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The path of light music towards its final consecration as art – worthy, that is, of proudly and unapologetically standing alongside the classical music tradition – has been slow, difficult, and fraught with obstacles; the achievement of its deserved podium won with considerable sweat. The debt owed to the “king of rock’n’roll” or the mop-tops from across the Channel can hardly be repaid, this is obvious. However, within this journey, another, albeit quieter, longer, older, and more painful, has in time assumed colossal and indispensable socio-cultural proportions for melodic culture as a whole. Today, in light of countless musical revivals, accustomed as we are to indulging in crossovers, imbued with multiculturalism, and carelessly satisfied with anything that smacks of ‘ethnos’, we have only a vague idea of how bitter and hard the struggle may have been for black music to assert itself on the world stage. Even more so, we often forget about that delicate phase in which many enlightened black artists found themselves fighting an internal battle – a true civil war with their very own tradition – in order to convey a lyrical-melodic message that was both innovative and universal. We are at the turn of the Sixties and Seventies: the fire of the summer of love flares up as quickly as it is extinguished, partly put out by the very characters who had busied themselves with kindling it. Hope and struggle quickly give way to disappointment and bitter reflections. There are those who, despite themselves, being the spokespersons of the revolution, take refuge in an endless quest for inner clarity (Mitchell); those who, from timeless heroes, transform into lonely wanderers in search of an identity that is immediately a name (Crosby); those who feel too intensely the futility of a life that isn’t a scream, an explosion, a contact with the extreme (Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison). Whatever it may be, each one treads the path that the new times impose on them. But black music still had a score to settle before it could afford the “luxury” of such painful awareness: the step to be taken was that of liberation from the constraints to which the music business had bent these artists, with the promise of granting them the place of glory already owed to their white cousins. Without troubling the Davis of “Bitches Brew” – a work whose socio-musical significance far transcends the limits of human reason to be confined within a Christmas tale of “black emancipation” – historically speaking, the first guardian deity of this path goes by the name of Marvin Gaye, who with the amazing “What’s Going On” (1971) – the first concept album on peace – had distanced all black music from the commercial entanglements of Berry Gordon Jr.'s Motown (the home of black artists in the Sixties). However, the chronicle also bears witness to the brief step that will transpire between this watershed event and the definitive explosion, the following year, of another son of the glorious Motown - who will light up the planet with a wonderfully compact album with an inspired title: “Talking Book” (1972). Mr. Stevie Wonder – the youngest but also the most gifted of Gordon’s distinguished firm – already had his cultural revolution in mind, perhaps always; and it was also the simplest one could imagine. His music of the mind would be the mouthpiece of the only truly conceivable universal message, one that begins and ends in the divine word. And his splendid masterpieces of the seventies will always be dedicated to God/Love, from the already mentioned cornerstone “Talking Book” to the mystical ecstasy of “Music Of My Mind” (1972), from the infinite sweetness of “Fulfillingness’ First Finale” (1974) (whose mere “Creepin” could resurrect a corpse) to the later commercial triumphs of the black & white masterpiece “Songs In The Key Of Life” (1976), through the stunning tribute to the Almighty that is “Innervisions” (1973), the all-black masterpiece. It is undoubtedly fitting to pause at these indescribable inner visions unless one has decided to ignore the most complete and perfect piece of the puzzle that makes up the face of an extraordinary artist. Nine tracks that could easily lead their own life if not for the fact that being gathered together they contribute to forming one of the happiest and deepest declarations of love known to popular music. Endless are the facets assumed here by the word love: at times it is elevation to God (“Too High”, with its memorable vocoder experiment in the middle of a funky orgy; “Higher Ground”, a strenuous and tough blues-funk where the redemption message grows ever stronger; the soft melodic sweetness in the concluding, paradisiacal “He’s Misstra Know-it-all”); at times it is love for the woman, religiously sensual (the intriguing crescendo of “Golden Lady”) if not joyfully reassuring (the splendid Latino play of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”) or piercing and universal (the yearning “All In Love Is Fair”); at times it is love for one's own people (the immortal anthem to survival in the ghetto “Living For The City”); at times prophetic mystical ecstasy (the enchanting Garden of Eden in “Visions”) or a sermon in defense of young souls (the incredible and unrepeatable gospel of “Jesus Children Of America”). If the greatness of “What’s Going On” is to be found in the magic that holds together a long suite originating from a single, celestial, motif, that of “Innervisions” is – on the contrary – all in the astonishing stylistic heterogeneity of an album that has only one homogeneous thing: the thought – which transcends the senses, while satiating them – of an infinite prayer of gratitude to the One who alone has stood beside a people on the path to liberation. Black celebration.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Too High (04:36)
Doo Doo Doo...
