Stevie Wonder 'Songs in the Key of Life' (1976) - The album the world needs to revisit

Andrew and Diamond finally get to an album they've been looking forward to since launching the podcast, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. 

Everyone knows at least a few of the numerous hits from Songs in the Key of Life — "Isn't She Lovely," "I Wish," "Sir Duke," "As" — but as Andrew and Diamond learn, Stevie Wonder's 1976 opus is packed with funk, soul, jazz and salient social commentary from track 1 to track 21. 

Just 26 years old at the time of its release, Songs was the 18th (!) studio album of Stevie's recording career, and he was as inspired as ever. Andrew and Diamond discuss why the album is so vital and how they each wish they found it sooner!

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Episode Transcript

(00:15):
Hi guys, Good morning America.And I said that I was gonna stop
saying no, Right did you say? I think you said you're gonna try
some different ones? Okay, Wellthat felt fresh to me. I liked
it, so it's staying in.Hey, everybody, it's Diamond and Andrew.
This is the at First Listen podcast. We're working out the Kings.

(00:40):
It's a Friday for us, forus, for you, it's a Thursday.
But for us it's a Friday,and that's great. No, it's
been a week. No, ithas been a week. Yes, and
that's why it's not a great Friday, because I just want to go take
a nap. You know, Imay fall asleep right here if this album
that we're going to review today isn'tgood. But I doubt that that's gonna
happen. I would be shocked ifyou fell asleep during this. Andrew,

(01:06):
do you want to tell everyone whatthey should be excited to listen to?
All Right, we're finally doing it. Stevie Wonder's songs in the Key of
Life. It's happening. I'm soexcited. I feel like I've missed out
on music by not listening to thisalbum, Like when we were talking about
albums that we'd never listened to fromstart to finish, and this one came

(01:29):
up, I'm like, what,am I a loser? Yeah? Like,
how have I not listened to thefull album both sides, which you
know I'm reluctant about because it's sodamn long. But it's a part of
history, right, It is history, And I thinking about my history with
Stevie Wonder and about what I knowabout this record. I feel like children

(01:52):
are just born knowing who Stevie Wonderis, but you then have to do
like an extra step of work toactually be familiar with his music, because
I can't remember hearing a Stevie Wondersong on the radio, really, I
don't think so my first Are thereany stations here that play Stevie Wonder Maybe

(02:15):
light FM maybe, but in NewYork as a whole, we are a
WBLS probably yeah, but that's probablymaybe some of the jazz stations. Maybe.
I don't know. My first realStevie Wonder experience, I guess would
be it is kind of embarrassing,but it's okay. So Black History Month

(02:37):
at school when I was in elementaryschool, we all had to pull a
famous black person out of a hatand mine with Stevie Wonder. We had
to give a presentation presentation. AndI don't know where I got this idea
from, but I decided to dressup as Stevie under and have a fake

(03:01):
piano and lip saying. I justcalled to say I love you to the
class. That was my presentation.I did nothing else, like I didn't
tell anybody about him like I didn't. I think maybe I had to do
a book report, but as faras presenting to the class, I think
this may have been fifth grade.But listen, I did so well that

(03:23):
they made me do it at theBlack History Month assembly in front of the
entire school. I had the glasseson, I was swaying the head and
YouTube wasn't out yet, so Idon't know where I know that it was
really good. Okay, so thatwas probably my first real Stevie Wonder experience.

(03:46):
Fast forward today, that's all youhave to do because everyone knows who
Stevie Wonder is exactly. But fastforward to today. I have some questions
about whether the man is actually blind. We won't go into that, but
I am on that conspiracy theory train. You need, you need to remind
me. There's a So I reada lot of memoirs and there's a passage

(04:08):
in one of the books that Iwas reading about a Stevie Wonder encounter that's
really funny, and I want toread in the second half of the show.
Please do. And I'm hoping thatbecause I wasn't ready today, otherwise
I would do right now. Ihope it goes with the theory, because
I do not think that that manis blind. I think that maybe legally
blind had a different definition back then, and maybe that was it and he

(04:30):
just has to play the part.Sorry for anybody who's upset about this questionable
beliefs, Yeah, I don't.I don't think I agree with you.
But the the idea that he's fakingblindness is kind of a like an innocent
sort of accusation, Like it doesn'tchange anything. He's still awesome. Yeah,

(04:53):
yeah, Like it's not like it'snot like he had all these hit
records because he was blind, Likeit has nothing to do with it.
Almost probably made it more challenging ifin fact it's true. I don't,
I don't know. Whatever, we'renot I'm not gonna get canceled because of
the things that I have to sayon this episode. I have to like,
maybe he was such a big RayCharles fan that it's just an affectation.

(05:15):
No, okay, can I saywhat I really think it is?
And sure I could cut this outwhatever. I think that back then,
if you were legally blind, theycould just say he's blind. I've heard
some stories. I don't think.You know, what are you gonna do?

(05:38):
Like Shaq has a story of youguys. I don't want to tell
the story, but it has todo with Shaq getting on an elevator with
Stevie and Stevie saying hey, Shackbefore anyone could tell him that it was
Shack. So I don't know.Shaq could be a liar. Okay,
Well, Shaq is also over threehundred pounds. So if Stevie knew that

(05:59):
Shack was in the area and he'son an elevator and the elevator suddenly goes
down a little bit without changing floors, I don't know. I don't know,
I don't know, I don't know. We know the man is confident.
There's just another big guy and he'slike, Shack, Now it wasn't
and he didn't Okay, Hello,is that you shack. I won't be

(06:21):
able to put the audio in herebecause I just I don't know if we
could do that legally, so I'mjust gonna leave it alone. But I
don't know this becomes just a conspiracystuff episode. We are like, literally,
we are stuff the stuff they don'twant you to know. And We're
five minutes in and I'm already turninglisteners away, so I'm going to shut
up. Is there anything that you'reexcited about. I am excited to finally

(06:46):
get through the whole record. Ihave some experience with music on this album.
I did try to listen to itonce before we started doing the podcast.
It's really long, so I Igave up maybe by side too.
But since we've been talking about listeningto this record, I really wanted to,

(07:11):
and because we need to record theintro before listening, I have been
sort of putting it off, andso it's gonna be I'm maybe in the
best state of mind I possibly couldbe to record this episode because I could
finally freely listen to this album asit's just been like floating around the top
of my downloads for months now,literally months. I'm excited. I'm very

(07:36):
excited. That didn't sound excited,but I really am because I really feel
like, for some reason, tome, Stevie Wonder is like the epitome
of good music. Yeah right,Like everyone has him on this pedestal.
Stevie Wonder is what we all grewup hearing about Prince and there there's a

