Key tracks: Sir Duke Pastime Paradise Isn't She Lovely As

Loved the record, but couldn't pay attention to the lyrics. I think Stevie requires full attention to listen to, so I have to listen again to properly love it. It is a 5 though for sure, maybe a lower one for now

Gun to my head and I can pick 1 album to listen to one more time, this is the album

One of my all time favorite albums

Stevie Wonder is all sorts of absolute magic. Just wonderful stuff from start to finish, and totally didn't know that Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise was lifted from Pastime Paradise as I'd never heard the latter until now! Favourite tracks: Village Ghetto Land, Contusion, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Saturn.

YES. There's not enough stars to rate this album.

Starts off slowly, then gets into the type of songs I was expecting. Had no idea Gangsters Paradise was a rip off of a Stevie Wonder track. Enjoyed this more than I expected to, trying to be objective it’s probably a 4 but I wouldn’t liste to it again

love

Stevie Wonder is an incredible artist with dozens of hits from his decades long career. This album features a few of those hits along with some other solid songs about civil rights. I especially liked Village Ghetto Land for the ironic instrument choice, choosing the violin setting on an electric keyboard to play a very aristocratic sounding melody while singing about life in a poor neighborhood. That said, this album was long as Hell and somewhat disjointed for me. There wasn’t a solid theme throughout or a generally interesting and engaging flow from song to song. It just kind of kept going to the point I kept checking that Spotify didn’t change albums on me. Definitely plenty to love here, but not a go to album for me moving forward.

“Sir Duke” and is such an upbeat, energetic song. The chorus of “I Wish” sounds like Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West”. “Pastime Paradise” was maybe sampled for “Gangster’s Paradise”…all of this is making me feel like I have such little knowledge about music history. So many songs from this album (or possibly even other earlier songs from other artists) sampled for songs that know so well. Really like “Ebony Eyes”

Das macht schon Spaß, bei so einem überbekannten Künstler, mit dem man sich selber nie beschäftigt hat, Songs wie „As“ wieder zu erkennen

Yes, please, and thank you…this is one of the 1089 I was waiting on; coming in early at number 50, it’s also my first 5 rating. I think we come here expecting every album to resonate like this, and well that’s why so many of us get disappointed. So, where to begin? A double album of an hour and forty minutes of some of the greatest soul, R&B, funk music ever recorded. Not only is the music amazing, the influence it had on modern pop, R&B and rap speaks for itself (you can hear Mary J Blige, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Ja Rule, Coolio, Will Smith among others who sampled and redid songs from here). The poetic lyrics discuss deep/relevant issues we can all relate to such as youth, growing up, love, parenthood, faith, politics, society; and are at the same time delivered by Stevie Wonder’s warm, smooth tenor voice. This is an instance where major influence meets high-quality art. A classic piece of music that you truly must hear before you die as it may cleanse your soul.

if the color yellow had a sound to it, I think it would be this album.

Wow, this is so good and a lot of people have sampled from this.

Stevie Wonder is a visionary. No, really. He has vision. Not blind.

What to say about one of the great double albums of all time? Or maybe just one of the greatest albums of all time, regardless of number of discs? I was thrilled to have this come up today, partially due to it being a fantastic album, but also because I’m visiting my mom and this is one we could absolutely listen to together. What a treat! Back to the question of what to say, I really can’t add much that hasn’t been said already. This is a sprawling but very consistent album with amazing performances and themes. Stevie’s singing is top notch and it’s fantastically produced. And it has timeless songs like Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, and Isn’t She Lovely. What more needs to be said?

I Don’t Have To Listen To This Again To Give It A 10

Lo de Stevie Wonder en los 70 fue algo único e irrepetible. Este es su disco más reconocido, pero cualquiera desde Music of my mind hasta este son prácticamente intercambiables en calidad e importancia. Aquí la idea era hacer un triple álbum pero no era técnicamente posible así que se vendió como doble con un EP de regalo (A Something's Extra Bonus). Ya era el rey del mundo, con un contrato que le dió libertad absoluta como artista. Un negro dominando a la industria a su antojo y además siendo reconocido como el mejor por la academia, que le había concedido varios grammys al mejor álbum en sus discos anteriores. A nivel de ventas el asunto era el mismo: este disco fue el primero en llegar a la cima en su primera semana de publicación. Un artista comprometido, vanguardista (pionero en los sintetizadores ya demás con absoluta maestría) y de un nivel superlativo. Solamente queda disfrutar del genio. La nómina de colaboradores es inmensa: Hancock, Benson, Ripperton, Sembello... Los temas más conocidos son lógicamente Sir Duke, I wish, Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, As, Another Star o Knocks Me Off My Feet pero en realidad cualquiera es magistral, por ejemplo Joy Inside My Tears.

I mean it IS long. and side two isn't quite as good as side one. but good god Stevie does NOT miss. Banger after Banger Best songs: idk man, all of them (sir duke is pretty good though)

The production quality is pretty good, but it has no noteworthy tracks or anything that stands out.

Brilliant

5/5 such a joy to listen to, not every song is a banger, but most were incredibly groovy and has such good instrumentation.

