The quirky noodling of Music of My Mind had been replaced by ferocious focus and extraordinary songwriting. 1 on the Hot 100 its second single, “ You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” repeated the feat. ) Talking Book’s lead single, “ Superstition,” hit No. (One might think releasing two albums in a calendar year would suggest a reclusive studio-rat Wonder in fact spent the summer of 1972 on the road opening for the Rolling Stones-who were touring behind Exile on Main St.-and also found time to produce, co-write, and play most of the instruments on Syreeta Wright’s debut album, Syreeta. With the release of Talking Book that October, the classic period found its commercial breakout. Music of My Mind was only a modest commercial success, peaking at No. “Classic period” is the polite phrase for the five-year span that Stevie spent ferociously dunking on the entire history of popular music. His playing is inventive, playful, breathtakingly musical, the sound of the most talented musician in the world learning before our ears. (Synth whizzes Bob Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil co-produced the album with Stevie and would continue to work with him through Fulfillingness’ First Finale.) But my favorite aspect of Music of My Mind is the drums: By the time Talking Book rolled around less than six months later, Stevie Wonder had become one of the best drummers on the face of the earth, but on Music of My Mind he’s still feeling his way around the instrument in the studio. Wonder played nearly every instrument on Music of My Mind and made particularly groundbreaking use of Moog and TONTO synthesizers. On the song’s second verse there is a high harmony part that’s somehow even lovelier than the main melody, like some casual, flamboyant afterthought. The album’s best song was “ Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You),” an eight-minute, two-part sprawl, the second part of which was a de facto sequel to Wonder’s 1971 ballad “ Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” and the first part of which featured one of the most achingly beautiful melodies Wonder has ever written. From the gnarled funk-rock of the album’s opener, “ Love Having You Around,” to the post-psychedelic beauty of “ Girl Blue,” to the triumphal synthesizer epic “ Evil” that closed the record, Music of My Mind wedded a quirky, DIY charm to an emergent musical virtuosity that was explosive in its implications, like if Nick Drake had wandered into the studio with the Funk Brothers, except it was all coming from one dude. But if Wonder had retired at age 22, Music of My Mind would be considered a miracle of ’70s pop, and rightly so. Released in March 1972, Music of My Mind is often considered the weakest of Wonder’s classic period albums, its standing eclipsed by what would follow it. Wonder’s first release under his new arrangement with Motown was a nine-song suite bearing the modest if portentous title, Music of My Mind. It was a revolutionary deal that, over the next five years, would change the history of music.
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Wonder negotiated a new contract with Motown that would grant him full artistic control over his music, his own publishing company, and an unprecedented royalty rate. Stevie Wonder was on his way up, and Berry Gordy needed to ensure he wasn’t on his way to another record label. In 1970, he’d written, produced, and played multiple instruments on the Spinners’ hit “ It’s a Shame,” and in April 1971 he’d released Where I’m Coming From, a collection of songs he’d co-written with his then-wife, Syreeta Wright. Wonder had been sowing the seeds for his independence for some time. Chris Molanphy “Tears of a Clown” to “Gangsta’s Paradise”: The Songs Stevie Wonder Wrote for Others More from Wonder Week Carl Wilson You Can’t Separate Stevie’s Genius from His Sappy Love Songs. Wonder Week Telling Our Greatest Living Musician How Much We Care Aisha Harris A Beginner’s Guide to Stevie Wonder Jason King Spike Lee on Working With Stevie Wonder on Jungle Fever Seth Stevenson On Top of Everything Else, Stevie Wonder Is One of the Greatest Drummers Alive Forrest Wickman The Most Influential Moment in Hip-Hop History? Stevie Wonder’s Cheesy Cosby Show Cameo. Why does this story look different? Read about how we’re revamping our approach to design.