Dawn Is Me

I told you before about some of my recent strolls down musical memory lane, where I’m finally admitting to myself that the ’70s was a pretty good decade.

It wasn’t all disco and polyester, ya know.

In the land of R&B/funk/jazz and the various hybrids boasting real musicians who reveled in experimenting with musical forms from other cultures, it was a real good time.

I’m remembering those days (again) via the appropriately entitled Songs In The Key Of Life.

The biggest difference between Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire is that people have heard of Stevie Wonder. It had been such a long time since I’d listened to this amazing album that I forgot just how amazing it was.

(Another case of me having the vinyl and nothing to play it on … )

If you know me at all, then you know that all this musical stuff really, really matters to me. When I listen, really listen, to music and I tell you that it moves me, that means I can feel every instrument I hear in every cell in my body. I can’t even describe what it does to me.

If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. If you don’t, then just do yourself a favor and don’t try to talk to me while I’m singing. Or, at least, don’t talk to me if you expect me to answer you.

So, yeah, about Stevie …

When I was in high school, I belonged to an a cappella group called Octet. One of the traditions of this group was that the graduating seniors got to do a solo that was added to the repertoire for that school year.

My senior year was weird because, that year, everybody in Octet was a senior. So there was a major scramble for each senior to choose a song and for the rest of us to learn it.

My song was one of the last ones added to our … um … act. I wound up doing some Barbara Streisand ballad because the rest of the girls in the group couldn’t get it together to perform the song that was my original choice:

This is one of those songs that I’m talking about when I say I can feel the music in every cell in my body. Especially these drum rolls — they sound to me like spiritual thunder rolling right through my heart:

And, finally, nothing in particular to say about this song except that it’s a lot of fun to sing:

“Genius” is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to music industry superstars. Personally, I think Stevie deserves the label.

(Here’s a piece of music trivia for you. Back in 1974 or so, Stevie came out with a surprisingly political song called You Haven’t Done Nothing. Singing background vocals on that cut was The Jackson 5, many years before Michael and Jermaine went solo.

At the time, The Jackson 5 was really, really huge, with worldwide audiences of fainting teenaged girls, etc., the whole nine years. But, rumor had it that they were excited and thrilled and humbled to get to sing with Stevie Wonder … ’cause, hey, it’s Stevie! Not just a star but a legend.)