5/5, not every song was a banger but it was very consistently groovy as a baseline with a lot of giga bangers

Пока я не понимаю, почему это величайший альбом в истории музыки, но слушать песни отсюда можно в любое время дня, пору года, и так далее. Лучшая песня - Pastime Paradise.

Great voice but doesn’t hold my attention

I've fucking tried listening to this multiple times over the years and I just don't get it. So since it's here, I'll try it again. It's been a little while since I've given it a shot. Contusion is just...70s schlep. Sir Duke, did I just get a music history lesson? I Wish slaps pretty hard, but it's followed by Knocks Me Off My Feet which is just boring. He starts off by saying "I don't want to bore you with my troubles" but it's too late. I know they can't all be bangers but the hard driving funk is the best thing he does...felt the same way on Talking Book a few weeks ago. Pastime Paradise, awesome. Isn't She Lovely has always made my ears bleed. I just can't get into it. I'm not saying this is bad music or that Stevie Wonder isn't talented...this is well crafted, well produced music. And they call Stevie a genius because he absolutely is. I can see why people love this album, it's just not what I want to listen to.

Great album! Love Stevie

A masterpiece. So many great songs and so much variety.

Une conclusion s'impose à la fin de l’écoute de l’album : impossible de catégoriser Stevie Wonder. In the Key of Life parce que la vie c'est tellement de choses, c'est ça? Du talent brut et raffiné. Un artiste en état de grâce.

Yeah. I mean this album is iconic for a reason. It is so good. All the songs are interesting, great musicality, and obviously Stevie Wonder is a great singer. This album has the ICONIC songs! Liked Songs: "Love's In Need Of Love Today" , "Village Ghetto Land" , "Contusion" , "Sir Duke" , "I Wish" , "Knocks Me Off My Feet" , "Pastime Paradise" , "Summer Soft" , "Isn't She Lovely" , "Black Man" , "If It's Magic" , "Another Star" , "Saturn" , "Ebony Eyes"

liked songs: Contusion, Sir Duke, Summer Soft, Another Star Very good 4.25

Absolutely fantastic album, so feel-good and well composed and well written, basically no critiques aside from some small repetition I was a little miffed about here and there. I've not heard all that much music yet, but I feel comfortable calling this an album of humanity

timeless album fr, crazy how many songs on this have been readapted or remixed

Worthy of its classic status. I was never a fan of Stevie Wonder, per se, but I can see why people might call this the greatest album of all time. I don’t agree that it is, but it’s undeniable that the first disc is hit after hit, and the second disc begins with one of Wonder’s career-top songs. This is a must own, and my only qualm is that it feels ‘musty’, as in I’ve heard this so often in thrift stores, I associate the vibe with moth-eaten clothes. That’s a me problem though.

I remember seeing Stevie Wonder on American Bandstand with his first of many hits! This double album has many great songs but it could have been cut to one.

This album strives to fight for the greatest album. Loaded with hits, but Stevie also continued to show his ability to push music to new heights. So much instrumentation, synthesizers, and unique chords. Mmm Isn't She (the album) Lovely?

I'm a little undecided on this one... for now. There are so many great, great songs on this album, frankly, it's quite unbelievable. However, I did sort of lose focus in the last half of the second disc. I mean, that is probably both an expression of the album being a little to long (at least to my liking) and - with heavier emphasis - my lack of ability to focus. I feel I should probably come back and give the last half a second chance, because I feel if I could learn to dig that it would definitely get a 5. Actually I might just do it now. BRB Ah... I very much dislike when spotify does this; when it includes songs on the album that were not included in the original release... Normally I check, but I forgot to this time. Turns out all the songs that were included are the ones where I lost my concentration. So... I gues that makes it a 5! Incredible album

Absolute banger of an album. But it's so fucking long.

4.5/5

One of the greatest albums of all-time. A masterpiece on par with Mozart etc. Stevie in GOD MODE. 6/5

Pretty good, one song is the same as the rap one

After a few albums of @ 30 mins this one came as a bit of a shock to the system. It was quite daunting, having never listened to a Stevie Wonder album before, to be confronted with a double album running to 1 hour 45 min! I know a sprinkling of his hits but beyond that it’s pretty much Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise which heavily samples Pastime Paradise which appears on this album. Overall listening to this brought back memories of the 70’s and surprisingly Sesame Street for some reason? I quite enjoyed it, but it’s not really a genre or musician that I’d go out of my way to listen to again.

I can see why this is so highly rated.

I know the album by reputation, and know a fair amount of the tunes, but oh boy was this long! There was stuff I really liked but the length is really off putting.

Stevie Wonder is one of my favorite musicians. He has 4 albums on the list and they're all great. Many people call this his masterpiece, but it's my least favorite of the four. It has some of his best work, but also more filler than the other albums. Still solid 4 stars. Favorite song: another star

Album was a bit long so I did get a smidge bored. It sure was smooth, though!!

a perfect record!