(08:00):
lot of similarities between their careers.They both started pretty young, they both
accomplished incredible things in their mid twentyBy their mid twenties, they both used
to record everything themselves insane, likePurple Rain I think was the first album
that Prince recorded with other musicians withoutjust playing literally everything himself, and Stevie

(08:26):
used to do that too, Andon this there's a ton of musicians as
well as the reason I know somesongs on this album is because of Nathan
Watts, who was Stevie's bass playeron this record and his bass player for
I think, on and off fora number of years. Do you want

(08:48):
to go into the facts now,because so this is insane. This is
why they call them Stevie Wonder.I mean, it's not just the is
he blind or is he not blind? Stevie got his first record deal at
eleven years old. Insane. Bornin nineteen fifty. By nineteen sixty two,

(09:13):
his first album came out, whichmakes songs in the Key of Life.
His eighteenth studio album is Literally hewas blown twenty six years old.
He had ten studio albums by thetime he was eighteen. That's insane.
He was throwing him out there.I got a what I got in multiple

(09:33):
in a year, yeah, forsure. And it seems like after he
became an adult he slowed down alittle bit. He was still putting out
like I think it was like oneevery two years at the minimum. But
yeah, I mean that's it's hardto imagine you're the parent of a blind

(09:56):
child who is just a pretty he'djust musician, Like, you can't even
keep up with how how crazy geniusthis kid is musically, and then somehow
he gets an opportunity to get signedto a record label. I can't imagine
being his parent or guardian. Idon't know what Stevie's family life is,

(10:20):
what that story is about, butletting your kid be in the music industry
at eleven as a solo artist,it's a little scary. Hit his first
hit by thirteen years old. Ialmost wonder what their blueprint was for him.

(10:41):
Yeah, you know, like becausethis is pre Jackson five exactly.
This is pretty like the Partridge Familyeven. Yeah, that's a little scary.
Yeah, like what did you likea few years a few years earlier?
Maybe actually during this time, themob is basically running the music into
history. I don't know if thatwas necessarily sarily the case in Michigan where

(11:05):
he was from, but like there'sstories of like like songwriters asking for money
and being like hung out windows.Oh sorry, I don't mean, but
things like that really really scare me. I beinge the Sopranos not too long
ago. These these images are freshin this mind of mine. Okay,

(11:28):
I'm excited. Yeah, oh therewas there was one more fun fact that
we skipped over. This album almostnever was written or recorded. This came
out in seventy six. A coupleof years earlier, Stevie talk started talking
about moving to Ghana, and thisis especially relevant today. Stevie's known,

(11:54):
in addition to his musical being ayou know, a child pride prodigy and
everything, been very focused on charitywork for much of his life, and
I think that's why he tends topop up on things on TV. Because
of that charity component, he wantedto move to Ghana, specifically to bring

(12:16):
aid to children who were growing upwith disabilities. Think about Stevie as a
disabled person. He was very passionateabout this, and I guess he has
some family ties to Ghana, sohe reconsidered, you know, he's in
his mid twenties, maybe focus onmy career. I'm in the prime.

(12:39):
I've got ideas and everything. Also, like three record labels were throwing money
in him. But a few daysago, as we're recording this, he
was granted Ghani's citizenship in a ceremonyat Across. Yeah, that's what I'm
talking about, Stevie. I'm goingto Gana later this year. Really well,

(13:01):
yeah, I'm speaking it into existence. I'm not backing out like I'm
going. I don't care how longI have to take off of work.
No, I'm kidding. Elvis,if you're listening, disregard all right,
you ready, Yes, let's doit. So we'll be right back and

(13:22):
we will be talking songs in theKey of Life that at First Listen.
And we're back with at First Listenpodcast with Diamond and a Surviving I'm still

(13:48):
here. Whatever it was that gotme in Italy's back. I'm so sorry.
We'll make this the shortest. Thisis not my normal voice. I
just want everyone to know God,normally I can breathe out of my nose.
Today's not one of those days,but they do happen. Oh my

(14:09):
god. Well, I know thisis a very long album, but hopefully
we can ride through this as quicklyas possible so that you can breathe,
okay, because I feel terrible foryou. Yeah, I got my noses
is stuffed up, algies are killingme and my laptop started making a whirring

(14:31):
sound. It's all of a sudden, So, yeah, things are going
well for me. How about you. I'm great. I am great.
I can't lie. I couldn't reallysleep last night, so that sucks.
But other than that, had agreat, long, long weekend with family,
so I can't really complain. OhI'm kicking things whatever. And the

(14:56):
album Songs and Key of Life byStevie Wonder, I mean it was really
cut. What a beautiful record.It really is, like in every sense
of the word. Musically it's beautifuland you can really sense Stevie's just heart
and care that went into this record. All these humanitarian causes that he dedicates

(15:22):
so much time to. You reallyhear it in this album, and even
some of the songs that weren't likemy favorite jams are still ones that you
have to respect the place that he'scoming from, and like maybe it's maybe
it's like, all right, thissounds like an album track, This is

(15:43):
a deep cut, but there's areason that this is on this album.
And especially when we're talking about hisrelationship with Africa, he almost didn't make
this album. He wanted to,He wanted to move to Africa to work
with children who had abilities, andthen he puts out this beautiful record which
is in so many ways like atribute to all aspects of life, whether

(16:08):
you're struggling, whether you're having thegreatest day of your life, whether you're
feeling nostalgic, Like it's all onhere and I think I'm gonna listen to
a lot of Stevie Wonder. I'mnot gonna wait to do more episodes on

(16:29):
it, like we should, butlike there's there's a lot more of this
man's catalog that I want to listento, and I'm not gonna wait,
you know, another six months toget another episode on the podcast feed for
it. Okay, where do youwant to start. Let's start with the
first track. I made notes onmy thing about just what I want to

(16:51):
say, some of my thoughts,and we can just oh and I see
I didn't do that for the lastfour tracks. Well, it's it's a
long record. It too long,but it's one of those things that like
gets you through a day. You'relistening for a long time. While listening,
I would forget that I was listening, and then something would catch me
as usual and I'm like, oh, this just sounds so good, or

(17:14):
like, oh, Stevie, whatare you talking about here? I like
that, you know what I mean, He's talking about some real stuff.
And I think our criticism of PurpleRain, like we wanted that record to
sound in the production sense the waythis one sounds. This one feels so
good to listen to. Everything isjust warm and you feel like you're in

(17:41):
the room and like it sounds likethe lighting is good. You know,
it's it's a weird thing to articulate, but it for me, it felt
like the weather outside. Sure.Yeah, especially like if we would have
done this during the winter, itwould have been like, Okay, actually
it probably would have made us feeleven better about the cold air and stuff

(18:04):
like that. This just felt warmand breezy to me. I just felt
like I was outside even though Iwasn't in My house was very hot and
stuffy this past weekend, So likeit just made me feel very preezy.
Yeah. So track one, Love'sin Need of Love Today your thoughts?
Uh? I almost said ten outof ten, But I think it's because

