Songs in the Key of Life cover art

  Studio Album · No. 18

Songs in the Key of Life Songwriting Credits by Stevie Wonder

1976 Tamla/Motown 17 tracks 85 min

Produced by Stevie Wonder  ·  Engineered by John Fischbach, Gary Olazabal

Tamla/Motown R&BSoulPopProgressive soulSoul jazz
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 17 of 17 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 17 / 17 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 17 tracks with documented writers, by whether Stevie Wonder carries a lyricist or composer credit.

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

Share of the 17 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

17
Tracks
3
Lyricists
1
Producers
2
No.1 Singles
Over 10 million copies worldwide
Worldwide Copies Sold
1976
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Grammy Award for Album of the Year (1977)
Data Insight

Songs in the Key of Life is Stevie Wonder's magnum opus, a sprawling double album he wrote, produced, and largely performed himself. The overwhelming majority of the 17 tracks are solo Wonder compositions, with a handful of co-writes: "Have a Talk with God" with his brother Calvin Hardaway, and "Village Ghetto Land" and "Black Man" with poet Gary Byrd. It capped the most celebrated creative run of his career and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1977, his third Album of the Year win in four years.

Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by Stevie Wonder, released in September 1976 on Tamla/Motown and produced entirely by Stevie Wonder. Widely considered one of the greatest albums ever made, the ambitious double LP with bonus EP spans jazz, funk, soul, gospel, reggae, and classical orchestration across thirty tracks of extraordinary emotional and musical breadth. 'I Wish,' 'Sir Duke' (a tribute to Duke Ellington), 'As,' 'Isn't She Lovely,' 'Love's in Need of Love Today,' and 'Another Star' are among the most beloved songs in American popular music. The album debuted at number one and spent thirteen weeks there, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for the second consecutive year, an unprecedented achievement, and was universally praised as a crowning achievement of the soul era. Songs in the Key of Life is the definitive statement of Stevie Wonder's genius.

Track Listing & Credits 17 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Love's in Need of Love Today
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
2
Have a Talk with God
Stevie WonderCalvin Hardaway Stevie WonderCalvin Hardaway Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
3
Village Ghetto Land
Stevie WonderGary Byrd Stevie WonderGary Byrd Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
4
Contusion
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
5
Sir Duke #1
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
6
I Wish #1
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
7
Knocks Me Off My Feet
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
8
Pastime Paradise
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
9
Summer Soft
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
10
Ordinary Pain
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
11
Isn't She Lovely
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
12
Joy Inside My Tears
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
13
Black Man
Stevie WonderGary Byrd Stevie WonderGary Byrd Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
14
Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
15
If It's Magic
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Multi-Instrumentalist)
16
As #36
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
17
Another Star #32
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 3 contributors

SW
Stevie Wonder
Writer · Producer · Vocals
On this album17 written
GB
Gary Byrd
Writer
On this album2 written
CH
Calvin Hardaway
Writer
On this album1 written

More from Stevie Wonder

1962 22%
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie
Tamla
9 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1962 10%
Tribute to Uncle Ray
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1963 0%
With a Song in My Heart
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1963 0%
Workout Stevie, Workout
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1964 0%
Stevie at the Beach
Tamla
11 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1966 42%
Up-Tight (Everything's Alright)
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1966 33%
Down to Earth
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1967 0%
Someday at Christmas
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1968 33%
I Was Made to Love Her
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1968 67%
For Once in My Life
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1969 42%
My Cherie Amour
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1970 58%
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1971 100%
Where I'm Coming From
Tamla
9 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1972 100%
Talking Book
Tamla/Motown
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1972 100%
Music of My Mind
Tamla
9 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1973 100%
Innervisions
Tamla/Motown
9 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1974 100%
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1979 100%
Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants
Tamla
20 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1981 100%
Hotter Than July
Tamla/Motown
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1985 100%
In Square Circle
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1987 100%
Characters
Motown
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1995 100%
Conversation Peace
Motown
13 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
2005 100%
A Time to Love
Motown
15 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder

Frequently Asked Questions Songs in the Key of Life

Who wrote "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder?
Stevie Wonder wrote and performed "Isn't She Lovely." He composed it to celebrate the birth of his daughter Aisha Morris, and the recording features his own extended chromatic harmonica solo.
Did Stevie Wonder write all the songs on Songs in the Key of Life?
Wonder wrote the large majority of the album by himself. A few tracks carry co-writers: "Have a Talk with God" with his brother Calvin Hardaway, and "Village Ghetto Land" and "Black Man" with the poet Gary Byrd.
What singles were released from Songs in the Key of Life?
Four singles were released: "I Wish" and "Sir Duke" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Another Star" peaked at number 32 and "As" at number 36.
What is "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder about?
"Sir Duke" is Wonder's tribute to Duke Ellington, who had died in 1974, and it also name-checks other musical greats such as Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1977.
What song from Songs in the Key of Life did Coolio sample?
Coolio's 1995 hit "Gangsta's Paradise" is built around a sample and interpolation of "Pastime Paradise" from this album.
Did Songs in the Key of Life win a Grammy?
Yes. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards in 1977, one of several Grammys Stevie Wonder took home that night.
Is Songs in the Key of Life a double album?
Yes. It was released in 1976 as a double LP on Tamla, accompanied by a bonus four-song EP titled "A Something's Extra." The 17 tracks here are the main double album.
Why was "Isn't She Lovely" never released as a single?
Stevie Wonder refused to edit "Isn't She Lovely" down to fit the standard 7-inch single length, so Motown never issued it commercially. It still earned heavy radio airplay and became a widely covered standard.

Sources

Wikipedia: Songs in the Key of Life Wikipedia: Isn't She Lovely MusicBrainz: Songs in the Key of Life (release group) Cover Art Archive: Songs in the Key of Life front cover Cover Art Archive: Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder