The contest challenge for this series of posts has been to identify one musician and the song references contained in each entry. Although identifying some of the songs might have been a bit tricky and difficult – particularly since the song might not have had a thematic connection to the post – I hope I left enough broad clues so you knew fairly early on that the artist is Stevie Wonder.
Beginning with the first post and certainly by the post titled The Wonder of it all wherein simply the capitalization in the post’s title should have been the giveaway you should have identified Wonder. As always, I’m hoping that video embeds remain in this post under the fair use provision since this blog has no monetization and they are used for educational and referential purposes only.
Now, let’s dive into the songs:
Why I went to Michigan
I noted above that the first (and I think very clear) clue came in the first post where I wrote, “this is one trip where I won’t be livin’ for the city.” Even for those unfamiliar with Wonder’s oeuvre the apostrophized word should have been an obvious clue and I intended it to get you started. One of Wonder’s hits was, of course, titled, “Livin’ for the City” and, as it will be in nearly every post, it’s the lone reference within.
Did you say al dente? No, I said Alpena
The song reference in this post can be connected to what I saw in Alpena – at least via its title. The reference occurs while I was pondering why the town seemed so excited to celebrate Halloween and I wrote, “Perhaps the town has skeletons in their closets itching to come outside.” The reference is to Wonder’s song titled Skeletons and the precise lyric comes from the first two lines, “Skeletons in your closet / Itchin’ to come outside”. As you can see, I didn’t take much license with this lyric nor did I leave the elision.
I don’t care how it’s spelled…
In this entry, the reference occurs near the end of the post. It uses two lines from the song but unlike the reference from Skeletons they are slightly separated. Here’s what I wrote,
As I wandered through the hotel during the day, I spoke with other SiT attendees particularly asking regulars to tell me something good about what brought them back annually. They did more than tell me that they liked it.
Of course, the song is Tell me Something Good and again the reference is little changed from the original. And for your viewing and listening pleasure, here’s a performance featuring Stevie, Prince, and India.Arie
Location, location, location
In this post, I’ve begun my true journey into the Somewhere in Time weekend at Grand Hotel and it’s the first post with multiple Stevie Wonder references. The first is from the song All in Love is Fair and I wrote, “Both are contemplating a future none can see where ahead lies mystery.” Stevie Wonder wrote, “The future none can see / The road you leave behind / Ahead lies mystery”.
Although I could have chosen several lines from Wonder’s lyrics in the song Stranger on the Shore of Love, I used only the title.
The final reference uses both the title and a lyric. The song is Golden Lady and the lyric I adapted is “To see the heaven in your eyes is not so far”. I’m describing a specific moment in the film and both felt fitting. Like the previous song, it’s from the brilliant 1973 album, Innervisions.
If you’re going to be part of a cult, make it a classic
For this post, I split the lyric reference into two places since they came from two different spots in the song. I deliberately chose to avoid the song’s title From the Bottom of my Heart to steer you away from another, better known Wonder song (I Just Called to Say I Love You). The lyrics I chose from this song are the phrases “through every time and space” and ” a love that would always stay forever and always” with the odd repetition of always providing a clue.
If you’re going to be part of a cult, make it a classic – part 2
Here, as I did elsewhere, I split the references over more than one sentence. I first paraphrased a lyric from Overjoyed with this phrase, “Shepard was building his castle of love though not just for two.” I then followed it at then end of the next sentence with this, “picked out a perfect come true.” Listen for yourselves.
Was Monday an omen?
I tried to provide some help for those participating in the contest by using the word superstitious just before this snippet of the lyrics “writing on the wall”. While both are very short, I believed at the time (and still do) that this song is so well-known that these brief citations should have been sufficient by this point in the blog. The song is Superstition.
The Wonder of it all
Here, the title was the main hint but I saw fit to include a reference to Wonder’s song Can’t put it in the Hands of Fate. This was a leap forward to a much more recent title in his extensive catalog and might not be as familiar to many but all the citations can’t be easy. Although I read much of the meaning behind this song as rather personal and situationally different, it’s in some ways, politically similar. It is taken directly from the lyric, “mass confusion, people in power commit collusion”.
I try visiting another castle and go through Hell…
You probably needed to be very attentive in your reading to find the lone Stevie Wonder reference in this post. Prior to this, you might have spotted some slight awkwardness in my phrasing or seen a rhyme but today’s citation requires not only a reasonably high level of familiarity with Wonder’s compositions but also close attention to the content because it goes by very quickly and it’s very near the end of the post. It’s in this sentence, “Perhaps the Wannabies think when they reach hell they’ll live a whole world of sin.” The closing phrase (emphasis mine) is excised from this lyric in the song Higher Ground, “‘Cause my last time on earth, I lived a whole world of sin” and I tried to help you by omitting an obvious place for the word in.
