Songs in the Key of Life - Definition and Overview

Songs in the Key of Life won a Grammy Award for Pop Male Vocal and Album of the Year. The album also topped Billboard's Pop Albums and Black Albums charts.

In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Songs in the Key of Life the 88th greatest album of all time; in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 7.

Track listing

Disc One

1. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Wonder) - 7:05
2. "Have a Talk With God" (Hardaway/Wonder) - 2:42
3. "Village Ghetto Land" (Byrd/Wonder) - 3:25
4. "Contusion" (Wonder) - 6:23
5. "Sir Duke" (Wonder) - 3:45
6. "I Wish" (Wonder) - 3:54
7. "Knocks Me off My Feet" (Wonder) - 4:12
8. "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) - 3:36
9. "Summer Soft" (Wonder) - 3:27
10. "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) - 4:14
11. "Saturn" * (Sembello/Wonder) - 4:53
12. "Ebony Eyes" * (Wonder) - 4:08

Disc Two

1. "Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) - 6:34
2. "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) - 6:29
3. "Black Man" (Byrd/Wonder) - 8:29
4. "Ngiculela-Es Una Historia-I Am Singing" (Wonder) - 3:48
5. "If It's Magic" (Wonder) - 3:12
6. "As" (Wonder) - 7:08
7. "Another Star" (Wonder) - 8:28
8. "All Day Sucker" * (Wonder) - 5:05
9. "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" * (Wonder) - 3:56