I'm too high
I'm too high
But I ain't touched the sky
I'm too high
I'm too high
But I ain't touched the sky
She's a girl in a dream
She sees a four eyed cartoon monster on the TV screen
She takes another puff and says it's a crazy scene
That red is green
She's a tangerine
I'm too high
I'm too high
But I ain't left the ground
I'm too high
I'm too high
I hope I never ever come down
She's the girl in her life
But her world's a superficial paradise
She had a chance to make it big more than once or twice
But no dice
She wasn't very nice
[Harmonica Solo]
Doo Doo Doo...
I'm too high
I'm too high
I can't ever touch the sky
I'm too high
I'm so high
I feel like I'm about to die
She's a girl of the past
I guess that I got to her at last
Did you hear the news about the girl today?
She passed away
What did her friend say?
They said she's too high
Too high
Can't hang around anyway
Doo Doo Doo...
02 Visions (05:23)
People hand in hand
Have I lived to see the milk and honey land?
Where hate's a dream and love forever stands
Or is this a vision in my mind?
The law was never passed
But somehow all men feel they're truly free at last
Have we really gone this far through space and time
Or is this a vision in my mind?
I'm not one who make believes
I know that leaves are green
They only turn to brown when autumn comes around
I know just what I say
Today's not yesterday
And all things have an ending
But what I'd like to know
Is, could a place like this exist so beautiful
Or do we have to find our wings and fly away
To the vision in our mind?
[Guitar Solo]
I'm not one who make believes
I know that leaves are green
They only change to brown when autumn comes around
I know just what I say
Today's not yesterday
And all things have an ending
But what I'd like to know
Is could a place like this exist so beautiful
Or do we have to take our wings and fly away
To the visions in our mind?
03 Living for the City (07:22)
A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
His parents give him love and affection
To keep him strong, moving in the right direction
Living just enough, just enough for the city
His father works some days for fourteen hours
And you can bet he barely makes a dollar
His mother goes to scrub the floors for many
And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Da da da...
His sister's black but she is sho'nuff pretty
Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy
To walk to school she's got to get up early
Her clothes are old but never are they dirty
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many
His patience's long but soon he won't have any
To find a job is like a haystack needle
Cause where he lives they don't use coloured people
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Da da da...
Living just enough, for the city, woah [Repeat]
Da da da...
[Interlude]
His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
He spends his life walking the streets of New York City
He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution
He tried to vote but to him there's no solution
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow
And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow
This place is cruel no where could be much colder
If we don't change the world will soon be over
Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city
Da da da...
04 Golden Lady (04:58)
Looking in your eyes
Kind of heaven eyes
Closing both my eyes
Waiting for surprise
To see the heaven in your eyes is not so far
Cause I'm not afraid to try and go it
To know the love and the beauty never known before
I'll leave it up to you to show it
And golden lady, golden lady
I'd like to go there
Golden lady, golden lady
I'd like to go there
Take me right away
Looking at your hands
Hands can understand
Waiting for the chance
Just to hold your hand
A touch of rain and sunshine made the flower grow
Into a lovely smile that's blooming
And it's so clear to me that you're a dream come true
There's no way that I'll be losing
And golden lady, golden lady
I'd like to go there
Golden lady, golden lady
I'd like to go there
Take me right away
A touch of rain and sunshine made the flower grow
Into a lovely smile that's blooming
And it's so clear to me that your my dream come true
There is no way that I'll be losing
Golden lady, golden lady
I'd like to go there [Repeat to fade]
05 Higher Ground (03:42)
People keep on learnin'
Soldiers keep on warrin'
World keep on turnin'
Cause it won't be too long
Powers keep on lyin'
While your people keep on dyin'
World keep on turnin'
Cause it won't be too long
I'm so darn glad he let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin'
'Til I reach the highest ground
Teachers keep on teachin'
Preachers keep on preachin'
World keep on turnin'
Cause it won't be too long
Oh no
Lovers keep on lovin'
Believers keep on believin'
Sleepers just stop sleepin'
Cause it won't be too long
Oh no
I'm so glad that he let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin'
'Til I reach my highest ground
'Til I reach my highest ground
Oh no
No one's gonna bring me down
Oh no
'Til I reach my highest ground
Don't you let nobody bring you down
God is gonna show you higher ground
He's the only friend you have around
06 Jesus Children of America (04:10)
Hello Jesus, Jesus children
Jesus loves you, Jesus children
Hello children Jesus loves you of America
Are you hearing, what he's saying?
Are you feeling, what you're praying?
Are you hearing, praying, feeling what you say inside?
You'd better tell
Your story fast
And if you lie
It will come to pass
(Tell me) Tell me holy
(Holy roller) Holy roller
(Are you standing) Are you standing
(Like a soldier) Like a soldier?
(Well) Are you standing for everything you talk about?
(Holy roller)
Say
(Trans -) Transcendental
(- tal meditation) Meditation
(Speaks of) Speaks of inner
(Inner preservation) Preservation
(Well) Transcendental meditation gives you peace of mind
(Peace of mind)
You'd better tell
Your story fast
And if you lie
It will come to pass
Dum le dum
Don't tell lies
Dum le dum...
(Tell me) Tell me junkie
(If you're able) If you're able
(Playing) Are you playing your cards
(On the table) On the table?
(Yeah) Are you happy when you stick a needle in your vein?
Dum le dum
(Jesus) Jesus died on
(Cross for you) Cross for you
(Mary) Mary is just
(Looking at you) Looking at you
(Yeah) Mother Mary feels so much pain
(Looking at you)
So you'd better tell (Tell your story)
Your story fast (Yeah, tell your story, story)
And if you lie (Dum le dum)
It will come to pass (Yeah, tell your story, story)
You'd better tell (Tell your story)
Your story fast (Tell, tell your story, story)
And if you lie (Dum le dum)
It's gonna come to pass (Yeah hey hey hey)
08 Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing (04:44)
''[Gibberish]
See dig, mama, uh, do ya understand that?
(No)
Well uh, like, I can understand how you can't, because I've been uh,
You know, Paris, Beirut, you know, I mean Iraq, Iran, Eurasia, you know
I speak very very um, fluent Spanish
Ah, todo 'sta bien, chévere, you understand that?
(Chévere?)
Chevere, bien chevere, is that right mama?
'Cause I've got my shaky [Unintelligible]''
Everybody's got a thing
But some don't know how to handle it
Always reachin' out in vain
Just taking the things not worth having
But don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
'Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out
They say your style of life's a drag
And that you must go other places
But just don't you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces but
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out
When you get off ... your trip
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
'Cause I'll be standing in the side
When you check it out
When you get off ... your trip
Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
But you're the only one to see
The changes you take yourself through
But don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, pretty mama
'Cause I'll be standing in the wings
When you check it out
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
(To do 'sta bien chévere) [Repeat to fade]
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Other reviews
By Vince84
Innervisions is and will remain one of the most beautiful albums not only in Stevie Wonder’s discography but in the entire history of music.
The themes are poverty, marginalization, and racism, emblematic is the long interlude of the arrest and trial of the black boy in the middle of the song, which right after this part... almost becomes an anthem for the will to succeed.
