The genius guest musician that left Paul McCartney in awe: “He is a genius”
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s place in the pantheon of music greats is as good as confirmed. In fact, not only is it confirmed, but they are likely the leaders of whatever hall of fame they find themselves in, for together they represent the very best of music history.
Yet somehow, despite their perceived bulletproof brilliance, they still managed to turn out a timeless dud. A song used as the benchmark for many as to what not to do in the studio and thus giving hope to all burgeoning artistic across the world, that you can be a genius and a musical mortal all at the same time.
Yes, their shared 1982 song ‘Ebony and Ivory’ was a momentary misfire from the two geniuses, mistaking self-effaced cheesiness for artistic aptitude. Given the fact that these were two of the greatest melody writers in history, it’s a genuine mystery how they conjured up something as rudimentary as that on ‘Ebony and Ivory’, and put faith in the idea that supergroups and egos are best left untouched.
But in 2012, the pair delivered an act of redemption, collaborating on McCartney’s 2012 record Kisses On The Bottom with the sort of nuance their 1982 track longed for. On an album that featured jazz and pop covers, it was rightly a track that McCartney had originally composed that showcased the true potential of this artistic collaboration.
On ‘Only Our Hearts’, a typically beautiful McCartney vocal melody floats on top of a string-led arrangement, before Wonder’s harmonica part cascades in to do the heavy lifting. Compared to ‘Ebony And Ivory’ the performances of the pair felt effortless, and so it was no surprise when McCartney came forward to confirm as such.
Remembering the moment Wonder came into the session, McCartney marvelled at the continued genius of the musician, who continued to surprise him, despite his then cemented legacy.
He recalled, “Stevie came along to the studio in LA, and he listened to the track for about ten minutes, and he totally got it. He just went to the mic and, within 20 minutes, had nailed this dynamite solo. When you listen, you just think, ‘How do you come up with that?’ But it’s just because he is a genius, that’s why.”
It was a correction of a musical partnership that has spanned several decades and is sadly defined by one misfire because McCartney and Wonder go way back, way beyond the days of that 1982 track.
McCartney first saw Wonder perform on February 3rd, 1966, at The Scotch of St James nightclub in Mason’s Yard, London, where he was immediately blown away by the brilliance of Wonder, to the point where he insisted on meeting him backstage to profess his admiration.
It’s somewhat disappointing, then, that it took the pair a whole 16 years after that show to finally collaborate for the first time and to do it in a musical era that fostered some of the worst trends. But at least in 2012, nearly half a century later, we got an amendment.
