The 500 - #285- Music Of My Mind - Stevie Wonder

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #285

Album Title: Music Of My Mind

Artist: Stevie Wonder

Genre: Progressive Soul

Recorded: Three Studios in New York and Los Angeles

Released: March, 1972

My age at release: 6

How familiar was I with it before this week: A little

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at 350, dropping 65 places since 2012

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Evil

Given the unique name Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, the future music legend who became known to the world as Stevie Wonder arrived six weeks premature on May 13, 1950. The oxygen-rich atmosphere of the incubator saved his life, but also resulted in retinopathy that robbed him of his vision.

The Judkins family moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1954 and Stevie took an early interest in music, singing at his church and playing piano, harmonica and drums. In 1961, aged 11, Stevie sang his first composition, a song called Lonely Boy, to Ronnie White of the group The Miracles. White was so impressed, he took the young warbler to meet Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records. Stevland Hardaway Judkins was re-branded "Little Stevie Wonder" and, before he was a teenager, he released three records, including the hit single Fingertips -- making him the youngest person to have a #1 song on the Billboard charts.

Little Stevie Wonder The 12 year old genius album cover

Music of My Mind was his 14th release, a remarkable achievement because he was only 21. Typically, aspiring musicians of that age are crafting their first record, not their 14th. However, more importantly, the record marked a new phase in the multi-instrumentalist's career. He had recently signed a new contract with Motown Records to give him complete artistic control over his music. Modern music critics consider this the start of  Wonder's classic period, which ran from 1972 until 1979. His output included three other records on The 500 list, all in the top 100 –Talking Book (#90), Songs In The Key Of Life (#57) and Inversions (#24).

Music of My Mind also marked the start of Wonder's foray into the  world of electronic music for which he recruited two pioneers in the genre, Malcom Cecil and Robert Margouleff, to make use of their TONTO synthesizer set-up. TONTO, an acronym for The Original New Timbrel Orchestra was. at the time, the largest and most sophisticated analog synthesizer in the world. Compared with today’s miniaturized technology, the  electronic network was housed in six-metre-long curving wood cabinets nearly two metres high.

The TONTO analog synthesizer system

I've been a fan of Wonder's music since age 11 when I first heard the infectious catchy horn section that opens the song Sir Duke from the aforementioned Song In The Key Of Life. In the ‘80s Wonder seemed omnipresent in the world of popular music, enjoying tremendous commercial success as both a solo artist and collaborator. His music became a little too "adult contemporary" for me in the ‘80s and my interest in him faded somewhat.

However, in 2021 I came across some of his earlier music, triggered by the appearance of Wonder songs on the soundtracks of two television programs.

The first program was an eight-part series titled 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything. This documentary juxtaposed the music of the period against the cultural and political upheaval of a particularly tumultuous year in contemporary history. It was, after all, the time of Vietnam War protests, the rise of Black Power movement, the rise of Feminism and the release of the Pentagon Papers.

In the fifth episode, Wonder's song, If You Really Loved Me, from the album Where I'm Coming From, galvanized my attention. Immediately, I thought, "I should be listening to more early Stevie Wonder.'' The next day, my headphones and Spotify account got a workout as much as I did physically doing yard chores.

I delved into Wonder’s early classic period. It so happened that a few nights later Wonder's music was on my television again – that of  Atlanta, the brilliant, comedy/drama/social satire series by multi-talented Donald Glover.

Episode six of season two of Atlanta, entitled Teddy Perkins, took another unexpected turn, veering into the world of psychological horror. In the episode, things turn strange as the easy-going Darius attempted to pick up a piano from the home of an eccentric and reclusive man, Teddy Perkins.

The episode is book-ended brilliantly by two tracks from Wonder's Music From My Mind. As the opening credits play, the episode begins with Sweet Little Girl, a harmonica-driven song that seems, at first, like a playful, innocent love song. However, darker and more sinister overtones emerge.

The episode ends with the track Evil, a melancholy number that makes full use of the new keyboard technology Wonder was testing. The song posed a series of questions directed at an unseen, and seemingly uncaring, artifice of evil.

Atlanta's Music supervisor, Jen Malone, told Variety that Stevie Wonder had to be convinced by the show’s creator, Donald Glover, to allow Evil to be included in the episode due to the troubling nature of the content.

"Donald had to get on the phone with Stevie and we were all very intrigued about what went on on that phone call. But we ended up getting the song and it was just such a perfect musical moment."

If you haven't had the chance to explore Atlanta or Stevie Wonder's earlier catalogue, I recommend it highly.  In the words of Teddy Perkins, they are both "Flames".