TIL: Stevie Wonder wrote the original song “Pasttime Paradise” which was sampled heavily for Bay Area Rapper Coolio’s “Gangstas Paradise.” This album is so obviously in Prince’s influence list, as well as Michael Jackson and Ween. The album flows well and I was introduced to some great deep cuts. Only thing I have never been able to stand is Stevie’s harmonica sound. I don’t know why, but it bugs me when I think about it being a harmonica. I’m still not convinced this man is blind.

Pretty… Pretty… Pretty… Pretty Great. Wasn’t even in the mood to listen to it, but glad I did. Also, FUCK KISS’s 1998 racist ass album “Psycho Circus”. (Actually, I don’t think it’s racist, but fuck it anyway).

An extraordinary album full of gems and what have become classics, the covers of which were big moments in other prominent musician's careers. If, for any reason, you were skeptical about Stevie Wonder's genius, this album alone is enough to silence any doubts.

Pretty chill and groovy, good lyrics, a little bit sleepy overall. I'd give 3.5 if this project had half-stars, but I'll round Stevie up to 4.

Insane quality over the length of a long Disney film.

already scrobbled 3 stars

I'm not Lester Bangs. This is a powerhouse of an album. It's absolutely essential in all ways. Saying it's a 5/5 album (which it is) is not good enough and I'm simply not erudite enough of a writer to do it justice. I tried and it's vastly frustrating how short I came up in my first two reviews (yup this is my third attempt) this is why we need critics with an astonishing depth of knowledge and the kind of articulate phrasing that the average layman (that would be you & me) simply doesn't have. My dumbass is simply not well enough educated to be able to express myself properly & it sucks and frustrates the ever-loving poop out of me. So, I'll just list some Fun Facts about this masterpiece and accept that I simply don't have the words to express how great art (and make no mistake this is great art) can be so spiritually healing, how this album feels like a warm hug that you didn't even know needed but by God it feels so good. Four Fun Facts! A Five Album Run of Sheer Greatness. 1.) Songs in the Key of Life has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder's "classic period" of recording which began in 1972 with Music of My Mind followed by Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale. That's a 5-album run of sheer greatness that only a handful of recording artists have ever equaled and even fewer have surpassed- The Beatles are the only ones that come to mind at once. Even Pantera's front man is a fan. 2.) Its importance has also been recognized musicians in genres with singer Phil Anselmo describing a live performance of Songs in the Key of Life as "a living, breathing miracle" and Kanye West has stated in so many words that his ultimate artistic dream is to top Songs in the Key of Life. The Waiting Game before the Internet. 3) There was huge anticipation for Songs in the Key of Life, which was initially scheduled for release around October 1975. It was delayed on short notice for just over a year when Wonder (ever the perfectionist) felt that further remixing was essential. According to him, Motown's marketing campaign decided to take advantage of the delay by producing "We're almost finished" T-shirts. Almost out Macs Fleetwood Mac. 4.) Songs in the Key of Life is almost as good as Rumours (an album that was released around the same time as Songs in the Key of Life) IMO and by almost, I mean just about neck and neck with Rumours coming out on top by a nose- if that. Aftermath: OK, that's all I got. I will say that I have never taken so long writing a review before and with Fall falling forward by an hour today I feel like I've been at it since very early this morning. One of the few albums that lives up to the 1001 project's namesake so listen to it, give it your full attention and know that as perfect as a first listen as it is this album somehow somewhat uncannily just gets better with each listen- this is an album I have been hearing half my life and I can honestly say it has never sounded better than today.

Perfect album. No notes.

Härligt men hade kunnat trimmas ner lite

Asså jäkligt bra vibe, och ett par tidlösa klassiker, men kändes lite långdraget till slut så kände inte riktigt hype genom hela vilket tyvärr drar ner betyget lite.

Vilken Wonderful musik

Toppen!

Brilliant album. Essential classic. Diverse, innovative arrangements.

Super long album, but never once feels like it drags. Favourite track is ebony eyes, on the delux edition tracklist, an adorably cute ballad about a horse

He's a genius, but some of these ramble on a bit long.

Was surprised that for his huge double album, that it only has two? of his major hits. Those hits are the most solid tracks.

It had its moments. But it was generally too long and a bit boring.

Now we're talking...a classic double album. I could listen to this all day.

Undeniable. Great listen. Leaves me in awe.

Top 10 album of all time for me. Every song has some much to offer and you're getting songs like As and Sir Duke which aew timeless classic this is genuinely just a flawless. Nothing is more upbeat than this.

God I wanted to love this and I…didn’t. I only liked it, sigh. There are some all-time classics here and Stevie is always Stevie. He’s wonderful to listen to. But many of the songs arrangements tilted orchestral mid-‘70s, almost Muzak at points. It’s a 4, but only because it’s him.

Meh

Absolute Classic.