Gang aft a-gley
In this post, the reference comes even closer to the end than in the previous entry. Given the overall subject of the post, even those unfamiliar with Wonder’s song If it’s Magic (the title itself appears in the post) should have been able to find it with a quick internet search using the terms Stevie Wonder songs and magic. In addition to the song title, I continue with this lyric, “fill you up without a bite and quench your every thirst.”
Bridges, sights, and sports
Maintaining the pattern of the previous entries, this post’s reference also occurs in, what is effectively, the ultimate paragraph. It’s from Superwoman and my citation is close to verbatim. The lyric in question is, “Mary wants to be a superwoman / And try to boss the bull around”.
Battle Creek Adventist serial or Adventist cereal?
Are you skipping ahead to the end of the post to find the song reference yet? In this instance, that’s good because I dropped it in the last paragraph once again. This time, though, it’s simply the song’s title, Ribbon in the Sky, and I’ve included no additional lyric references. (Sometimes, all I found appropriate was the song’s title.)
Battle Creek Adventist serial or Adventist cereal? – part 2
Fooled you this time, didn’t I? That’s right, the reference occurs long before the final paragraph. The song for this post is Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing and I used the lyric “your style of life’s a drag” in describing the dietary and other lifestyle parameters SDA members generally follow. Here’s the song. It’s also from Innervisions (perhaps showing how much I like and respect that album).
Battle Creek Adventist serial or Adventist cereal? – part 3
While the song in this post is thematically unrelated to the post’s subject, I think the line of lyrics I chose to slightly modify fit it well. The song is My Eyes Don’t Cry and the modified lyric is “…self deprivation had made for his outer insecurity”. Here’s the song:
The Bath Massacre
I only used the title for the song reference in this post which, although it seemed apt, the message of the song is even more unrelated to my use than, I think, any previous song from the Stevie Wonder catalog. It’s Master Blaster.
A stand up strike inspires a sit-down visit
In some ways, a labor strike is akin to a military action and that’s particularly true of the 1937 UAW strike against General Motors. For this reason, Wonder’s song Front Line seemed appropriate. You can spot the title in the post and some modifications of his lyrics.
Disneyland in Detroit
Sometimes a line of lyrics can describe precisely how you feel either physically or emotionally. That was the case on the cool damp Saturday I visited Hamtramck Disneyland. I reached into my memory bank and withdrew these lines from Wonder’s Summer Soft, “Winter wind / Whispers to you that he wants to be your friend”. You can find the small change I made in the paragraph above the section headed “A final photo-op”.
(There’s also a quick passing reference at the beginning of the post to The Supremes hit I Hear a Symphony and I will give credit to those who spotted it particularly since it’s the only post other than “Location” to have a second reference contained in the body of the entry.)
I Call it Pretty Music
If I’d simply used the snippet of lyric, “done a lot of foolish things”, identifying this song might have proven well nigh impossible so I tried to add a hint by noting that Gordy signed and sealed but delivered a great return on investment from his family’s loan. I hope the combination led someone to connect them with the song Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).
I Call it Pretty Music – part 2
Since the focus of this contest is Stevie Wonder, it should make sense that I’d have a segment tracking his career when I was writing the overview of Motown’s history. Then, to make things a little easier for those in the competition, I placed the song reference in that section. In describing the setback he faced as he transitioned away from being Little Stevie Wonder I wrote, “At this point Wonder might have felt he was standing on the outside trying to get on the inside …” This came almost verbatim from his song Did I hear You Say You Love Me. It appears near the end of the first verse.
I Call it Pretty Music – part 3
After making things relatively easy for you in the previous few posts, you had to read to the ultimate paragraph in this penultimate entry to find the clue. The phrase, “equal opportunity for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands” ends the first verse of one of Wonder’s best known compositions – his tribute to Duke Ellington – Sir Duke.
I Call it Pretty Music – part 4
For anyone familiar with Stevie Wonder, the final refence should have been akin to playing tee ball. The source is You Are the Sunshine of My Life and the neighboring phrases “apple of Gordy’s eye” and “stay forever in his heart” should have jumped off the screen at you.
And there you have it. Whether you tired and succeeded, tried and failed, or didn’t try at all, I hope you enjoyed both the journey through Michigan and through this modest tour of Stevie Wonder’s catalog.
The bonus track
Unlike the early days of compact discs when, to differentiate them from the LPs, they often featured a hidden bonus track or two, the bonus song for the contest isn’t hidden at all. In setting forth the rules I noted that “the phrase appears more than once throughout this series.” In this instance, it’s the title of the final four posts – I call it pretty music. Producer Clarence Paul co-wrote the song I Call it Pretty Music but the Old People Call it the Blues with Berry Gordy, Jr. and Henry Cosby. It was the first song Wonder recorded for Motown and was released on the Tamla label. It just missed making the charts topping out at number 101.
Until next time. Stay well and when you have the choice, choose kindness.