THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

65-Stevie Wonder-Living for the City.

1973-Number 15 single.

Best Bit-At 5.18. Because Stevie Wonder was already a superstar by the age of 13, it is easy to forget that he was still only 23 when he wrote this.

Stevie Wonder (see also best songs 920-843-834-682-570-503-366-205 and 152) was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins, on May 13th, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan, United States, he was considered a child prodigy, and when signing with ‘Motown’s’ ‘Tamla’ label at the age of 11, he was given the stage name of ‘Little Stevie Wonder’ by his mentor and producer at Tamla, Clarence Paul (1928-1995.) At the age of 13 as ‘Little Stevie Wonder’ he achieved his first American Billboard Number 1 single, with the Clarence Paul co-written ‘Fingertips,’ making Wonder the youngest ever artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The discography of Stevie Wonder includes 23 studio Albums released between 1962-2005, and 91 singles issued between 1962-2020, of which 46 have made the Billboard Hot 100 top 40 singles chart, with eight of those reaching Number 1. While in the UK, 37 of his singles have made the top 40, with his only solo Number 1 being ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You,’ which topped the chart in 1984. He also had previously reached Number 1 in the UK in 1982 as the featured artist on the Paul McCartney song ‘Ebony and Ivory.’

Although Stevie Wonder achieved 17 hit singles on Billboard in the 1960’s it is his early to mid 1970’s output for which he is even more critically acclaimed, particularly his Albums ‘Music of my Mind,’ (1972) ‘Talking Book,’ (1972) ‘Innervisions,’ (1973) ‘Fulfillingness’ First Finale,’ (1974) and ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ (1976.) After Stevie Wonder allowed his contract with ‘Motown’ to run out in 1971, he renegotiated getting himself improved royalties, and complete control over his studio output. He brought in Robert Margouleff, and Malcolm Cecil (1937-2021) to work with him as engineers, and associate producers, and they would work with Wonder on four of those classic 1970’s Albums.

‘Living for the City’ was the second of four singles released from Stevie Wonder’s 16th studio Album ‘Innervisions’ from 1973. As well as writing the song, Wonder also played all of the instruments, and sung lead and backing vocals, the synthesizer, and handclaps were provided by Margouleff and Cecil. ‘Living for the City’ is considered groundbreaking for it’s social commentary, and use of sampling, such as the sounds of voices, buses and traffic which were recorded in the streets, and mixed with the music in the studio.

‘Living for the City’ tells the story of a young black man born in to a poor but respectable family in Mississippi. He can’t get a job because of discrimination, so he goes to New York, and naively get’s caught up in crime, he is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Stevie Wonder has said,’I really got into how I feel about the way things are was in ‘Living For The City.’ I was able to show the hurt and the anger. You still have that same mother that scrubs the floors for many, she’s still doing it. Now what is that about? And that father who works some days for 14 hours. That’s still happening.’

‘His sister’s black but she is sho ’nuff pretty, her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy. To walk to school she’s got to get up early, her clothes are old but never are they dirty,living just enough, just enough for the city.’