Time For A Big Smile! Stevie Wonder Kicks Off My “Songs With A ‘W’ List”!
A new song by a classic rock band made me smile – which reminded me of this great image of the iconic Stevie Wonder, so why not tie the two together for some songs or Artists that begin with “W”!
Yes, there is a fairly new “WHO” album I just discovered, and I also wanted to once again do a “shout out” to the ONLY Artist to win the Grammy for Album Of The Year for three straight albums!
Yes, Stevie Wonder won in 1973 for “Innervisions”, then in 1974 for “Fulfilnesses’ First Finale.”
When Paul Simon won the Grammy for Album Of The Year in 1975 for “Still Crazy After All These Years”, he thanked Wonder for not releasing an album that year!
But of course, Stevie returned in 1976 with his brilliant double album “Songs In The Key Of Life” – two full albums of music PLUS 4 more songs on an extra disc!
It’s an incredible collection of music, from “Isn’t She Lovely” to “Pastime Paradise” and of course “I Wish” – a joyful celebration of life – and I saw him perform it live!
Here is a bit of that performance:
My wife and I were lucky enough to see this amazing Artist live a couple of years ago, when he performed “Songs In The Key Of Life” in its entirety…here are some more of the videos from that night:
Next up, here’s the best-selling duo of the 80’s – and I have one of their great ballads with a “W”!
Daryl Hall and John Oates released an album that celebrated the power and joy of listening to the radio, and you can see how by watching this terrific music video for their hit “Wait For Me”, which begins with someone fiddling with the dial on a radio:
The album “X-Static” wasn’t one of their biggest hits, but that song is timeless…
Next up is a great British singer, who never quite broke big in the US, but this song should have:
Robbie Williams – “Let Love Be Your Energy”
Robbie Williams had a string of smash hits around the world, including this big and bold love song:
“If you’re willing to change the world
Let love be your energy
I’ve got more than I need
When your love shines down on me”
Williams was successful in the US, but a true mega-star around the world.
Here is the great music video of this song from 2000:
That’s a beautiful song to be sure – and our next “Song with a W” opens with the immediately mesmerizing lyrics:
“One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small…and the ones that mother gives you don’t do anything at all…”
“White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane
They were one of the great counter-culture bands of the 60’s, and lead Singer Grace Slick was a mesmerizing singer…here’s their great performance from the Smothers Brother Show in 1967:
Fighting The Man!
The Smothers Brothers were very controversial at the time they showed that performance – it was way too raw for CBS in the late 60’s, and so the network tried to censor them! It’s a fascinating story, especially when George Harrison came on the show to encourage to keep fighting! Here is the complete story of that epic battle, with a great Beatles video as well:
Finally, I think I wrote this post just to be able to write this:
“Who Knew New WHO?”
Yes, the legendary rock band The Who released a new album in 2019 and I didn’t know it!
Roger Daltry is one of rocks’ greatest singers, and Pete Townsend is a virtuoso songwriter, musician and singer as well!
Pete Townsend is famous for his powerful guitar work – and circular assault on the instrument – and they released this powerful song about Quantanamo Bay – here is “Ball And Chain” from the Album simply titled “WHO”:
The 2019 album “WHO” is a nice reminder of their power as a band: the songs are muscular and catchy, and this next one from the album is gorgeous – here is “Beads On One String”:
The band has endured for 50+ years now – and my question is this: did they write the greatest rock anthem of all time?
Click here to see the song:
I gave you a little touch of Hall and Oates earlier, and I know that you can never get enough:
My wife and I saw them in concert two years ago and they were terrific – click here to see a live performance of the classic song “Out Of Touch”:
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Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Music, Obscure Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
Wow! John, this was terrific. I actually saw Stevie Wonder when he was a teenager (our birthdays are one day apart) performing in my home town of Huntington, WV., ’64 or ’65. He played Fingertips. What a talent, even back then. He grew into one of the greatest. The Who…when our son ‘discovered’ record albums as an adult, he begged me for mine. I gave him many, but not “Tommy” or “Live at Leeds”. Jefferson Airplane was ‘the’ band when my husband and I met, so their music is very special. Love Gracie Slick!
On a side note, my post on the Life is Good guys and the Playmaker Project (big wow)- Alex and Kelly would love them, and what they do. Just sayin’.
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YES they wrote the greatest rock anthem of all time. 😉 I adore the Who. I’ve been watching concerts of them and still think they are “hot” after all these decades. Tommy is priceless. Nice tribute, John!
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Thank you for reading and commenting…I go back and forth between “Won’t Get Fooled” and “Stairway To Heaven” but those two are the pinnacle to be sure!
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wow, what a jam-packed post, filled with lots of big music and names. I went to hitville usa (Motown) in Detroit and saw the room downstairs where little Stevie wonder used to bang out songs on the piano, hard to imagine him then. I remember the smothers brothers controversy and didn’t know George stepped in to support them
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Beth thanks for the comment! I only knew because I produced new material with the Brothers to air before and after the original episodes…fascinating!
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Innervisions is such a great album. I had that on cassette when it came out, and played it non-stop in my car.
Best wishes, Pete.
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