(18:27):
like it almost became nostalgic for mesince we listened three times. I'm like,
I know this, but Les,but I really enjoyed it. Is
this one of the songs that Iwrote the lyrics down to. No,
but I liked it. I meanthat there was there's nothing for me to

(18:49):
critique here. It just yeah,I think it has an incredible melody,
as everything does. I also reallyappreciate the lyrical idea where he's personifying on
the first track the concept of loveand it's he's just like, yeah,
it's hard out there, even foreven for abstract principles, Like even abstract

(19:18):
principles need hugs. Yeah. Soit's like kind of a kind of a
sad song, a little bit wistful, but it's also hopeful in a way.
As with all the tracks on thisalbum, a lot of them also
started off with a bang, along song, which we know that I
dread, but it didn't feel thatbad. Now none of these songs,

(19:40):
and these songs are all really long, and none of them feel that way.
A lot. I think it's alot of there's a lot of solos
like bridge solos with but it's alwaysa different instrument. Yeah, And I
think some of that is that Stevieplays everything and has you know, so
much talent that he's just putting ona record. But also this is an

(20:03):
album that he did with a fullband, and there's like like dozens of
people credited, and so I thinkhe wanted to give some of those musicians
time to shine. And all thesolos are so good it doesn't strike you
as like this is a show offpart, you know, No, just
ten out of ten. I mean, I'm gonna say that over and over,

(20:26):
guys, So be prepared because thisis literally how I felt about it.
Have a talk with God, how'dyou feel? I was trying to
figure out the synth sound that startsthis song. Synthesizers were pretty much pretty
new technology in the mid seventies,and they were getting used a lot,
and like pop and rock and funkbands and R and B bands, And

(20:48):
I'm sure that I've heard this exactone before, and I was trying to
figure out I thought it was maybea Steve Miller band song, could or
maybe a Joe Walsh song. Icouldn't identify it, but that sounding and
of itself was very nostalgic. Ialso like the idea of the song where
it it's like as close to awarning as you would imagine Stevie wonder kats

(21:14):
with anything. He's like, listen, you have strayed, sir, Listen,
you need to talk to someone,and that someone should be your creator.
Oh my god, I have atalk with God. What how did
you feel about Village Ghetto Land?I loved this song. It was one

(21:36):
of the songs that I started overwhich I don't even know. Have we
ever talked about whether we can orcannot do that, or should or shouldn't
do that? Maybe this should beagainst the rules, but I definitely started
this song. No, I thinkthat's fair, especially if I think skips
are where it gets dicey. Ifyou want to listen to a song again,
I think that makes sense because I'vedefinitely skipped it before, not this

(21:57):
album, or maybe I gotta goback and look. But I really enjoyed
the song. It was something aboutthe song that caught me very early on
that was just a feeling for me. And then you listen to the lyrics
and it like, well, what'sgoing on? Who's Robin and Stalin?
Stevie like, what's going on?But it just it touched me. I

(22:18):
really liked it. Yeah, Ithink in terms of just like a pure
listen like, it doesn't groove likesome of the other more upbeat songs on
the record. It's it's a slowertempo, there's it's got sort of a
classic album cut vibe, if thatmeans anything. It's not as as gripping

(22:41):
as the rest of the album,like musically, But when you think about
the message that he was putting outon a pop record in the mid seventies,
you know, in the midst ofblack power movement, you know,
it's again, it's very clear whereStevie is coming from and the concerns that
he has about our modern society andspecifically about American society and the way America

(23:11):
treats poor people. I couldn't findif this was a specific city that he
was writing about. It gave me, oh yeah, even though I know
it probably wasn't because he's from Michigan. Yeah exactly, but but all the
ghettles are the same across America.So to me, it just was like,

(23:33):
like I felt it. I reallydid. So there's there's some lines
of broken glasses everywhere. It's abloody scene. Killing plagues the citizens unless
they own police, Like damn,sounds like Brooklyn. Now, now some
folks this is the last couple oflines. Now, some folks say that

(23:57):
we should be glad for what wehave. Tell me, would you be
happy in village ghetto land? Tellme, Eric Adams. I'm just saying
it. Really, it really strucka chord. Yeah, because we'll say,
and the sad thing is it's ithasn't changed that much, no,

(24:19):
and that this was decades before Diamondwas born. Stevie was. I don't
even want to say way ahead,way ahead of his time, because he's
talking about things that really should betaken more seriously. But like you said,
it's still happening. So the factthat he was feeling this way years

(24:41):
and years ago. And also wewant to think about the fact that,
like he was eighteen albums in yeah, and this is so like fresh and
vivid in his mind. To me, that's a little scary as well,
because he wasn't fully removed from it, right, Yeah. No, his

(25:02):
his ability to paint a picture aboutsuch specific things when I mean there's the
can he actually see an angle ofit? But also like by the time
Songs and the Key of Life comesout, he is a huge star exactly.
So he's not visiting You wouldn't thinkhe's not visiting the ghettos in the

(25:26):
city. He's seeing the nicest partsof the cities. But he's still so
in tune with what is happening inhis country and in other countries around the
world that he puts this as trackthree on his Grammy winning album, his
album that sells more records than anyalbum in nineteen seventy six and almost and

(25:49):
all but one album in the followingyear. As we talked about this is
track through it. I wonder ifthis open people's eyes to no pun intended,
sorry, if it opens if itopened people's eyes to what was really

(26:10):
going on, you know what Imean? Because imagine you're someone in a
suburb of America who is listening tothis, it paints a very vivid picture
unless they're covering, you know,gang violence on the evening news or in
your local newspaper, which why wouldyour local newspaper cover this? If you're

(26:33):
living in the suburbs in the middleof nowhere, America, you have no
way of knowing, And so likedoes this paint the picture for you?
It paints it for me. ButI'm like, you know, I know
this, I've seen this. Iimagine it would feel it would be so

(26:55):
so out of uh, out ofyour perv you that you might not even
understand it. Like like you,I'm thinking about where I grew up,
and if I didn't have the Internetand didn't have any clue of like what
was going on in other places inAmerica, I might be like, why

(27:17):
is he making up this city whereverthey sucks? You know. So it's
actually it's like maybe a bit ofjournalism, which I think this whole album
could be considered that, like youknow what I mean. Like Stevie was
an activist, okay, and Ithink that everyone can't be on the front

(27:42):
lines of social issues, but thiswas his way of doing a lot of
it, you know what I mean, and you feel, you feel every
step of the way on this album, the care that he had for other
people, and almost like a needfor this record to be made, like

(28:04):
he needed to get these things outand share them with people. Yeah.
Contusion instrumental. Yeah, it tookme a second to realize that I wasn't
gonna get anything other than music.It's like, wait, are the words?
What's going on? It felt almostit's too long to be an interlude.

(28:30):
But in this case, it kindof felt like that for me,
especially because the entire the album isfull of like seven minute tracks and this
instrumental is what about three four?So it felt short, like you know,
like these days, it probably wouldhave been a minute and thirty seconds
of an instrumental which I keep hitin the mic. Someone would think he's

(28:55):
waving her hands around. Yeah,I'm like talking with my hands hays.
So anyway, long story short,if like an interlude for me, it's
not an interlude, it's just aninstrumental song. No, but I'm saying
it felt like that because a lotof these songs are so long by comparison
to the other songs. Okay,I gotcha. So for me, knowing
that Stevie used to track his albumsall himself where he play every instrument,

(29:22):
knowing that that was like part ofhis legend, I wanted to puke and
frantically looked up the credits for thissong because I was like, if Stevie
Wonder can play guitar like that,not that that's the most like blindingly challenging
guitar, the sort of lead instrumentin the song, not that it's like

(29:45):
the most challenging thing, but it'splayed like someone who It's written and played
like someone who plays guitar, whospecializes in playing guitar, And it would
just really would have ruined my dayif that was Stevie Wonder doing it.

(30:06):
Did you look at it? Yes, it's a guitarist named Mike Simbello who
was actually nominated for an Academy Awardin nineteen eighty three Wow, for a
song called Maniac, which he sangand co wrote. But so Mike Simbelo
quite an impressive feature on this song. So that's like a little jazz fusion

(30:30):
vibe. Honestly, I didn't knowthat Stevie had that in his catalog as
well, because like that was avery like hip sound for the mid seventies
there that fusion sort of genre.It was a bit of a combination between
like bebop in the jazz movement andlike some of the rock and blues rock

(30:53):
that was happening in the late sixtiesand early part of the seventies. So
like the consummate fusion band of thisera would be like this band called weather
Report, and then there's another bandcalled the Dixie Drags, which maybe was
starting around this time, but it'slike super challenging music, almost four musicians.

(31:18):
So again that's track four. That'snormally where like the hit goes,
if you're not gonna start with thehit track, you would put that like
track four, And that's like ajazz fusion instrumental for this record. So
another like very almost subversive move byStevie to place that where it is.
But it also like everyone's going tolisten to side one. Everyone's going to

(31:41):
hear that, right, you know, sir Duke, I mean, where
do you even start? So thisis Stevie giving us some recommendations for the
podcast. Basically you think, so, yeah, so let me ask you,

(32:06):
do you know I guess it's thepre chorus when he goes Bassie,
Miller, Satchmo and the King ofall Sir Duke and with a voice like
Ella's ringing out, there's no waythe band could lose. Do you know
who he's talking about? Uh,Basie, Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington,
Yeah, that's sir, dude.Hold on, let me go, Okay,

(32:29):
Satchmo, I took a jazz class, Okay, okay, uh so,
I definitely do know that these areall I know clearly, Ella Fitzgerald,
right, I don't know Bassie andMiller though. Uh So, Satchmo
was Louis Armstrong. That was okay, got it? Okay, I'm like,

(32:50):
I know that name, Count Basie. You should know because he's from
New Jersey. There's the Count BasieTheater in his birthplace of Red Bank.
Count Basie is, yeah, famouspianist. And Glenn Miller, who I
keep wanting to call Arthur Miller.Why who is I think the uh the

(33:16):
playwright of the Crucible. But GlennMiller was another big band director. So
count basically Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, Duke Gallington, El Fitzgerald. Were
all these people still alive when hereleased this. I'm pretty sure that Ella

(33:37):
was pretty sure Duke Ellington was passedalready, but that might have been why
that's the name of the song.I think Duke Gallington died in like the
early seventies. I don't think hemade it to seventy six or okay,
okay, wow, come on thesong. But speaking of jazz class,

(33:59):
like, if you're running a likea school jazz band and they're like kind
of good, you probably throw thissong at them. At the very least
they'll have fun trying to learn it. This has one of my favorite like
runs the after the post chorus thenand in it that is so much fun

(34:22):
to play. This is one ofthe songs that I jam on on the
bass periodically. Good fun, SirDuke, and it's again Stevie just celebrating
music, celebrating his favorite music andthe stuff that kind of made him who
he is. It gives some weddingcocktail hour for me, you know,

(34:45):
like it is one of the songsthat you hear at a wedding. Sure,
you know, live band, buti'man I was into it. I
mean, I think that at thispoint this this song is probably embedded in
my like DNA just because you hearit, and you hear it in a
lot of movies too, Yeah,a lot a lot of movies. Like
you know, if you don't knowthe song, you don't know, but

(35:07):
like moving forward the screen, there'sstrains of this song. And also it
feels like a live take because there'ssome ad libs vocally, and uh yeah,
it's just it's pure fun. Yeah. Uh so side to starts with
I Wish, which is one ofthe most uh just like ferocious bass parts.

(35:31):
But I gotta I gotta try toput that, try to add this
later. Okay, for a second, I had to figure out such a
good grooveh Listen, was this notsampled by I don't want to mess up

(35:52):
and say this, but I'm almostpositive that this was sampled by like Will
Smith with the z It Men inBlack maybe Wildall West. Yes, Yes,
the song samples I Wish and includesyep, wow, yep. See,
oh you heard it. I knowI heard it. I could have
looked it up earlier to confirm,but I never would have thought, Okay,

(36:17):
I think it's the bass, thewhat you were doing? I mean,
come on, Stevie, who wouldn'twant to. That's what I should
have looked up. How many songsfrom this album were sampled? Because there
are lots. Yeah, okay,I can imagine. I mean this,
this is probably one of those albumsthat everybody had knocks me off my feet?

(36:45):
How'd you feel about that one?So the only note I wrote down
about this one was it's the debutof the I just called to say I
love humilody, Oh, which waslike ten years later. It's almost the
same. It's almost the same.It is and nostalgic. It's a nostalgic

(37:07):
from a song that you know betterthat came out a decade later. Yes,
oh my god, you just gotme. That was mind blowing.
And look, he's twenty albums inalmost and he I'm sure did another ten
before he got to it. Ijust called to say I love you.
Yeah, it's not a slam noyou, and it's a great melody.

(37:30):
Use it as much as you want, but it clearly it is funny doing
a show where we're listening to musicthat's not new, and it just reveals
the incongruencies, malapropisms. I don'tknow, those are some synonyms that I'm
just gonna throw out there I got. I have antihistamines coursing through my veins

(37:57):
and no caffeine. Yet we needto get you a coffee. They're the
best when you pair them to listenPastime Paradise? Is it okay if we
get to this, because I Idon't know if do you think? Oh,

(38:19):
I'd hate to generalize, but doyou think this is a millennial thing
that we a lot of us didnot know that Gangster's Paradise by Coolio sampled
Pastime Paradise? I asked so manyof my friends did you know this?
Did you know this? Did youknow this? No one knew? I
okay, and no shade to us, you know what I mean? But

(38:45):
yes and no. Honestly, Ithink it's our parents because when you hear
Coolio, because I mean Gangsters' Paradise, I think is a millennial song when
you think of songs like it's it'sa millennial karaoke song. What else about
Pastime Paradise? Can I just saythat? Honestly this sound to me?

