Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder. It was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla.

Critical reception

Songs in the Key of Life received generally positive reviews from critics.

Track listing

Original vinyl release

Side one
"Love's in Need of Love Today" (Stevie Wonder) – 7:06
Stevie Wonder – Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer, bass synth, drums
Eddie "Bongo" Brown – kalimba
"Have a Talk with God" (Calvin Hardaway, Wonder) – 2:42
Stevie Wonder - all instruments synthesizer
"Village Ghetto Land" (Gary Byrd, Wonder) – 3:25
Stevie Wonder - Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer
"Contusion" (Wonder) – 3:46
Mike Sembello – lead guitar
Raymond Pounds – drums
Nathan Watts – bass
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar
Greg Phillinganes – keyboard
Stevie Wonder – all other instruments
Michael Gray, Josie James, Shirley Brewer, Artece May – vocals
"Sir Duke" (Wonder) – 3:52
Raymond Pounds – drums
Nathan Watts – bass
Mike Sembello – lead guitar
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar
Hank Redd – alto saxophone
Raymond Maldonado – trumpet
Trevor Laurence – tenor saxophone
Steve Madaio – trumpet
Stevie Wonder – all other instruments

Side two
"I Wish" (Wonder) – 4:12
Stevie Wonder – vocals, Fender Rhodes, ARP 2600 synthesizer, vocoder, drums
Nathan Watts – bass
Hank Redd – alto saxophone
Trevor Laurence – tenor saxophone
Raymond Maldonado – trumpet
Steve Madaio – trumpet
Renee Hardaway - vocals ("you nasty boy!")
"Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) – 3:36
Stevie Wonder – vocals, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, drums, synth bass
"Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) – 3:27
Stevie Wonder – Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer, percussions
Raymond Maldonado, Bobbye Hall – percussions
Hare Krishna, West Angeles Church Choir – background vocals
"Summer Soft" (Wonder) – 4:14
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar
Ronnie Foster – organ
Larry "Nastyee" Latimer – percussion
Stevie Wonder – vocals, piano, bass synthesizer, drums
"Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) – 6:16
Mike Sembello – lead guitar
Hank Redd – alto saxophone
Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, Fender Rhodes, bass synthesizer, drums
Minnie Riperton, Mary Lee Whitney, Deniece Williams, Syreeta Wright – background vocals
Shirley Brewer – reply
Linda Lawrence, Terri Hendricks, Sundray Tucker, Charity McCrary, Madelaine Jones – reply's background vocals

Side three
"Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) – 6:34
Greg Phillinganes – keyboard
Stevie Wonder – Fender Rhodes, RMI Electra Piano, bass synthesizer, harmonica, drums
"Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) – 6:30
 Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, background vocals, piano, bass synthesizer, drums
Greg Phillinganes – keyboard
Susaye Green – background vocals
"Black Man"(Byrd/Wonder) – 8:27
Stevie Wonder – Fender Rhodes, bass synthesizer, synthesizer, talk box, drums, percussion
Hank Redd – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Steve Madaio – trumpet
George Bohanon – trombone
Glen Ferris – trombone

Side four

"Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing" (Wonder) – 3:48
Charles Brewer, Shirley Brewer, Renee Hardaway, Nelson Hayes, Marietta Waters, Nathan Watts, John Fischbach, Amale Mathews, Josette Valentino – background percussion
Stevie Wonder – vocals, Koto synthesizer, bass synthesizer, drums
Zulu translation by Thoko Mdalose Hall, Spanish translation by Raymond Maldonado

"If It's Magic" (Wonder) – 3:12
Dorothy Ashby – harp
Stevie Wonder – vocal, harmonica

"As" (Wonder) – 7:08
Nathan Watts – bass, handclaps
Dean Parks – guitar
Herbie Hancock – Fender Rhodes, handclaps
Greg Brown – drums
Stevie Wonder – lead and background vocal, Fender Rhodes
Mary Lee Whitney – background vocals
Dave Hanson, Yolanda Simon, Josette Valentino – handclaps

"Another Star" (Wonder) – 8:08
Bobbi Humphrey – flute
George Benson – guitar and background vocals
Hank Redd – alto saxophone
Raymond Maldonado – trumpet
Trevor Laurence – tenor saxophone
Steve Madaio – trumpet
Nathan Alford, Jr. – percussion
Carmello Hungria Garcia – timbales
Stevie Wonder – lead vocal and background vocals, piano, drums
Nathan Watts – bass
Josie James – background vocals

A Something's Extra
The "A Something's Extra" 7" extended play was included with the special-edition version of the original LP. These tracks are also on most CD versions of the album, as well as the Blu-ray Audio. They were either split between both discs or added to the end of the second disc.

