Stevie Wonder released a four-song EP featuring previously unheard recordings from the sessions of his 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. The release marks the 50th anniversary of the Diamond-certified record and includes tracks personally curated by Wonder and mixed by the album’s original engineers.
The new collection, titled Songs in the Key of Life: The EP, arrives as the original LP marks its 50th anniversary. Wonder’s decision to unvault these specific tracks provides a window into the creative process of a 21-track double album that previously earned him his third Grammy Award for Album of the Year and was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
The original album contains a number of Wonder’s landmark tracks, including “Sir Duke,” “As,” Isn’t She Lovely,
“I Wish,” and Love’s in Need of Love Today.
The Unreleased Tracks and Collaborative Credits
Wonder wrote and produced all four songs, though one features a co-writing credit. My Life Story of Love was co-written by former Supremes member Susaye Greene, who also collaborated with Wonder on Michael Jackson’s I Can't Help It.
The EP spans several of Wonder’s signature 1970s styles, from bossa nova to squelchy funk, utilizing psychedelic soul arrangements with funk and jazz detailing, keyboards, and synth bass.
- It’s Easier: A bossa nova-esque number that questions whether to walk away from the very concept of love.
- My Life Story of Love: A tale of a blossoming relationship using bucolic imagery, such as “let her bloom into my flower of love.”
- I Can See the Sun in Late December: A slow jazz ballad about determined optimism and self-discovery.
- I’m Into Livin’: A squelchy funk track where Wonder renounces his old partying and womanising ways and pledges himself to a single lover.
The recording features a deep bench of talent from that era. Musicians including Nathan Watts, Raymond Pounds, Jim Horn, Ben Bridges, Michael Sembello, and Gregory Phillinganes contributed to the sessions. Backing vocals on I’m Into Livin’ feature Shirley Brewer—who also features on the original album’s “Ordinary Pain”—Deniece Williams, and Thelma Houston.
Original Engineering and the 4:54 AM Release
To maintain the sonic integrity of the 1976 sessions, Wonder brought back original recording and mixing engineers John Fischbach and Gary O Adante. Adante, who was credited as Gary Olazabal on the original LP, recently mixed the tracks for this release.
The release timing was not accidental. The EP launched at 4:54 AM, a nod to an inside joke known as “Fo’FiftyFo’.” This phrase originated when bassist Nathan Watts exclaimed the time at 4:54 a.m. as the final studio session for the original album concluded.
50th Anniversary Tour and Recent Projects
The EP serves as a prelude to an arena tour. The Songs in the Key of Life Performances – 50th Anniversary Tour kicks off October 13 in Birmingham, UK, before moving through Europe and the United States through December 19 in Los Angeles.
In Detroit, Wonder is scheduled to perform at the Fox Theatre on December 8 and 9, following a previous appearance at Little Caesars Arena in October 2024.
Wonder’s most recent new material was the single Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart,
released in 2024, though he hasn’t released a new studio album since 2005’s A Time to Love. He has yet to provide updates on a project titled Through the Eyes of Wonder, which he first announced in 2020.
We’ve lived with Songs in the Key of Life for fifty years, but there’s still more to hear,
Wonder said. We didn’t add these songs to the album, but they were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it. They bring me back to that time in my life, and now they get to become part of yours.
Stevie Wonder, via Yahoo