Songs in the Key of Life

***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 widespread acclaim 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