(39:07):
Oh, I hate to say thisbecause this could really show that I know
nothing about music, but I kindof felt like it was before it's time,
Like that kind of like to me, it gives like a spooky vibe.
Okay, yeah, it's it's aI don't know for sure if this
is a synthesizer sound where where thatpart comes from, or if it is

(39:30):
a live string quartet or something thatis then like they processed the sound of
that, So I don't know whichone it was. But yeah, there
is something a little bit halloween likeabout taking a string quartet and making it

(39:52):
sound not as like rich and lushas you would expect classical music to sound.
I mean, I think maybe that'ssomething inherent in the electronics. Okay,
Okay, I just this may beone of my favorite songs now,
just because it's like an elevated takeon Paradise to me, like, I'm

(40:19):
like, this is the real music. Okay, But why doesn't he get
the credit he deserves about this songor for like, you know, like
I mean, for me, Like, I think the other millennial thing about
this is that, yes, everyoneknows Gangster's Paradise, but also everyone knows
the weird al song Amish Paradise.Yes, yes, and we give Coolio

(40:44):
all the credit for so the youknow, I for sure heard Amish Paradise
before I heard Gangster's Paradise. Thatis definitely true. I have come around
where now when I hear that,I think coolio and not weird al But
now I got to redo it againbecause I gotta think Stevie Wonder are a
p coolio man. Yeah, ohman, Okay ready, Uh Summer Soft.

(41:08):
I'm not going to lie. Ididn't skip, but I would go
back to Pastime Paradise, So Ihave nothing to say about Summer Soft.
I have something to say about SummerSoft, and it's that it's if there's
one problem with this album, it'sthat Stevie Wonder is not very good at

(41:31):
song titles, because Summer Soft isnot a good title for a song.
I'm not sure I wish is agood title for a song. Uh,
black Man is not a good titlefor a song. No, especially as
is not a good title for asong. And I can't well we'll talk

(41:52):
about that. But Summer Soft isI it has maybe the most perfect melody
on the whole album, and it'sso perfect that they keep changing the key,
but the melody is the same,and I think it has such a
airy groove that I wasn't gonna skipI I was fine if it never ended,

(42:15):
you know. I this was likesuch a standout track for me.
I just hate that it has sucha lame title. This is like,
uh, like if you ever eatsomething that is so good and you're like
halfway through and you're like, oh, I'm gonna finish this soup, yeah,
and I don't have another one.Oh, That's what this song is

(42:36):
like to me. I think Ivisited Diamond. I have to. I
think that by this point in thealbum or in each listen, I was
so excited for Isn't She Lovely?That I think Summer Soft and Ordinary Pain
a kind of jammed in together forme, and I'm like, just get
through a girl. You're watching thetrans and I have I can't do that

(42:58):
moving forward because ordinary Pain I waslike, oh my god, Like heartbreak
okay, the man was not playing. He lets you know exactly how heartbreak
feels, you know. Like forme, I'm like, oh, Stevie,

(43:20):
like you kind of wonder like howmany times he got his heartbroken by
this time? Like, Stevie,what was going on? Ye? Mid
twenties pop superstar disabled, right,it's gotta be your heart Listen. This
song is not about Stevie. Hewas breaking the heart, you know,

(43:40):
like how many kids does he?He was empathetic with all those ladies.
He was like, this is howit feels for you. I'm doing great.
I just had a daughter. Iwrote actually to your point about you
couldn't get into Summersoft because you werewaiting for Isn't She Lovely? My note
was this ordinary pain suffers from beingafter Summersoft because Summer Soft was such a

(44:07):
highlight for me that it's like thissong grooves and it's like almost it's like
almost kind of an anonymous like alost song because it's it's right before a
song that everybody knows. Don't giveme, so let's go Isn't She Lovely?

(44:29):
I mean you could close your eyesand this song could take you to
your favorite memory because it was probablyplaying like you know what I mean,
Like it's just it's to me.It gives like family time, it gives
my favorite movie, maybe a favoritecommercial. Like it's everywhere or it has

(44:52):
been every year everywhere in my lifeat least, how do you feel about
it? So I I tried tolisten to this album a few years ago
and I stopped it at it isn'tshe lovely? I think I'm especially sensitive
to sound effect noises where I reactvery negatively to them, and so the

(45:16):
crying in this song Andrew, thefirst time I ever tried to listen to
this album, was really grating.And then there's uh, there's like childbirth
noises in the middle, and thoseare hard to hear. And then there's

(45:37):
uh, it's actual like a recordingof Stevie doing bathtime with one of his
daughters. And then that is likesuper loud, I guess because it's like
it was it belonged to him thatrecording. It's super loud in the mix.
But no, it's a great song. There's just like some of those
choices I don't love. I dowant to just point out how few songs

(46:07):
there are, how few great songsthere are that are about joy. It
is hard. It is much easierto write a song about like anger,
frustration, pain than it is towrite a song a convincing not like like

(46:27):
like a overly sweet song about beinghappy and about like having the best time
of your life. A lot oflike would be happy songs end up being
kind of nostalgic, which is notthe same as happiness. Isn't she lovely?
As just a song about joy andit brings joy. I think my

(46:50):
biggest question walking away from this songis his children who were born after this
song was really can you imagine likeyou know who the favorite child is?
Right? Because this is is thisnot like one of his yeah, one
of his biggest hits, and solike, oh great, yeah, you

(47:10):
gave him one of his biggest hits, and now I'm expected to compete with
this as as another child? Areyou kidding me? Like if I was
him, I would have been donehaving kids after that? Done? What
year was this? Nineteen seventy?What six six? Done? After that?
No more? I think that wasyou know me, I'm always in
the gossip, into the gossip.So that was my biggest takeaway. I'm

(47:32):
like, ummm, how do youfeel about joy inside my tears? Again,
it's like such a specific thing thathe's writing about, as like this
is the person that got me outof like the person or the event that
got me out of the worst thing. It's just like the perception that he

(47:58):
has in his song writing, inhis in his song craft is really amazing.
Another one with a unique vibe forthe album. It's again sort of
synth driven. There's not like abeat as you would say, you know,
just to me was like a vibe. You know, it didn't it's

(48:21):
a vibe album. It's hard tofollow up after, isn't she lovely?
So I think that like I wasn'texpecting much anyway. To me, it's
very rare that there's a hit andthen right after it is like another massive

(48:42):
song. So I think I wasalready prepared like a vibe and not like
like even if you look earlier onthe album, like Sir Duke and I
Wish were on different sides, soit's not like like they are one after
the other, especially if you're listeningon a digital platform or if you have
like a CD of this record,they would be one after the other.

