Sometimes I wonder why people cannot SUSS out a good song when they hear one. You’d have thought it would have been straightforward to do it, but obviously not and so you and I know songs that are ace which have never got the time of day they deserved. So that’s what the SUSS series is all about – Seriously Underrated Stevie Songs. Bringing to light songs that you never gave a chance for a new listen and appreciation.
When it comes to Stevie Wonder it’s easy to go for the obvious songs – I Just Called To Say I Love You, Superstition, Happy Birthday, My Cherie Amour and so on. You can pick the Songs in the Key of Life as the defining album for him and get it out of the system. To me, though, it’s not been all about that ever since I got into Stevie and purchased his albums back in those halcyon university days where I was flush with the generous grant of the government which of course went to vital living expenses … like those Stevie CD’s.
With this track, though, even I have to confess that at the first, second, third, fourth etc. listen I wasn’t particularly convinced about it. Look at it my way. I’d got all the big Stevie abums and had been suitably impressed by the man’s creative genius, but agreed that by the time the 80’s came along he was doing hit and miss kind of albums that didn’t always hit the mark because the tracks on them for one reason or other didn’t appeal. Characters is the typical 80’s Stevie album. It had some enjoyable tracks here and there but as an album it wasn’t a touch on Innervisions, Talking Book or Fulfillingness’ First Finale which were the standards that Wonder set.
So understandably some songs went by the wayside. This was one of them, but then like a good dog that finds the bone wherever it is, the song came back to me and I gave it another listen. Don’t get me wrong this will never figure n my top 20 Stevie songs ever, but despite being synthed to the max, there is a feel to this song which is good. The insistent thump of the rhythm that carries you through is not too distracting, you don’t feel too put out by it. Then there’s the lyrical content and vocal rendition of it by Stevie which makes a bit more sense now. It’s a good little bit of storytelling from Stevie in line with the feel of the song that is building up. Then there is the musical interplay and backing vocal support which melds in beautifully with this track.
All to say that this song is worth giving another chance – nor disregarding because it was not a hit or on a lesser Stevie album, but appreciating the song on its own merits.
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