Perfect

4/5

Beautiful album

Wowza this is a big one. Recognize the intro of Love's In Need of Love Today from Jay-Z's 4:44. Have a Talk With God is awesome -- will have to come back to this one. Village Ghetto Land is made up of synth'd strings, but sounds great. Contusion is a wonderful prog-funk explosion of an instrumental interlude. And Sir Duke is one that everyone and their mother knows -- and rightfully so, its a jam. TIL that Gangsta's Paradise is based on a Stevie Wonder song. Isn't She Lovely is another song that everyone knows; fine little ditty. Black Man is a hell of a jam. All Day Sucker is a fucking jam through the back side. Although this was quite long, it was a great listen. The vocals and writing are fantastic end to end and the upbeat songs ripped. I'll say that there were a few points during slower songs where I sort of glazed over and lost focus. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this. High 4.

This album had tons of hits holy moly Pastime Paradise was hilarious because I had no idea it was the original for Gangster's Paradise. Plenty to like in this album, especially because it clocks in at 1:45 which is really the only downside of this whole album. The entirety of it is full of great songs. High 4, but could easily be condensed down to an hour.

Feed me all of the Stevie he has yet to get anything lower than a high 4 and I can't imagine this album will change that. Holy hell i did not know that Pastime Paradise existed and was the original track for Gangstas/Amish paradise. Just read about it and it was one of the first to use a synthesizer as a string section. That's p cool. So many hits on this one that I did not think I would know. And Another Star was an excellent way of ending the album. Album was status quo for Mr. Wonder just another incredibly well done groovy hour and a half, and I kept going into the bonus tracks because I did not want it to end.

Have really enjoyed all the Stevie Wonder we've gotten so far and I know this is his magnum opus. All jams and then we get to Sir Duke which is absolutely incredible. Having I Wish right behind it just makes this seem like a greatest hits (I know it's not). TIL this was the original Gangsta's/Amish Paradise. Isn't She Lovely has been on my chillin playlist for quite some time what a beautiful song. I can see why this is revered as one of the best albums of all time, but something doesn't click enough for me to give it a 5. Either it being too long or some songs just going on a bittttt too long to make me lose focus. Either way I can see this being a 5 from me eventually, but today it's a high-ass 4.

Excellent. Should probably be a 5, but just too many songs.

Wasnt sure it would stand the test of time, but most of it does. Some really well written music.

“Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand. With an equal opportunity, for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands!” Amen! Stevie Wonder is truly an American treasure!

Heard some songs from it before. Gorgeous album with rich instrumentation. Groovy and danceable 3/5

I started out worrying I was too cynical for this music but managed to warm up to it. Village Ghetto Land I actively disliked, then right after Contusion was rad. Sir Duke was fun. Isn't She Lovely, As, and Another Star were good. 👍Contusion

Well, well, well, if it isn't the best album of all time. What can I say about this album? Simply incomparable. Stevie Wonder keeps every single song on this album unique. Love's in Need of Love Today - Listening to this, especially the intro, is like landing in a soft, grassy meadow. Easy to get stuck in your head. Have a Talk with God - So many bits and bobbles to this track! All of the background auxiliary percussion, the background singers, harmonica flourishes? A joy to listen to. Village Ghetto Land - A jarring difference between the pompness of the "strings" in the background and the sad, stark lyrics. Love the use of the synth in this track and the lack of reverb. Emotions come through on this track. Contusion - Fuck yeah. If I could give a gripe with this album, it's that there's not more jazz fusion tracks like this. Because it fuckin' rocks. Sir Duke - One of my very first favorite songs. When I learned trumpet, this was the first some I wanted to learn. When I bought a bass, this was the first song I wanted to learn. The shout chorus is an all-timer, and the chord movement in the chorus is a thing of beauty. If I have to pick a favorite track on this album, it might have to be this one. I Wish - The bass line is elite. The brass thrown in the track and the drum fills and Stevie's screaming in the end is infectious. Knocks Me Off My Feet - If I'm honest, Stevie's slow songs very rarely do much for me. But the soul definitely comes through, the chords and their crunchy upper extensions are satisfying, and the KEY CHANGE? That's delicious, delectable even. Second half of the song really brings it home. Pastime Paradise - Wow, I can't believe Stevie ripped off Weird Al's "Amish Paradise". Honestly this one isn't totally my jam but also...you know...what influence this had on music. Summer Soft - At first you think this one is going to be overly saccharine, but then when you get to the chorus? We start to bring the funk with the bass and the drums. And remember the key change from Knocks Me Off My Feet? How about a few more of those puppies? Yum. Ordinary Pain - A lot like Summer Soft, in a way. At first you worry it's gonna be too sweet and corny, and then Stevie goes into another mode and it transforms the track into something that kind of hits you in the gut. Does it drag on too much at the end? No - it's fun to listen to all the way to the fade out. Isn't She Lovely - Another one of my favorites on the album. I think I've listened to this one enough where I can, and will at every opportunity, whistle the entire harmonica solo at the end. Joy Inside my Tears - OK I'll be honest - every album has a dud. Too slow and saccharine for my taste. Black Man - This song just makes me want to strut. Just so much funk from beginning to end, love the synthy horn punches in the background. If anyone thinks the end goes on too long, I will disagree wholeheartedly, because the beat is just so good. My only complaint is they don't name MORE black men at the end! Ngiculela - This has become a favorite for me to sing in the shower. Great chords and upper extensions, and a great book of sounds used in this song. And a great song to show off Stevie's voice. If It's Magic - In the lower tier of songs on the album, and yet it's still phenomenal. The use of harp makes it unique from the other tracks, and the reverbs harmonicas in the end wrap it up in a bow. As - Anytime Stevie gets gravelly with his voice, it's an instant classic - gives me chills every time. Love when he vamps with the constant force of the background singers holding it down. Another Star - The drums and horns almost give this a Copacabana feel, and then the jazz flute? Magnifique. We need more jazz flute in our life. Saturn - Love the triumphant vibes of this track, I feel like I am in an 80s movie and I just feel in love while winning a sports game or something. Ebony Eyes - Of all the songs on the album, this is definitely on the simpler side. And yet, it's just such a fun listen. Easy on the ears, a fun talkbox solo, easy chords that tickle the brain, just a great one. All Day Sucker - Has the "tough" energy of "Higher Ground", but not as good as Higher Ground. A good listen, but another that doesn't stand out from the crowd. Certainly unique though! Easy Goin' Evening - ...we do unfortunately end my favorite album of all time with a whimper instead of a bang - I think this one just seemed like filler and could've been kept off. But...after 1:40 of hit after hit, I'll allow a miss. So, all this being said - it's all downhill from here, unless I can be proven otherwise. Thanks Stevie for an all-time unmatched masterpiece.