(49:05):
But back in the day, whenyou got this record, you were get
you had to get up and flipthe record over and then go back.
Yeah, I mean I almost saidI would be pissed, not really,
because you're so eager to hear what'snext, you know what I mean,
So you're excited and like bring backthose days. Yeah. Do you have
a record player? Sure? Yeah? Usually Saturday mornings is listen to records

(49:29):
We don't do it every week becausesometimes we don't get up early enough that
it feels like a thing to do, because you want to get up and
like get into your normal thing,and then it's like, oh, we
have like two hours, yeah beforewe feel like going outside, let's put
our record on it. Damn,I got to step it up. I

(49:51):
would say that I don't buy anyrecords that I don't know already. So
if you go about it, you'reonly going like your vinyl collection is going
to be basically the physical representation ofyour favorite music. Ever, it becomes
really sort of rewarding to collect becauseyou're not gonna get everything at once.

(50:14):
But you see a record store,you're like, this is a small business
for one, so you can supporta small business. You go in,
you poke around, You're like,oh, here's here's songs in the Key
of Life, which I think Ihave awesome like my grandfather or something,
because yeah, and that that's athat's another like a lot of our record

(50:34):
collection are records that my wife gotfrom her dad, and then you know,
we've added maybe half of what itis now to that. But so
there's there's like, hey, whatwas grandpa listening to in the eighties.
I'm gonna go deeper and I'm gonnaI highly recommend let's see, let's see,

(50:59):
Oh, Andrew, how'd you feelabout black Man again with the sampling?
Not crazy about the way the classroomsamples at the end sound You're not
just like a bunch of kids shouting. And why were the teachers I'm assuming
they're teachers, why were they shoutingtoo? That's what a classroom. It's

(51:23):
like. It made me think ofthere's a track on Actually, I feel
like it may be on a lotof the songs on The Miseducation of Lauren
Hill where it gets very loud andvery classroom me. So I feel like,
maybe I'm used to that because it'sone of my favorite songs. Is

(51:44):
at the very end of one ofmy favorite songs. So it's like,
I will say that I feel theclasses in session and Stevie Wonder is the
teacher? Yes, and I learnedsomething I think I don't like. I
don't like that they say Redman,Yeah, right, maybe, and I
get that it's a motif. Iget it. But can I say at

(52:08):
first, I thought this was goingto be like a full black history lesson
until we get to like the secondline, and I was like, okay,
Stevie, it's everybody great. Igotten like, all right, Stevie,
teach me something. Teach me somethingabout black history that I didn't know.
He's like, no American history,babes, sit down, it's a
classes and such. But I appreciatedthis because you think about, like nineteen

(52:30):
seventy six, what were these classrooms, like I'm learning these things. If
you think us history is whitewashed nowin school, like, how much more
so was that in the Samon babAnd So I think that another form of
him being an activist, you knowwhat I mean, Like teaching. I

(52:50):
appreciate it. You just you justcan hear the care every step of the
way. Again, not my favoritesong, but I do appreciate it.
It's one of those things that makesthis album hard to put on at a
party. You know. You can'tjust like, hey, we're gonna rock
with Stevie Wonder and just let it, let the whole thing play, because
there's gonna be parts where people arelike, wait, what is happening now?

(53:15):
Are we? Like the last fewmore like an educational program right now,
Like the last few songs of thealbum. The thing about him is
that he keeps he keeps the vibegoing right. But there'll be like certain
times where you just the lyrics willhit you and you're like, Okay,
we're learning something new right now,Okay, great, like or your heart

(53:37):
broken or you're telling us about somethingvery heavy, and you just gotta roll
with it because you're already in themiddle of the vibe. Yeah, you're
right, Like, can you imaginehaving a party, and it goes from
isn't she lovely? And enjoy likethe vibe is coming down and then people

(53:58):
are her. You're like, wait, I think I should be paying attention
to this. Yes, I thinkI maybe should have some notes, should
be taking some notes here. Wait, who founded Chicago? Andrew? You're
gonna have to help me out withthe I can't help you with this one.

(54:21):
I am singing, we just callit, Yeah, we'll just call
it I am. It confused meand I was like, okay, so
now we're listening to an entire songin another language. And then later on
you he starts singing in English.Thankfully for me because I was zoned out.

(54:43):
Man, I'm not gonna lie.I'm not gonna lie. I don't
know what we're gonna do when westart listening to albums and we're forced to
listen to like we're forced to listento albums in other languages because I zoned.
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie.I'm not gonna lie. I feel
like this final album side is wherehe gets a little bit more smaultzy,

(55:08):
if I could use that word.Where the songs are they're meant to be
maybe a little bit more classic inStevie's Stevie's Ears, where this song has
a very sort of traditional like folkmusic of some type vibe. I don't

(55:30):
know which culture it would be.And I get the same from feeling from
the following track if it's magic,Yeah, I wasn't a fan of this
one, and when it's basically justa vocal right yeah, like it it
got a little It could be thoughthat my favorite song was next. That

(55:52):
could be it because I have nonotes, like I think, I just
I have to pull myself out ofthat, Like I can't look at track
lists anymore, even though I knowI'm gonna do a move forward anyway.
There there have been so many ofthese album tracky album tracks that I just

(56:12):
took it as that my favorite songprobably in my I said top. I
don't know if I said SAP toptwenty or twenty five. Yeah in the
intro. It still stands as Ithink is one of the greatest love songs
ever. I don't know why morepeople don't play it at their weddings.
I mean, I know it isplayed a lot of weddings, but like

(56:34):
it should be the wedding song,like I know we love you like get
it poppin Stevie, Like I mean, oh, great pace to that song,
just like a yeah, just areally nice feeling R and B record

(56:58):
Stevie, even that bad libs andjust like the melody is very airye.
I know, I can't remember whatsong we said about the said that about
earlier. I could go back,but it's just it's a vibe that Stevie
gets. Oh my god, itknows how to've lift you up. Amazing,
ah amazing. Did you try toplay to this, no Ah,

(57:22):
Andrew, No, but I uh, the idea of me bringing in a
bass and trying to convey these songson just one single instrument. The more
I thought about it, the moreI couldn't figure out how it would possibly
work. It will always work,Andrew will make it work. All seven
minutes of this song and this isthis was one that I definitely replayed.

