Such a storyteller... Stevie Wonder - Living for the City (REACTION)

[@aprilstewart5929]

Yes, my boomer generation screamed and yelled about saving the Earth. And clearly, you understand how frustrating it is to see that all of our warnings, and those of our best performing artists, leaders, scientists and politicians, went unheeded. As for Stevie Wonder: he gets very specific about racism in his work, and if you listen to enough of his work, you'll learn about the Civil Rights movement....perhaps more than you want to know, really.

[@firebird7479]

18:08 "The planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!" ~ George Carlin.

[@daggarcia]

He owned the '70s with 3 Big Albums. Winning multiple Grammys. One year when Paul Simon won he had to thank Stevie Wonder for not putting out an album that year. Check out Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder playing "Living for the City" on KZbin.

[@bendancar]

Stevie W is the best. His 70s music was some of the finest out there. It's also important to understand the context around at the time. Marvin Gaye had made his nearly perfect "What's Going On?" album (which if you have not checked that out yet, run don't walk!), and Mr Wonder wanted to follow in Gaye's path out of the (albeit great) pop of Motown to more serious music, both harmonically and lyrically. This album and "Songs in the Key of Life" are simply fantastic. Keep going.

[@Newfie-zc7ug]

What's goin On ...nearly perfect ?????? Really. :) LOL

[@markmurphy558]

Stevie Wonder owned the Grammys for 10 years. When Paul Simon won record of the year for "Bridge Over Troubled Water", he thanked Stevie for NOT putting out an album that year.

[@andythrush3341]

Mr. Wonder put out four consecutive 5 star LPS in a row. It was unsurpassed other than the Beatles! You have to listen to all of "Intervisions." Thanks for sharing!

[@firebird7479]

My sister had this album when I was a kid. We wore it out. Thanks, Columbia House! (Older people will get that reference) 🤣🤣

[@Ray1969.]

Stevie is definitely one of the most talented people on the planet!!

[@lisarainbow9703]

"Visions in my Mind, from this same album, is impossibly beautiful. I get the feeling you'd appreciate it, Daniel.

[@susannalley5376]

Such an influential genius. Stevie is two years older than me and I first saw him on American Bandstand. I think that I was 12. He left me dumbfounded with his first big hit, Fingertips. Motown music was one of my first and last loves. Thanks for this

[@cometogether999]

Great song! Glad you chose the extended cut. It really extends the gritty feel of the song. The radio edit is a shame, it short changes the aesthetic. Thanks Daniel! If I'm not mistaken, Stevie played all the instruments on this.

[@debjorgo]

The short version doesn't have the spoken section. Fortunately, radio usually played this version here.

[@izzonj]

The cut version is a travesty!

[@Dooklawz]

yea....the extended version is the only way to go.... it delivers

[@BOOMNERD51]

The extended version-without it, I was missing so much.

[@izzonj]

Daniel, that bass is a Moog synth, played by Stevie. Without checking I'd betthat Stevie played and sang every note on this track. Edit. I checked and he did play it all, even percussion

[@-davidolivares]

His drumming is so unorthodox, instead of bump bump siss, bump bump siss, it’s bumpity bump, sissity bump bump… crazy.

[@timlynch5710]

Likely one of the most influential musicians of my lifetime.I fill with tears when I think about him, his gift and his gifts to us. Bless you Daniel. Bullseye!

[@showmoke]

Ah Stevie Wonder - he’s the man! Loads of great stuff from him, my favourite being ‘Superstition’. What an amazing career he’s had/is having! Also, I actually have this album - the original I bought in the ‘70’s (ah, that wonderful decade of music again!)

[@kayew5492]

Daniel, I grew up in that era when casual racism was endemic. Even the version of Eeny meeny miney moe I learned as a child contained the N word! Seeing you flinch when you heard that word in this song proves to me that while we still have a long way to go, progress has been made and I believe will continue.

[@georgewodicka4839]

One of the legendary artists that could galvanize fans of all types of music. Toe-tapping magic. A radio staple for a generation. And no fluff. As deep in it's own way as our favorite storytelling balladiers.