This is a long ass album Stevie. I can see why this is considered a masterpiece, but honestly I could live without 4 or 5 of these songs and several of the extended intros/outros that seem to make every song 6 minutes long. You can hear the influence from this album in so much of the music from a generation later, either directly or indirectly (I had no idea “wild wild west” and “gangsta’s paradise” were direct Stevie rip offs). I also thought the sappier songs that weigh down his other albums have a little more juice on this one. Deducting a point for length (and the fake blind thing).

4.3 Deducting a half point for being fake blind. Probably essential for any record collection

Solid Stevie. Still nothing that tips into the 4+ range for me. 3.5/5

What a joy this album is. It’s a little too joyful and has a bit of an agenda (an agenda I support, but nevertheless, one that is a little distracting). Stevie Wonder’s compositions are wonderfully complex and musical. And the man can *sing*. A joy, but not one I’d leave on repeat because it may be too joyful for my tastes. A 4.

This record is overflowing with hits, influence and fun. 3.7 outta 5

I wanted to like this one a lot more. There are some great songs on here. Something was just missing for me.

Solid.

Great album - Sir Duke is a classic

What a voice. I could listen to Stevie Wonder for hours. How does he do it?

Some great songs, but a lot of very LONG songs

Wall to wall bangers. A masterpiece. A culmination of a five-album run that's arguably the greatest in the history of popular music - only slightly tripped up by Fullingness' First Finale being like a quarter notch below the other four. Flip it and Songs in the Key of Life and you have a season 5 of The Wire equivalent.

😁

Could make an argument for a 5 here. It’s crazy the influence this album has had on the music world.

Great album but too much fluff to give a 5.

It should be illegal for one person to have this much talent. So many bangers in this one, even the throwaway tracks at the end were great. WTF Stevie Wonder. Playlisted: Contusion Summer Soft Ordinary Pain Joy Inside My Tears If It's Magic Another Star Saturn

Is it good? Absolutely. But I don't think its five stars. The instrumentals are all great, as is the singing, but it's just not quite there. Too many of the songs just drag on, like they don't know how to end properly. This is especially evident on the second half of the album. However, it is still worthy of this list, but I'll give it 4 stars.

Haha I remember putting this vinyl on one of our early floor hangs at my old apartment and being like “this is one of the best albums ever!” Then we started making out and got bummed out by Village Ghetto Land and had to change theeee channnelll. It’s actually so funny to think of us making out to “families buying dog food now, babies die before they’re born…” and not knowing each other that well. I didn’t listen to this whole thing, but I have many times, and I love putting this album on to clean. Isn’t She Lovely is just so sweet

I've heard a lot of these songs but the only other time I've listened to the album was on Kate's floor on 12th Street and I was too distracted by the makeout at the time to pay attention to music properly. This time I did and wow what a work of art! I didn't make it all the way through but this is one I will be revisiting.

Beautiful, from what I can tell the last 4 songs are not apart of the original release and included as a bonus 7". I prefer it ending at "Another Star"

Disc 1 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ disc 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brilliant album. Funky and soulful. Lyrics and music were great. Never really gave any time to stevie wonder before this but I’ll defo be coming back

Double Album Sir duke I wish Isn't she lovely

too much major for me. a solid 2/10, rounded up.

A classic album, but not one for me. It was a tough sell and a harder listen, but, honestly, just not my jam.

this was just incredible front to back

I've said before that Stevie Wonder is talented and has a great voice. This remains true on Songs In The Key Of Life, but so do my previous complaints about just not quite jiving with Wonder's brand on funk, soul, and pop. Granted, Songs In The Key Of Life is an absolutely ambitious record, introducing jazz fusion into the mix. It's still too long. Still too much Stevie. Still too uninteresting to me to rate it highly.