Side one
"Saturn" (Michael Sembello, Wonder) – 4:54
Mike Sembello – lead guitar
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar
Gregory Phillinganes – keyboard
Stevie Wonder – all other instruments
"Ebony Eyes" (Wonder) – 4:11
Nathan Watts – bass
Jim Horn – saxophone
Peter "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow – steel guitar
Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, tack piano, talkbox, drums

Side two
"All Day Sucker" (Wonder) – 5:06
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar
Mike Sembello – rhythm guitar
W. G. "Snuffy" Walden – lead guitar
Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, background vocals, bass synthesizer, Clavinet, drums
Carolyn Denis – background vocals
"Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" (Wonder) – 3:55
Nathan Watts – bass
Stevie Wonder – Fender Rhodes, harmonica, drums

CD release

Personnel

Stevie Wonder – harmonica, arranger, keyboards, programming, vocals, drums
Michael Sembello – guitar
Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel
George Benson – guitar, vocals
Ronnie Foster – organ
Herbie Hancock – keyboards, handclapping
Dean Parks – guitar
Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
W.G. "Snuffy" Walden – guitar
Nathan Watts – bass guitar, vocals, handclapping
Greg Brown – drums
Raymond Lee Pounds – drums
Hank Redd – alto and tenor saxophone
George Bohannon – trombone
Ben Bridges – guitar, sitar
Dorothy Ashby – harp
Bobbi Humphrey – flute
Howard "Buzzy" Feiten – guitar
Steve Madaio – trumpet
Trevor Lawrence – tenor saxophone
Glen Ferris – trombone
Jim Horn – saxophone
Deniece Williams – vocals
Minnie Riperton – vocals
Gary Byrd – vocals
Michael Wycoff – vocals
Larry Scott – sound effects
Carol Cole – percussion
Bobbye Hall – percussion
Jay Boy Adams – vocals
Nathan Alford, Jr. – percussion
Henry America – vocals
Linda America – vocals
Baradras – vocals
Brenda Barnett – vocals
Khalif Bobatoon	– vocals
Starshemah Bobatoon – vocals
Sudana Bobatoon	– vocals
Charles Brewer – percussion, programming, vocals
Shirley Brewer – percussion, vocals, speaking part
Berry Briges – vocals
Cecilia Brown – vocals
Eddie "Bongo" Brown – percussion
Jean Brown – vocals
Rodney Brown – vocals
Colleen Carleton – percussion, vocals
Addie Cox – vocals
Agnideva Dasa – vocals
Duryodhana Guru Dasa – vocals
Jayasacinandana Dasa – vocals
Jitamrtyi Dasa – vocals
Vedavyasa Dasa – vocals
Cinmayi Dasi – vocals
Yogamaya Dasi – vocals
Carolyn Dennis – vocals
Bhakta Eddie – vocals
Doe Rani Edwards – vocals
Jacqueline F. English – vocals
Ethel Enoex – vocals
Al Jocko Fann – vocals
Barbara Fann – vocals
Melani Fann – vocals
Shelley Fann – vocals
Tracy Fann – vocals
John Fischbach – percussion, programming, vocals, engineer

Susie Fuzzell – vocals
Carmelo Garcia – percussion, timbales
Anthony Givens – vocals
Audrey Givens – vocals
Derrick Givens – vocals
Mildred Givens – vocals
Michael Lee Gray – vocals
Mimi Green – vocals
Susaye Greene Brown – vocals
Bhakta Gregory – vocals
Renee Hardaway – percussion, vocals
John Harris – sound effects
Jeania Harris – vocals
John Harris – programming
Troy Harris – vocals
Nelson Hayes – percussion, sound effects, vocals
Terry Hendricks – vocals
H. David Henson – assistant engineer
Don Hunter – programming, sound effects
Adrian Janes – vocals
Josie James – vocals
Calvin Johnson – vocals
Carol Johnson – vocals
Patricia Johnson – vocals
Madelaine Jones – vocals
Bhakta Kevin – vocals
Phillip Kimble – vocals
James Lambert – vocals
Linda Lawrence – vocals
Irma Leslie – vocals
Kim Lewis – vocals
Carl Lockhart – vocals
Gail Lockhart – vocals
Raymond Maldonado – percussion, trumpet
Carolyn Massenburg – vocals
 May – vocals
Charity McCrary – vocals
Linda McCrary-Campbell – vocals
Lonnie Morgan – vocals
Kim Nixon – vocals
Lisa Nixon – vocals
Larri Nuckens – vocals
Larry Latimer – percussion, vocals
Amale Mathews – percussion, vocals
Gary Olazabal – engineer, bass sound
Edna Orso – percussion, vocals
Marietta Waters – percussion, vocals
Josette Valentino – percussion, vocals, handclapping
Gwen Perry – vocals
Gregory Rudd – vocals
Rukmini – vocals
Yolanda Simmons – vocals, handclapping
Keith Slaughter – vocals
Rosona Starks – vocals
Dennis Swindell – vocals
Sundray Tucker – vocals
Gary Veney – vocals
Sheryl Walker – vocals
Mary Lee Whitney – vocals
Syreeta Wright – vocals
Michael Gray – vocals
Susaye Greene – vocals
William Moore – vocals
Fountain Jones – programming
Aisha Morris – crying on "Isn't She Lovely"

Singles

References

1976 albums
R&B albums
Soul albums
Funk albums