[@dalem8332]

The genius of Stevie Wonder! Love it! ♥️🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦

[@chris62tt]

Such powerful lyrics combined with musical genius. An outstanding piece of art!

[@pommie5093]

well said!

[@markadolph8715]

Thanks you for listening to this song and understanding its impact. The fact that it's more than 40 years old, and yet you can completely connect with it based on today's events, illustrates why so many of us are so frustrated with the slow pace of change and the number of people who deny that there are any problems to fix. Stevie has done a lot of social commentary songs, mixed in with love songs and lighter topics. He is stylistically varied and yet you can always tell it's him. Listening to his best stuff is like going to church; prepare yourself to hear truth bombs.

[@deniseriley6622]

Great song 🎵 Stevie is such a legend 🙌 Love the smile on your face.

[@daveking9393]

Wonderful. Stevie is so recognizable. What's not to like.

[@brumleytwitch6265]

Stevie was not only one of the first progressive pop artists, but he was also, to me, the first artist to use synthesizers musically, instead of as a gimmick. His early 1970s albums were very forward-looking.

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

When I was a kid growing up in the Late 70s I saw a big change take place. We had moved from a mostly black area of Los Angeles that was nice to an even nicer area in the San Fernando Valley of California. For a lot of years I would be the only black kid in my class in Elementary School and throughout Middle School and High School.. I did encounter a few people with some hangups that were racial back then because they had never lived along side anyone else of a different color and their parents were an obvious influence that way. Mostly though, none of us cared what color anybody was as kids. What I saw happen in the late 70s was that Music began to cross the lines even more, with a lot of white singers sounding very soulful and as a result a lot of people that normally would only associate with their own race started to get comfortable hanging out outside of their usual Comfort Zones.. This happened into the 80s in mass and for a long time there was a greater sense of living together and harmony than I had ever seen.. Now, the Powers That Be, here on earth, have seen it fit to Divide and Conquer once again by seeding Race Wars... and... we're back to a worse place again as a society, because so many have bought into it. We need to be more conscious of the "Games People Play" that those running this world envoke on citizens in order to accomplish what they are seeking to do. We all need to make a personal choice to refuse to even go there..

[@noelleparris9451]

Love Stevie Wonder and his work. Just a genius ❤❤❤

[@ScottPothan]

A sheer masterpiece of music. I still have this vinyl album with my name on the cover and dated: ‘73. S seminal album a seminal piece of my teenage life as a human rights activist.

[@debjorgo]

This is easily my favorite Stevie Wonder song (and album).

[@blanewilliams5960]

Just a great song in all respects. Love Stevie, well done Daniel.

[@pommie5093]

This is one of my top, top Stevie songs-just epic in all ways. And, hi Daniel! Hope you are doing well.

[@cherylreichardt]

One of the greats I'm happy my mom exposed me to. Love his groovy vibe and how he brings those lyrics to life with his voice!

[@richarthur3069]

Listen to the song, “As.” The song is about the love a parent has for a handicapped child.

[@jondhuse1549]

Watching this with tears streaming down my face... sigh... Thanks for digging in to it!

[@carlacook5181]

Again, I loved watching your face as you listened to this song, it came out at crucial time in my development as a socially conscious person and really made an impact on me, Stevie Wonder is a national treasure...take care.

[@carlacook5181]

Try "Isn't She Lovely"

[@joyced.5657]

I grew up with this album on heavy rotation on my moms record player, interesting to see a young person’s reaction to the music of my childhood. I recently went out and got this cd, awesome as always!

[@bobangell1679]

Stevie played all instruments on this album. If McCartney could do it, Stevie could do it. And no bass on this track. That's Stevie on the keyboard.

[@nationaltrails9585]

One of many great tracks from a landmark album by Stevie Wonder during his "Classic Period." Negotiating a new contract with Motown Records, he got creative control of recordings with this third album. I remember a college classmate always sitting on the campus lawn listening to this album. So, the whole album is worth listening to and more songs on it are worth reacting to. Grammy's Album of the Year in 1974. Glad that you have come across it. :)

[@nationaltrails9585]

Meant to say, creative control began two albums earlier with Music if My Mind.