Ok

Patch Notes The one-two punch of Sir Duke / I Wish is nerfed. It was too broken. Coolio and Will Smith were removed from admin status. That one song with Wii Menu Music mistakenly used as backing was fixed. Isn't She Lovely has been duplicated in place of all the filler tracks. Now it appears 6 or so times on the album. Seriously, when it's great it's incredible, but anyone can see this album is too long. Save some for the nineteenth, Stevie!

Incredibly strong album, Stevie Wonder at his best. However, I really do think this album suffers from too long of a runtime. Nothing here sounds bad at all but my mind can’t help but drift off and want a different soundscape, 1 hour and 44 minutes is far too long for an album that sticks to the traditional RnB sound. Looking at Content alone, it’s a 5. However while the content is great, it’s too much of the same for too long to maintain that 5. Favorite songs off this album are Sir Duke and Black Man.

I did not have enough time to listen to this properly today, like forcing down an eight-course meal during lunch break, but quality is undeniable. I’m a tired old man muttering around the dark outskirts of a brilliant festival. Hope to return someday.

A double album on a Monday? Good thing I know it backwards already, and it's probably the best ever use of the format (technically, a double plus a 7"; my dad had the original with the single perched precariously in the inner sleeve). Every song does its part, and the runtime flies by without a second thought. Hearing in sequence again is incredible - "Sir Duke" into "I Wish" into "Knocks Me Off My Feet" into "Pastime Paradise" into "Summer Soft".. christ! How much do I like this? The second song is entitled "Have A Talk With God" and even *I* think it's an unashamed banger! Parts sound way before their time - the striking second part of "Ordinary Pain" could be Mary J. Blige and there's some Public Enemy in the end of "Black Man". My secret favorite is "Village Ghetto Land"; as a keyboard nerd, the baroque orchestral sounds Stevie teases from his GX-1 are phenomenal. The whole experience even ends properly, with instrumental "Easy Goin' Evening" harking back to the prior delights as if playing over the closing credits of a movie. Incomparable. Should have been strapped to the Voyagers.

The upbeat material here is very, very good. I can see the influence on a lot of the funk artists I enjoy. The slower, easy listening stuff can be a bit of a slog. Still, this is clearly a very high quality album

really enjoyed this one

What a truly special album. Either disk would be a masterpiece all on its own. Love's in need and Isnt she lovely set the tone beautifully for each side. I keep trying to pick a stretch of songs to shout out but I can't decide where to stop, its all so good. Sir Duke and I wish back to back. The last half of Ordinary Pain. The whole album flows so beautifully, both conceptually and sonically. As. My personal pick for the greatest album of all time.

Over rated

Vraiment bien rien a dire !

J'aime trop la soul, Stevie Wonder le goat je le savais bon mais là c'était de la très bonne.

già solo il titolo dell’album è un fatto oltre all’ovvietà del fatto che è bellissimo da ascoltare, è anche pieno di riflessioni sulla vita nelle sue sfumature quindi veramente questo è proprio cinque cinque

Che gli vuoi dire a quest’album. Tutte tracce bellissime. Grande voce e grandi arrangiamenti e una serie di brani iconici. L’unica cosa dura 1h 45 che per i miei gusti è un pochino tanto. Vabbè ma comunque 5/5

peak clamoroso

Classic. Surprisingly a couple duds, but lots of Stevie songs I hadn't heard before on the album that are just as good of bangers as his other classics.

1hr and 40m of pure genius.

good, but not for me !

I've never seriously listened to Stevie Wonder. I've been missing out. Obviously, I've heard a few of these songs before. I definitely recognized Sir Duke. I don't think many artists could get away with having both jazz and a string orchestra backing them in the same album, but it works here. It still felt cohesive even though some tracks were clearly more serious and others more casual and fun. At least, that's what I thought through the first 45 minutes. The last hour was boring and sporadic, a combination I didn't know was possible. It was all over the place and didn't make much sense. I appreciated a couple songs, but most should have been left off the album. It could have been so much better, but he overdid it.

Pretty good. Great voice, great lyrics, groovy and fun instrumentals. Nothing not to like, but for me, just not the exact style of music I listen to. This is about as good as a album can get without me wanting to come back to it. Maybe a song here and there, but not the whole album again. It's also iconic, so bonus points there for what it's worth.

Just a near perfect record already owned it

This was quite magical and lovely! Some of the songs went on a bit with the outros but otherwise it was a fantastic album. Lots of bangers!

Tip top

What a timeless banger of an album. It has really grown with me over the years in different phases of life, and expresses so beautifully a lot of what life is, layers and different parts of experience. It's worth listening to many times over time. Accomplished, beautiful, far-ranging music. Real, expansive, devotional. Brilliant record.

OK? -ish? I guess? Just terribly long. 5/10

Yeah it was pretty good. The length of the album is crazy though.

Muy bueno, aunque no es un estilo que me enganche mucho tiempo seguido. Temazos inolvidables.