(57:45):
Okay, yes, ten out often. My only issue is the title.
I don't like the title. Itcould be called always and that would
be so much better. I couldhave been called always, Like, Okay,
all right, Stevie, I don'treally Yeah, why do you think
he named it as? I thinkit's because a bunch of the lines start

(58:05):
with as. Yeah. I'm like, Stevie, come on, give me
more, you know what I mean? It really could have been called all
unnamed titled always another Star. Idon't feel like Another Star was adding to
my enjoyment of the album. Youknow it was too damn long? Yeah,
okay, eight minutes over eight minutes. I just enjoyed myself. I

(58:32):
was so happy with AS and thenthis damn song is this song? I'm
like, we're making it to theend of the app is and as is
already seven minutes? Yes, andI already said. I listened to it
twice, probably on each listen,So I'm tapped out, Okay, tapped
out. I mean there's good,there's some good solos in a we'll see

(58:53):
you could appreciate that more than Ishould. I mean, I can appreciate
it, but like if I'm alreadytapped out by how I'm in it,
and I'm like, oh, thisis good, but when is the damn
where's the fade? So the albumis so long that I didn't even include
in my notes all of the tracksstop because I checked out. So after

(59:17):
another Star. Another star is Saturn, which made me think of Scissors Saturn.
She didn't sample it, by theway, if you were wondering,
Saturn is like the the other sideof the village ghetto land coin where it's

(59:38):
like, this is a place whereeverything's great. Oh maybe he's like listen.
I couldn't. I couldn't listen toit without like the pedantic in my
head being like, well, actually, there's no breathable air. Stevie,
what you were really the force ofgravity would have crush everyone. Oh Andrew,

(01:00:02):
you're a realist though, it iswhat it is. How'd you feel
about ebony Eyes? First of all, Stevie, why do you have to
be so extra? Why couldn't youjust name it brown eyes? Why can
we say like, come on,okay, come on, my god,
Stevie, I will say that fora blind person uses a lot of a

(01:00:24):
lot of color. You say it, Andrew, You tell him he has
an album called like the Lady inRed or something from the eighties. And
you know, see, if Iwanted if I said what I wanted to
say, are we still canceling peoplein twenty twenty four? No? You
know what, do you want tofind out? No? I don't want

(01:00:45):
to find out. But there arecertain things that Stevie says that really make
me feel maybe it's his imagination.Actually, yeah, he's imagining what these
are, and it's he's very andalso it's sentiments that are used in other
music. Yes, and he's he'sclearly so fluent in music that he takes

(01:01:12):
all of this stuff in that he'sheard the line about she's born and raised
in the ghetto streets like to me, like, I take that as a
reference to the earlier part of thealbum where he's like applauding this person's you
know, toughness or the term ghetto. To me, it's a little shocking,

(01:01:38):
so outdated to me. Right,So like he's like, like this
is when it was being used,like just thrown it out there. Any
and every conversation. So for me, every time it said or like even
the ghetto land, even though Iliked it, it was still like all
right, Stevie, Ye, nowwhat do we call it? The hood?

(01:02:00):
And I think is what we're callingit whatever, but you know,
no, the inner city, thecity, you know, but what are
you going to do? All daysucker? Another horrible title, because I
think it's not that it's it's prettygood, but yeah, I just hate
the title. And he's also referringto love right, yes, and so

(01:02:23):
like that, he's like a marklike for love Stevie. I wonder if
these are just these days. Idon't want to listen to a song that's
titled all Day Sucker, like I'mnot. I don't think I would listen
to it. Okay, only someonelike Stevie could get away with this.
I don't even think Beyonce could getme to listen to a song all day

(01:02:45):
like huh, but then for itto be like about love and stuff like
that. For me, it's like, Stevie, we could have picked another
one. We could have so somaybe the album could have ended after as
oh for sure. But there isone more track, easy Going evening my
Mama's call. I was over itby then. I think I think me

(01:03:07):
too, honestly, but I Iwant to as soon as we're done,
probably re listen to the last sideof this album and just get into that
stuff a little bit more. EbonyEyes. I did like it has a
very kind of seventies sort of likea type of groove that I associate with

(01:03:30):
the seventies, almost like a likea Shaft sort of thing, if you
know what I'm talking about. Iwonder Shaft came out in the seventies,
right, Yeah, the whole black, black exploitation film genre, the seventies
creation, which my grandmother loved.She was into it. She was into

(01:03:55):
those films like Movie Theater Queen atthat time, she was going. She
was into it. And then werewatched now and I'm like, huh,

(01:04:19):
alltogether, how do you feel aboutthis album? Yeah, it's a wonderful
album. I'll definitely listen to itagain. I'll definitely listen to Stevie Wonder
again. I feel like he hasa lot to say. Even today,
I was a little saddened by howrelevant his his political commentary still is.

(01:04:45):
It shows you how certainly how intune he was at the time, and
how little things have changed and that'sunfortunate, but the music is still so
beautiful. I think that Number one, you just made a really good point
about the fact that, like,it's sad to see that the lyrics,

(01:05:10):
the things that he's talking about inthe seventies still apply in twenty twenty four.
Because if he put that song outlast year and it was like a
remixed remastered but it wasn't labeled thatway, I would have listened to it
and been like, Wow, thisapply. Yeah, Stevie's really paying attention,
and I would not have known thatit was a song from fifty years
ago. But do you realize howsad that is for him? Yeah,

(01:05:33):
you know what I mean, Like, you made this music, and I'm
sure that there was some type ofawakening to the things that were going on
from this album, right and hiswork as a whole, But like for
people to pay attention based off ofthe things that you were saying in the
seventies and for things to not change, for us to still be dealing with

(01:05:57):
what we're dealing with now, that'sfreaking sad. Like, hello, somebody
take me seriously, Well, whatthe hell is going on here. I'm
most definitely gonna listen to this albumagain. I'm gonna stop at as most

(01:06:20):
definitely. I'm not gonna lie it'snot no. But this makes me want
to dive deeper into his other albumsbecause we know, like his Essentials and
his like you know, the thegreatest of Stevie Wonder, but like those
those like essentials Greatest Hits types ofcompilations. There is a time when I

(01:06:44):
was always like I'd always start withsomething like that, or maybe like a
live album with Stevie Wonder specifically,Like I have no interest in Stevie Wonder's
Essentials or his greatest hits. Iwant there's so much, so much gold
on this record that I'd never heardbefore. Like I want to listen to

(01:07:08):
the albums and I want to see, like what is what is he experimenting
with on the tracks that weren't hits? Andrew, I don't know, You're
going to have to come back andtalk about him every week because I just
feel like, how many albums arethere for you to come There's way too
many, you know, So I'mlike, at least go with the essential.

