Music of My Mind cover art

  Studio Album · No. 15

Music of My Mind Songwriting Credits by Stevie Wonder

1972 Tamla 9 tracks 47 min

Produced by Stevie Wonder, Robert Margouleff, Malcolm Cecil  ·  Engineered by Robert Margouleff, Malcolm Cecil

Tamla Progressive soulSoulFunkR&B
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 9 of 9 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Stevie Wonder carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
9 trackswritten by Stevie Wonder 0 tracksoutside writers
Stevie Wonder's roles on this album

Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

9
Tracks
3
Lyricists
3
Producers
1972
Released
Data Insight

Music of My Mind marks the start of Stevie Wonder's classic period, the first album he made after gaining full creative control over his work at Motown. Wonder wrote nearly every song and played almost all of the instruments himself, building dense arrangements of Moog and ARP synthesizers, clavinet, drums, and piano through the TONTO synthesizer system. Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil served as associate producers and engineers, programming the synthesizers while Wonder produced the sessions. The few outside contributions are limited, with Syreeta Wright co-writing "Love Having You Around," Yvonne Wright co-writing "Girl Blue," Buzz Feiten adding guitar to "Superwoman," and Art Baron playing trombone, leaving the album overwhelmingly the work of one self-contained artist.

Music of My Mind is Stevie Wonder's fourteenth studio album, released in 1972 on Tamla Records, the first record made under his new contract granting complete creative control. Working with synthesizer pioneers Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, Wonder played nearly every instrument himself and wrote every song, producing an album that bore no resemblance to anything Motown had released before. 'Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)' opens the album with a seven-minute suite that announced the arrival of a wholly new artistic vision. The album sold modestly at first but was acclaimed by critics and musicians, Wonder's touring with the Rolling Stones that same year exposed him to a rock audience who had never heard anything like it. Music of My Mind launched what critics call the 'classic period', a run of five albums that redefined the boundaries of soul music.

Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Love Having You Around
Stevie WonderSyreeta Wright Stevie WonderSyreeta Wright Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
2
Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) #33
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
3
I Love Every Little Thing About You
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
4
Sweet Little Girl
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
5
Happier Than the Morning Sun
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
6
Girl Blue
Stevie WonderYvonne Wright Stevie WonderYvonne Wright Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
7
Seems So Long
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
8
Keep On Running #90
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
9
Evil
Stevie WonderSyreeta Wright Stevie WonderSyreeta Wright Stevie WonderRobert MargouleffMalcolm Cecil Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions Music of My Mind

Who wrote the songs on Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind?
Stevie Wonder wrote nearly the entire album himself. Syreeta Wright co-wrote "Love Having You Around" and Yvonne Wright co-wrote "Girl Blue," while every other track was written by Wonder alone.
Why is Music of My Mind considered the start of Stevie Wonder's classic period?
It was the first album Wonder recorded after renegotiating his Motown contract to gain full artistic control. He wrote, produced, and played almost everything himself, establishing the self-contained synthesizer-driven approach that would define his run of 1972 to 1976 albums.
How high did "Superwoman" chart from Music of My Mind?
"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" was the lead single and reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. The single edit used only the first part of the roughly eight-minute album track.
Did Stevie Wonder play all the instruments on Music of My Mind?
Wonder played virtually all of the instruments himself, layering synthesizers, clavinet, drums, and keyboards. The main exceptions were Buzz Feiten's guitar on "Superwoman" and Art Baron's trombone on "Love Having You Around."
What role did the TONTO synthesizer play on Music of My Mind?
Wonder built much of the album's sound around the TONTO modular synthesizer, using its Moog and ARP modules for bass, lead, and textural parts. Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, the synthesizer's developers, programmed the instrument and engineered the sessions as associate producers.
What is the song "Superwoman" about on Music of My Mind?
"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" is a two-part suite. The first half describes a woman chasing dreams of stardom, and the second half reflects on the breakdown of the relationship, making it one of the album's most ambitious extended compositions.
When was Music of My Mind released and on what label?
Music of My Mind was released on March 3, 1972, on the Tamla label, a Motown imprint. It was Wonder's fourteenth studio album.
Were any other singles released from Music of My Mind?
Besides "Superwoman," the album produced the single "Keep on Running," which reached number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. The album itself peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200.

Sources