What is Stevie Wonder’s best-selling album?
Not just in terms of soul music, but in the entire history of the sonic canon as a whole, you can’t argue with the fact that Stevie Wonder is among the best there has ever been. He represents the very definition of one being in a league of their own – from the little boy who scored his first number one hit at just 13 years old, to the bona fide global superstar who can still sell out stadiums at the flick of a switch, even as he ages well into his 70s.
It goes without saying that what has created this cultural behemoth is an unparalleled and illustrious career, which has long ago cemented Wonder as not only one of the most successful artists in history but also as a cultural icon. Every word, note, and song that has ever made it into the scores of his back catalogue tells its own particular story in the path that has shaped him, and there’s none which highlights this better than his litany of best-selling albums.
Indeed, the 1970s were such a high point in Wonder’s life and career that it’s almost impossible to single out any one particular effort from this era as being greater than the rest. There was Talking Book, then Innervisions, followed by Fulfillingness’ First Finale, all of which topped the charts and became massive global successes. But it was the 1976 record Songs in the Key of Life that outshone them just that little bit more, shifting an unfathomable five million copies and thus becoming Wonder’s best-selling album ever.
However, despite the unfathomable acclaim and illustriousness that the record brought the former child prodigy, it was the global phenomenon that almost never happened, as Wonder was all but ready to chuck his entire gargantuan career down the pan. With the wheels of his farewell from the stage even in motion, it was an impulsive and last-minute decision to stay another day in the recording studio that ultimately sent Wonder soaring to new heights – and you can bet he was glad to never look down.
What’s the story behind Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder?
Spending 13 consecutive weeks at the top spot, with two number one lead singles, and a Grammys ‘Album of the Year’ win under its belt, Songs in the Key of Life was the very definition of a world-changing album – making it all the more unbelievable that it came close to never happening at all. But by the midpoint of the 1970s, Wonder was tired and disillusioned with carrying the weight of the musical canon on his back, and a more rewarding and philanthropic life seemed like it was calling.
Wonder had vowed that he was going to leave the United States and head to Ghana, because he disapproved of how the White House were running the country at the time and wanted to go and help disabled children in the African nation. This was even to the point that a farewell concert was in the process of being planned – but the allure of the spotlight ultimately proved too enthralling for Wonder, and he had the sense to re-sign his record deal while he still felt he was in the peak of his career.
As a result, it was only by this chance turning of the head that Wonder’s most prolific album came to be unleashed into the world, with anthems like ‘Sir Duke’ becoming not just hits for a generation, but cornerstones of an entire historic songbook to be passed down through the ages. As he said himself in the song, “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.”