(01:07:30):
I will I'll pick ones that areanchored with a hit or a big
song that I know, and we'llwe'll start with whatever track one is and
go to the end. It soSongs in the Key of Life was kind
of a big deal. I don'tknow if we talked about this certified diamond
by the ra A come On debuta number one, making Stevie Wonder the

(01:07:57):
third artists of all time to everdebut at number one. He was the
first ever American to do it.I didn't know that one. I believe
the first two were both Elton John, or maybe Elton John and the Beatles
thirteen consecutive weeks at number one.Maybe I said this before in the intro.
Most time at number one of anyalbum released at seventy six continued to

(01:08:21):
sell so well into seventy seven thatit was the second best selling album of
nineteen seventy seven. The first bestselling album to tease a future episode was
Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, which is analbum. I assume you're not familiar with
it, but I think you will. If you don't love the album,

(01:08:42):
you will love that episode. We'llget a guest in here. Mark Adams
actually suggested that album. I havea text to myself. Oh yeah,
yeah, hold on. He mentionedit and he was like, you should
do this. He also said thepolice mm, and he said more but

(01:09:06):
I don't see them here. Butyes, we'll take marks suggestions. Songs
in the Key of Life won fourGrammys. It had seven nominations, and
all the wins were for I wishBest R and B Vocal Songs in the
Key of Life as the album ofcourse, Best Pop Vocal Producer of the

(01:09:31):
Year. An Album of the YearContusion the Instrumental got nominated as well as
Did Have a Talk with God?Wow? Really? Yeah? And Stevie's
one of three artists in the inGrammy history to win Album of the Year

(01:09:51):
three times. The others are PaulSimon, a New Yorker and Frank Sinatra
Wow, New Jersey. Really.Stevie's won twenty five Grammys, and in
nineteen ninety nine he was honored asthe Music heres Person of the Year,
and in two thousand and nine kindof a big deal distinguished as a United

(01:10:16):
Nations Messenger of Peace. Oh,Stevie, my guy has been at it
for a really long time and adda lot of things. He's not wasting
time here, No, I seeyou with a book. I got a
book out, Yeah, what's goingon? So we mentioned Elton John and
we mentioned Stevie's sights and rumors ofwhether there's something going on there. This

(01:10:44):
is Bernie Taffin's memoir Scattershot. Ifinally fucking finished this book over there.
How long did it take you've beentalking about? I think I got the
book in September and it is May. Uh, we're at it nearly four
hundred very dense pages. But aroundthe middle of the book, Bernie is

(01:11:08):
talking about he and Elton and theband went to Colorado to sort of like
a mountain retreat to record their albumRock of the Westies, and he writes,
one day Stevie Wonder turned up andin the process played a couple of
tricks on me. For far moreamiable than al Green. Stevie seemed to

(01:11:33):
enjoy his surroundings and got into thespirit of things by convincing everyone that he
could see perfectly well. Emerging frommy cabin one morning, I was surprised
to see Stevie out front, sittingat the wheel of a jeep, bidding
me a good morning. He askedif I wanted to ride to the studio
Now the studio was only about fourhundred yards away, but it was still

(01:11:54):
a daunting prospect. How could Irefuse? What was I going to do?
Intelled him in say no thanks,I'll walk. Of course, he
drove me there perfectly, and lookingback, it's obvious that this was his
party piece. He'd had someone coachhim several times and been highly into and
being highly intuitive, his sensory perceptionhoned to perfection. It was a trick,

(01:12:16):
quickly mastered. He did the samething with a twenty dollars bill.
He'd stand next to you and say, I think he dropped to Jackson,
and of course one would be thereright by between your feet. Nope,
it's Bernie's Steven Wonder story. Bernie, you know better than that. You
know that that man Stevie Wonder cansee. He's not blind. No one

(01:12:43):
would if I couldn't see. There'sno way that I'd trust myself behind a
wheel. It's not happening. Ithink he can see a certain amount,
way less than the average person.He may be able to, like see
like shapes or like something. Youmean to tell me that you would you

(01:13:09):
if I couldn't see, would youget in a car with me Andrew,
and I said, Hey, we'regonna go around the corner. He's I'm
talking about going around the corner.He's just driving in a straight line.
He doesn't need to know when tostop in time, though, Well,
how does he know? That's thething? You just don't know. No,
no, no, no no.The man can see stevee. I'm

(01:13:32):
onto you. That's it. Andyou vowed to find the truth, find
out the truth. Oh no,I know the truth. I'm not getting
There are a lot of things thatI'll get my inspector gadget on for,
not this one, because my mindis already made up about Stevie. Mm
hmmmmm hmm. That's why he's sodescriptive. That's all I have to say.

(01:13:57):
Yeah, you could be fooled ifyou want to. Andrew. Nope,
not me, not me. Anylast words? Do I have any
last words? I desperately hope tobe able to breathe out of my nose
by the next time we record apodcast. I thought I was looking forward

(01:14:18):
to summer, But if it's goingto be like this, do we know
what we're doing on next episode?I have a friend who would love to
come on and I teased or justmentioned the idea to him, and he's
been talking about it for a weeknow. Okay, my dear friend,

(01:14:40):
Andrew, it'll be Diamond in thetwo Andrews. If that's allowed. We'll
call him Andy for this episode.He's okay with being called in Andrew.
My work bestie wants us to doa or to listen to Alana Delray album.
I have told him no for years, so I think that he is

(01:15:02):
using this as his way to justkind of introduce me. And you've also
been rolling your eyes about the ideaof doing this for months. Absolutely,
I've been rolling my eyes about herfor years. He is packed, polished
and prepared. Norman Fucking Rockwell,which her fans referred to as n f

(01:15:27):
R and Apple ranked it in histop one hundred albums of all time,
which I mean is questionable. Buthe claims that it changed the trajectory of
pop music because it made it okayto make sad, mellow pop music.
Whatever. Whatever. We'll let himexplain. If you're okay with that,

(01:15:51):
Andrew, If you don't want himto do it, please I yes,
No, I don't think I thinkwe need to do a be because I
don't think there's any I don't thinkthere's any getting away from it. At
this point, I think we haveto do it. I have no idea
what her music sounds like. Ihave no preconceived notions I have there's no

(01:16:15):
level of me that cares. Atthis point, I think I don't know
about that. I think I thinkyou made a decision. I'm over her.
But how fun would it be ifwe both hated it again that we
didn't quite get there with their moonsand with Alison Camerda. So Andrew Diamond

(01:16:39):
is much more comfortable being mean toAndrew. Absolutely, I can't wait.
I can't wait. I cannot wait. I just I don't get her.
I know that Taylor Swift referred toher as a legacy artist when she beat
her for Album of the Year thispast year, and so I just want
to know what makes her a legacyartist. But we'll find out, okay,

(01:17:00):
h yolo, we'll find out.We're gonna listen to Norman Rockwell by
Lona del rey H on the nextepisode of At First Listen until next time.
We keep saying next week. Let'ssay next time, next time.
Amazing, See you guys. Bye,