[@nationaltrails9585]

Barbra Streisand released a single, All in Love is Fair in 1974, it reached #63 on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn't till I heard the entire Innervisions album that I found out it was a Stevie Wonder song. One more thing as they say, there are no real stop and start breaks on this album as one song will go right into another!

[@maruad7577]

Great song. Props to the person who rec'd it.

[@davidmaholchic6146]

So glad you are doing the album version. This is a masterpiece of music vocal and lyric love you

[@mnswamp]

I heard this for the first time on college radio when it came out. Stevie Wonder was/is an amazing artist and I still think this may have been his best album. This could have been set any time from the 20s thru to the 60s. I grew up (white) in the deep south in the 50s/60s, and we really don't seem to have learned a damn thing. For more on the Great Migration, check en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Migration_(African_American).

[@Lightmane]

One of my favorite songs by Stevie Wonder is 'Overjoyed'.

[@dana_brooke_27]

Try "Don't you worry bout a thing" off the same album. I think you'll really like that. This whole album is great.

[@mcasualjacques]

one rare album where all the tracks are great. maybe in part because the tracks form a story

[@georgewodicka4839]

Motown meets moog.

[@peytonwilliams3107]

@@georgewodicka4839 who doesn’t love a good moog

[@flibber123]

What I like about this one is it expertly combines biting lyrics with catchy music. I first heard and enjoyed it just because it sounded so good. Then one day I paid attention to the lyrics and discovered this whole other level of appreciation for it.

[@garylarue3899]

Great stuff from the genious of soul. The entire Songs In Key of Life is fabulous.

[@imagine1004]

So powerful! Your generation will make the needed progress.

[@-davidolivares]

Steveland Morris is very influential to both kings of pop, Michael Jackson and Prince. Stevie predates Michael’s heee trademark here and Prince’s sped/pitched up vocals here also. With some help he explored the unknown universe of synthesizers. Plus, super soul vocals and creative lyrics, he blessed us with knowledge of inequality, protest, spiritual love, and hopefulness. The whole album is a triumph and a blessing. Album, 8track, cassette, and CD, had them all and pretty much wore them out.

[@jonsey156]

Such a moving song ! - First head the radio version in 1975 , it really stood out. Great music, arrangement and lyrics from a supremely talented artist - Thanks for covering this !!

[@lilamuzik3385]

Please Daniel, don't think we've made no progress...we have . Many opinions and attitudes have changed over the years because of people like Stevie. It's sad though that this is lost in all the divisive language and behaviors of some who try to obscure the progress. " Look over here, nothing to see over there."

[@moefeaux1442]

Another one of those songs made for headphones.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

I saw you have a keyboard. Maybe try playing the black keys with just the octaves and fifths in a syncopated way, you can get a Stevie kind of thing going. Maybe check his song “Dont you worry bout a Thing” Stevie broke through a lot of barriers, important artist.

[@genecase326]

You need to hear "In The Ghetto" by Elvis Presley. Not as long (or as good of a song) but the message is just as powerful imo.

[@dixiechatty958]

This is one of his best. For a completely different feel, check out Sir Duke, a tribute to Duke Ellington and other 20th century pioneers. As far as cursing on record goes, the first I ever heard was on the soundtrack to the musical Hair. Shortly after, the Jefferson Airplane had some salty language on their album Volunteers in 1968. Listen to We Should Be Together. Not only is it a great song, it has language that is totally appropriate to the song's message.

[@WilAdams]

I love the irony of this song, especially the part where the lyrics tell us--'Her brother's smart, he's got more sense than many...' then later we hear his arrival in The City, where almost instantly a fellow black guy, gives him drugs and he is arrested and sent to prison for 10 years. Smart? Yeah.

[@Yosef1952]

A great number that attempts to capture the experience of a great many Black Americans. Stevie isn't my #1 artist, but this number is outstanding. I don't know the extent to which it applies to Stevie's own family.