*bonus tracks from the special edition vinyl

Personnel

• Greg Brown - Drums
• Deniece Williams - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Minnie Riperton - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Dorothy Ashby - Harp
• George Benson - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Vocals
• Ronnie Foster - Organ
• Herbie Hancock - Keyboards, Handclapping
• Bobbi Humphrey - Flute
• Gary Byrd - Vocals
• Michael Wycoff - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Larry Scott - Sound Effects
• Michael Sembello - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
• Carol Cole - Percussion
• Bobbye Hall - Percussion
• Tony Warren - Illustrations
• Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel
• Jay Boy Adams - Vocals
• Nathan Alford, Jr. - Percussion
• Henry America - Vocals
• Linda America - Vocals
• Baradras - Vocals
• Brenda Barnett - Vocals
• Andrew Berliner - Mastering
• Khalif Bobatoon - Vocals
• Starshemah Bobatoon - Vocals
• Sudana Bobatoon - Vocals
• George Bohannon - Trombone
• Charles Brewer - Percussion, Programming, Vocals (bckgr)
• Shirley Brewer - Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
• Ben Bridges - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Sitar
• Berry Briges - Vocals
• Cecilia Brown - Vocals
• Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Percussion
• Jean Brown - Vocals
• Rodney Brown - Vocals
• Colleen Carleton - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
• Addie Cox - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Agnideva Dasa - Vocals
• Duryodhana Guru Dasa - Vocals
• Jayasacinandana Dasa - Vocals
• Jitamrtyi Dasa - Vocals
• Vedavyasa Dasa - Vocals
• Cinmayi Dasi - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Yogamaya Dasi - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Carolyn Dennis - Vocals (bckgr)
• Bhakta Eddie - Vocals
• Doe Rani Edwards - Vocals
• Jacqueline F. English - Vocals
• Ethel Enoex - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Al Jocko Fann - Vocals
• Barbara Fann - Vocals
• Melani Fann - Vocals
• Shelley Fann - Vocals
• Tracy Fann - Vocals
• Howard Buzzy Feiten - Guitar
• Glen Ferris - Trombone
• John Fischbach - Percussion, Programming, Vocals (bckgr), Engineer
• Susie Fuzzell - Vocals
• Carmelo Garcia - Percussion, Timbales
• Anthony Givens - Vocals
• Audrey Givens - Vocals
• Derrick Givens - Vocals
• Mildred Givens - Vocals
• Michael Lee Gray - Vocals
• Mimi Green - Vocals
• Susaye Greene Brown - Vocals
• Bhakta Gregory - Vocals
• Renee Hardaway - Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• John Harris - Sound Effects
• Jeania Harris - Vocals
• John Harris - Programming
• Troy Harris - Vocals
• Nelson Hayes - Percussion, Sound Effects, Vocals (bckgr)
• Terry Hendricks - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Bruce Hensal - Assistant Engineer
• David Henson - Vocals, Handclapping
• Jim Horn - Saxophone
• Don Hunter - Programming, Sound Effects
• Adrian Janes - Vocals
• Josie James - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Calvin Johnson - Vocals
• Carol Johnson - Vocals
• Patricia Johnson - Vocals
• Madelaine Jones - Vocals
• Bhakta Kevin - Vocals
• Phillip Kimble - Vocals
• James Lambert - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Larry Latimer - Percussion, Vocals
• Lynda Laurence - Vocals
• Linda Lawrence - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Trevor Lawrence - Saxophone, Sax (Tenor)
• Irma Leslie - Vocals
• Kim Lewis - Vocals
• Howie Lindeman - Assistant Engineer
• Carl Lockhart - Vocals
• Gail Lockhart - Vocals
• Steve Madaio - Trumpet
• Raymond Maldonado - Percussion, Trumpet
• Carolyn Massenburg - Vocals
• Amale Mathews - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
• Artice May - Vocals
• Charity McCrary - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Linda McCrary-Campbell - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Linda McCrary - Vocals
• Lonnie Morgan - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Kim Nixon - Vocals
• Lisa Nixon - Vocals
• Larri Nuckens - Vocals
• Gary Olazabal - Engineer
• Edna Orso - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
• Dean Parks - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
• Gwen Perry - Vocals
• Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
• Raymond Lee Pounds - Drums
• Hank Redd - Saxophone, Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
• Gregory Rudd - Vocals
• Rukmini - Vocals
• Yolanda Simmons - Vocals, Handclapping
• Keith Slaughter - Vocals
• Rosona Starks - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Dennis Swindell - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Sundray Tucker - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Josette Valentino - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr), Handclapping
• Gary Veney - Vocals
• W.G. "Snuffy" Walden - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
• Sheryl Walker - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Marietta Waters - Percussion, Vocals (bckgr)
• Nathan Lamar Watts - Bass, Percussion, Vocals
• Mary Lee Whitney - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Stevie Wonder - Harmonica, Arranger, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals, Producer
• Syreeta Wright - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
• Rick Smith - Assistant Engineer
• Ray Pound - Drums
• Michael Gray - Vocals
• Chris Morris - Assistant Engineer
• Jeff Sanders - Mastering
• Susaye Greene - Vocals
• Nathan Watts - Bass, Vocals (bckgr), Handclapping
• William Moore - Vocals
• Greg Brown - Drums
• Rick Smith - Assistant Engineer
• Fountain Jones - Programming

Cover Versions

• "Love's In Need of Love Today" - Later recorded by Dave Hollister in 2002.
• "Contusion" - Later chopped up and melded with other jazz samples for the Venetian Snares song "Banana Seat Girl" (2002).
• "I Wish" - Later recorded, with different lyrics, by Will Smith as the theme song for the film Wild Wild West.
• "Pastime Paradise" - Later recorded, with different lyrics, as "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio in 1995, parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Amish Paradise" in 1996.
• "Knocks Me Off My Feet" - Later recorded by Luther Vandross in 1996 and then by Donnell Jones in 2003.
• "As" - Later recorded by Michael Bolton in 2001, also a successful duet between George Michael and Mary J. Blige in 1998.
• "Another Star" - Latered recorded by Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul in 2002.

Charting singles

1976	Another Star	Club Play Singles	        No. 2
1977	Sir Duke	Adult Contemporary	        No. 3
1977	Another Star	Pop Singles	                No. 32
1977	I Wish	        Pop Singles	                No. 1
1977	Sir Duke	Pop Singles	                No. 1
1977	Another Star	Black Singles	                No. 18
1977	As	        Black Singles	                No. 36
1977	I Wish	        Black Singles	                No. 1
1977	Sir Duke	Black Singles	                No. 1
1978	As	        Pop Singles	                No. 36