Stevie Wonder is a genius, and this is just a really feel good album. Easy 5

This one actually kind of annoyed me. I found all the embellishments on the singing tedious. The synth got tiresome and the lyrics were mostly pretty lame. Three quarters of the way through most of the songs I was looking to see how much time was left. Sorry, Stevie. (I was in a pretty bad mood when I listened to this one. Feeling better now and can appreciate it but it’s still not my favourite. Bonus points for gangsters paradise and wild Wild West)

You don't have to like this record, but if you don't, and I meet you, we're gonna fight.

9/10

03/10/2025 I just find his work a little too long and boring. Spotify listeners: 18.8 million

Great performance. Highly influential. Super boring for a lot of the double album.

Always a joy to listen to Stevie Wonder, doubly so after listening to most of the trash on this list of 1001 (plus) albums.

Really enjoyed the first volume. Beautiful album, but not something I would regularly listen to.

High highs, but a lot of songs drag on.

Amazing Album

So much soul, groove, positivity and musicality. Easy 5 stars

I know it's illegal not to like this but I just don't really like this...

Damn. Double album of non-stop gold. Maybe the easiest 5 I've given

Perfect

4/5

gangsta paradise original version

Je suis pas le plus grand fan et c’est baad long

96/100. This is a record that doesn’t just sound good. It feels good. Even when he’s singing about pain or struggle, there’s warmth in his delivery. It’s not just that the songs are well-written. It’s that they care. With this much music, there are moments that feel like gentle dips in energy. But that’s also part of what makes it so human. It’s not perfect in structure. It’s perfect in intention.

My Favorite Stevie Wonder Album

At first glance It was meh. After half an hour It started to shine. Now, the more I listen to it, the more I like It. Stevie has conquered me.

Dios mio como empezar, este album es literalmente ARTE, los instrumentales son espectaculares, Stevie habla de todos los temas posibles mientras te hace vibear con lo que es probablemente el set de canciones mas sampleado de la historia. Siendo un doble album de tal extension, la calidad y consistencia de este proyecto es simplemente BRUTAL. Lo mejor del soul/funk y lo mejor de Stevie. Tuve que contenerme para no agregar todas las canciones a mi playlist, no darle un 10/10 sería un crimen. La ilusión que me hizo despertar y ver que iba a ir a la facultad escuchando esto habla por si misma🙏🏻

Espectacular. Suena tan grande y relevante como dicen que es. Esteban tiene un sentido del ritmo que no tiene nadie. Pido perdón por no haber escuchado suficiente música suya, intentaré hacerlo a partir de ahora La de samples y covers que han salido de este álbum es heavy. Favs: I Wish, Black Man, As

Poco que decir de uno de los mejores álbumes de la historia. Este ni siquiera es mi álbum fav de Stevie y aún así me parece la divina papaya. Muy pocos artistas pueden presumir de una discografía y de un arsenal melódico tan bueno. Su voz es icónica, sus melodías son antológicas y sus canciones suenan importantes y memorables. El paraguas temático de Stevie no parece tener fin, y su creatividad a la hora de componer, tampoco. 1h44 min de doble álbum + A Something's Extra sin precedentes en mi opinión, cada canción es mejor que la anterior y mirad cuantas hay. Simplemente otro rollo. Favs: todas, pero especialmente... As Another Star Summer Soft Sir Duke (did you know this was sampled for an ICONIC hip hop song) I Wish (did you know this was sampled for an ICONIC hip hop song) Pastime Paradise (did you know this was sampled in an ICONIC hip hop song) HE'S JUST THAT RELEVANT

Honrando a su título, son Songs in the Key of Life, y como en la vida misma, con este disco te ríes, lloras, reflexionas, y en definitiva, sientes. Es un disco muy humano, y al igual que cualquiera de su especie, tiene muchísimas capas a las que no les voy a poder hacer justicia por mucho que me ponga a escribir. All killer no filler. Las 5 estrellas más merecidas del mundo. PS: Hasta el rapero de tu barrio sampleó alguna canción de este disco. Influencia innegable. A la playlist: todo el disco.

449/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

Bangers

Not my type for Music 1,5

I’m not a big Stevie Wonder guy but this was pretty good. I like his more uptempo songs, the funkier ones and ones with horns. The ballads/“message” songs were boring and cheesy. Also, while the album length never got excruciating I still think this could have been way shorter. First thing he could’ve done is cut out the 3 minutes at the end of songs that were just repeating the same thing over and over. And the kids yelling the skin colors of famous people was unnecessary. We got the message of the song from the song, it wasn’t subtle, none of his message songs are subtle.

Is going to be played once again for sure

historic!! lovelovelove

Stevie has a wonderful voice and I really enjoyed a handful of songs such as Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely, and As. But this album simply didn't catch my attention for whatever reason. I can tell this is a great album, but it isn't for me.

Had no idea gangsters paradise was taken from this album. Funky stuff. Liked it

So many highlights. Never outstays its welcome. No bloat. Interesting throughout. An easy 5.

Astro!