[@nationaltrails9585]

Similar in topic for reaction is the Mac Davis song In the Ghetto from 1969, sung by Elvis Presley. :)

[@genecase326]

As a 12-13 year old in the SF Bay Area in early 70's when this song came out it really opened my eyes to how other people see the world. And the world they have to live in. I'm not perfect by any means (my eyes just rolled out of their sockets. So did yours. lol) but "Livin' For The City", and a couple of others, helped push me in the right direction at least. Suavecito by Malo is the best example I can think of where the shorter, single version of the song is really not that bad. You should check it out. Beautiful song.

[@dalemcmillan7231]

❤❤

[@zanohoriamazo1]

I don’t think Stevie cussed on this. First cues on a record I heard was by Isley Brothers on their song called Fight the Power, which is completely different from the Public Enemy version. Important tonite that Stevie is also the drummer on his tracks throughout the ‘80’s & much of 80’s. An idea of his depth was that his albums were never named after a song. It’s always something different that summarizes the whole project. Also there was no dead space between songs on much of his recordings, as if you were always Lia to a suite of music. This whole album is like that & incredible! Next album was Fulfillingness’ First Finale, the epic double album, Songs in the Key of Life, & then, Hotter Than July. Recommended viewing, the documentary called, HITSVILLE: The Makkng of Motown

[@kianpa1]

❤️

[@yes_head]

This was an important song to shine a light on injustice in such naked terms. In 1973. Unfortunately the issues the BLM movement has been wrestling with are nothing new.

[@Manageode]

Hello there!! Thank you! Check out the OJ's song, For the Love of Money. I have it in my head its from the successful writing team at the studio where the Philly Sound emerged. I could be wrong, but I 'm petty sure it's those guys.The Philly Sound is Great. The bass on that one is so fine.

[@TheRatsCast]

I always thought the line was "They don't use colored people" but the line you read was different. You have to understand the time. Stevie being a black man; hag his message edited out for white America. If s radio station card play the full version; all hell would break loose, so only the 3 minute version was ever played. Unless you owned the album; or knew someone who did, you never heard those last lines. Honestly; I'm amazed Stevie got away with recording and release the song in full at all.

[@Yaktahbay]

I always thought he said "The smoggy, crowded city".

[@astrogoodvibes6164]

Shallow material temptations, alienation and trouble might not be unique to cities but they're profoundly more concentrated and your character doesn't seem to matter much in those places.

[@Lwize]

This is from a time when a black artist could get FM rock radio airplay, and it was a normal thing.

[@MsAppassionata]

If you liked “Superstition” you ought to like “Higher Ground”.

[@doplinger1]

The long version IS the right one to react to - the edited version doesn't tell the whole story, it really takes a turn that you would miss with the short version.

[@cindydepriest3720]

I would like to request that you react to Arcadian Driftwood by The Band. It's a great story song with the highest quality of musicianship. I don't think you've reacted to The Band in a long time. I am sure you will like this song. Loved this one by Stevie.

[@floydshambles]

Check out his song Heaven Is Ten Zillion Light Years Away

[@davidantonacci9525]

Daniel, you need to listen to "Jesus Children of America " if you want to hear a real gem of a Stevie song.(Along with many others).

[@Scooterboi60]

Could you please listen to Elton John Ticking from the album Caribou. It’s just Elton and piano except for a bit of synth at the end but it’s another song along the similar lines to Living for the City.

[@izzonj]

That's a deep cut that's really worth listening to. And again, we realize that things have gotten worse, not better

[@Scooterboi60]

@@izzonj absolutely which is what prompted me to ask Daniel to listen to it.

[@timlynch5710]

PS: Released in 1973. No sign that things have gotten any better, especially in the states. So profoundly sad.

[@le7669]

Gee they never played that last part on the radio - edited for time limit i suppose 👀

[@cbs5742]

Do Story by nf

[@Dooklawz]

Life in the big city.... NOT as advertised, NOT like as seen on TV .... effectively worse

[@sharonschannel3071]

I don't think that line with the cursing in it is correct. If you listen closely to that line, what he is saying is "The funky crowded city."

[@ak99uk]

These lyrics are inaccurate, the line is "He's tried to vote, but to him there's no solution".