This is such a great record. Just very heartfelt, and extremely musical. Stevie Wonder is a national treasure.

I cannot keep starting to listen to Songs In The Key Of Life only to find that it's two days later and I'm only three quarters of the way through. This is clearly a work of inarguable talent and possibly a masterpiece in a string of masterpieces. I mean, did you notice that this was Stevie Wonder's eighteen album? Yes, and he was twenty-six years old when it came out--just mind boggling.

the one thing i keep thinking as i try and sit down write a review for the third day in a row: this album is overwhelming (-ly good). if i really cared to, i could probably sift through this albums almost two hour run time to find SOMETHING to critique... but you know what? i don't want to. almost every song was a hit. stellar album. great listening. unquestionable classic. highlights - saved almost every song from this album, but special shout out to saturn

Beste album tot nu toe. Veel bekende nummes en mooie nieuwe nummers geluisterd

A couple of 4 or 5 star songs on this album. I liked this one slightly more than the previous Stevie Wonder album, but it is quite long and by the end I felt like I had more than my fill.

Mastery of several instruments. Mastery of rhythm. Mastery of lyricism. Mastery of the genre. Influential in ways I never knew. If this isn’t a 5 star album I don’t know what will be.

Some great songs, and what a voice! I wanted the bass to be dialed up a little funkier and some of the songs dont know when to end (looking at you joy inside my tears)

I was expecting this to be 5-starrer for me, what can I say I guess I'm more of an Innervisions guy. Some of it just went on a little too long for my warped 2025 brain, but Stevie Wonder in the 1970s was on fire.

Очень музыкальный, интересный и крутой альбом. Но почти все песни можно было смело делать на несколько минут короче. Тогда бы и альбом стал меньше по времени и более динамичный. Хотя наверное в семидесятых это было не так актуально

So verstücklet glosed dasi gar nüm weiss öbs bahnbrechend gsi isch oder biz überdurchschnittlich. Guet ischs sicher sehr gsi! Und mal d OG version vo Paradise z lose het sehr spass gmacht. Lehn mi vlt biz us em zugfenster aber ich denke vier Weltwunder het de Stevie verdient

Nüd speziels. Stevie mängmal biz boring gsi. Bar gueti tracks aber zwenig für es 4i. Classy 3er grümpelkiste Cheerio from se van

he's back with a bang boys! herzlich willkome zu minere nachhol-journey vo de letschte paar wuche album klöpp – ih dere serie widme ich mich vereinzelte albene wo ich's gfühl han sinds wert zum nache lose… wenn ich aber euchi bewertige ahluege vo de letschte wuche muessi säge hani nöd vill hochkarätigs verpasst – drum bini wahrschinli sehr glii wieder up to date. aber trotzdem: leave a like and smash that subscribe button! und will d'5er quote erschreckend tüüf gsi isch (null 5is weni mi da nöd tüüsche) muessi luege dass es wieder mit rechte dinge zue gad und lah direkt es 5i lah ligge I've said it before and I'll say it again: d'welt wär en bessere ort wenn das album ih de dauerschleife uf jedere geburteabteilig wür laufe! hed de stevie eifach sponti dänkt ach chum für mis 18. album packi mal so richtig us und liefere eu 105 min musikalischi masterclass – merci für de <3

just awesome

Seriously this guy is a genius. How does he do it?!

Incredibly wide ranging effort from Stevie. A classic

It's alright. Kinda trying hard to sound like Frank Ocean at times.

Wow, so many notable songs came from this album. Also I had no idea that Gangster's Paradise was built off of a sample, a sample from Stevie Wonder no less.

The culmination of an unbelievable run of albums from Wonder. An absolutely incredible set of songs that never lets up and barely drops in quality from superb despite the sheer number of tracks on this. The best ever double album? Possibly. The best ever soul album? Also, possibly. It's nearly perfect. Fave track on this listen: I can't pick between As or Isn't She Lovely - and I could easily pick so many others.

Grammy bait

Alright, my second Stevie Wonder album, and it's the big one. I'll keep it short, this probably isn't my favorite album of all time or anything, but after listening to this I think there's an argument that this is the greatest album ever. And I really can't think of anyone off the top of my head who I think is "better" at music than Stevie Wonder. Like the magnitude of the accomplishment here is not lost on me. This is basically as close as anyone has ever come to just like creating 21 consecutive, perfect songs. And it keeps the quality up for longer than many feature length films. The only "complaint" I have is that after the magnificent Love's In Need Of Love Today, we have a few weaker songs before getting back up to speed. Weaker is relative, Have A Talk with God, Village Ghetto Land, and Contusion are still better than many artists' best, it's just that after this run we get Sir Duke immediately and you remember how the rest of this album sounds. These songs manage to be so complex and groove *so* hard, it's frankly improbable. And every once in a while, Stevie Wonder realizes that he's found a groove so good that he just has to ride it out for like three minutes: and he's always right. Additionally, I just learned that Gangsta's Paradise is an interpolation, so that rocked my world quite a bit. But yeah, this is pretty much just immaculate, damn near perfect for way longer than should be physically possible.