Songs in the Key of Life at 50, at USC

I had only planned to see Gary Clark Jr. on this trip. I didn’t know his music well, but I was thoroughly impressed by his performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers.”

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that USC was paying tribute to Stevie’s Songs in the Key of Life—one of my favorite albums of his, second only to Talking Book. That alone made the trip downtown worthwhile. USC isn’t an area I would normally visit, yet I’ve now been there twice since arriving in Los Angeles. Maybe that’s a sign that L.A. is growing on me—or that I’m simply spending more time going down…town.

USC had actually been my first choice for college, but at the time my parents had concerns about the surrounding area. As educators, their opinion carried weight, so I took their advice and headed west instead. A friend of mine did attend USC, however, and I somehow ended up on the alumni mailing list. That explained how I learned about such an extraordinary free concert featuring Stevie Wonder, Greg Phillinganes, and Nisan Stewart—and why, despite the lineup, the evening began in a surprisingly orderly fashion.

The program opened with a thoughtful and beautifully delivered retrospective by Jason King. His remarks set the tone for the performances that followed. The students showed an intimate knowledge of Stevie’s work, performing confidently without relying on charts. Cory Henry played the Harpejji and sang, and one student arrived in a gold satin suit, braids, and shades inspired by Stevie’s 1970s style. He fully committed to the part—and did not disappoint.

Stevie himself eventually took the stage and explained that his children had joined him to watch their father’s legacy come alive through musicians from both a new generation and an earlier one. Greg Phillinganes, after all, has worked with Stevie since the 1970s, including on Songs in the Key of Life.

Stevie closed with a powerful speech that became a call to action. It deserves to be read in full below.

All in all, it was an unforgettable evening. I had seen Stevie perform once before in Osaka, but the intimate setting of the USC theater—and the energy of the Los Angeles audience—made this performance feel truly one of a kind.

Transcribed from my phone recording and lightly edited for reading. [...] marks a passage the recording doesn’t make clear. The songs themselves are not transcribed.

The speech

…in his late nineties now. They say he’s not like he was when he was younger. As we all grow older, things do change. And what I wanted to do, working on my next project, which is called Through the Eyes of Wonder, I wanted to get his voice. Because, you know, he took a chance. I was a kid, going around the studio, playing on these things. As I’ve said in interviews, I always wanted to meet Smokey Robinson. And when I finally met him, he was like, “Hey, so I hear you sing.” I said, “Yeah, I can sing. I might sing better than you.” He said, “No.” It was stupid. But then when Berry heard me sing, and he heard me play harmonica, he said, “Yeah, you’re good, but the harmonica’s better.”

But we had such wonderful moments, so many things that I was able to grow with, not only knowing him but the family, the Gordy family, the people. When I was eleven, anybody older than thirteen was my parent. So I couldn’t do things like… I couldn’t get any candy, I couldn’t stay up late. I was in lockdown all the time. And I’m so very thankful for that, because it taught me to understand discipline and responsibility and commitment.

You know, the radio was my eyes to the world. Eyes and ears to the world. So when I did that whole song, “Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing,” I was trying to speak Spanish [...]. But it’s just a blessing.

And Songs in the Key of Life, the name of it came really out of a dream. I came up with the name, and I said, you know, there will never, ever be enough songs in the key of life, because it goes on and on and on and on. And we just continue doing life. But I just hope that people will understand: you have to remember the most important part of life. It really is love.

And as much as you can say that, and people go, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah”… but honestly, there’s a lot of bullshit going on right now. I mean, really. If I could say anything to the leaders of this nation and the world, it is: grow up, and be about love. If you want to make anything great again, make love great again.

If you really want to understand what you really need to do, you need to open your heart, and use the vision in your heart, and see that we are all one. That is what the Creator did. But it is on us as people to remind the leaders that we are the people that you are supposed to protect. Not just any one people, but every single human being. You learn it, or you mess around and you’ll find out. They say play with popcorn, you will get popped.

So I’m so happy, Greg, that you did this. And you’re here. He told me, he said, “You know, you don’t have to come up here and do nothing. Just enjoy it.” But honestly, listen: I couldn’t tell you how much I’m so thankful, and I feel so blessed, and I feel so honored, and I want to let you know that I will love you to my last breath. That’s what you can know. You can know that.

And what you can also know, and you must know, clearly: I know that I’m from a place where the original people of the earth came. Which means, to me, long before people were saying, “Oh no, no, no, no”… Listen, I know the truth, not only because I know it. I feel it. I knew it from the beginning. So when people get into all that, I say, you know what, you’re stuck on stupid. Because the reality is that we are the original people of the planet, and that means that, really, you are my children. And so, in that, you are my children: grow up, and cut the…

I love you. God bless you. The love is here, the love is here. I just love you so much. Thank you.

[Stevie counts the band into “Love’s in Need of Love Today.”]

Hold on, hold on, hold on. I messed that up. Take two. Just like the old days. Take two, here we go. Two, one, from the top.

[After the song:]

Can I sing one line?

[He sings “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”]

I’m going to my seat.

[Later, on his way off:]

Don’t forget to vote.

日本語訳

…今はもう90代後半で、若い頃とは違うと言われています。誰もが年を取れば、いろいろと変わっていく。次のプロジェクト『Through the Eyes of Wonder』に取り組む中で、僕は彼の声を残したかった。彼は僕に賭けてくれたから。子どもだった僕はスタジオを回って、そこにある楽器をいじっていた。インタビューでも話したけど、僕はずっとスモーキー・ロビンソンに会いたかった。やっと会えたとき、彼は「やあ、歌うんだって?」と言った。僕は「うん、歌えるよ。あなたより上手いかも」と答えた。彼は「それはない」って。生意気だったね。でもベリーは僕の歌とハーモニカを聴いて、「歌もいいけど、ハーモニカの方がいい」と言ったんだ。

でも本当に素晴らしい時間を過ごしました。彼だけでなく、ゴーディ家の人たちとの出会いを通して、たくさんのことと一緒に成長できた。11歳の僕にとって、13歳より上の人はみんな親みたいなものだった。だからお菓子ももらえないし、夜更かしもできない。いつも外出禁止状態でした。それに本当に感謝しています。規律と責任と献身を教えてくれたから。

ラジオは僕にとって世界を見る目だった。世界を見る目であり、聴く耳だった。だから「くよくよするなよ」を作ったときは、スペイン語を話そうとしていたんです[…]。でも、それもすべて恵みなんだ。

『キー・オブ・ライフ』という名前は、本当に夢から生まれたものです。名前を思いついたとき、こう思った。人生というキーで奏でる歌は決して尽きることがない。人生はずっと続いていくから。僕たちはただ、生きることを続けていく。でも、みんなにわかってほしい。人生で一番大切なものを忘れちゃいけない。それは本当に、愛なんです。

そう言うと「はいはい」と流されるかもしれない。でも正直、今はくだらないことが山ほど起きている。本当に。この国と世界のリーダーたちに言えることがあるなら、こう言いたい。大人になれ、そして愛を大切にしろ。何かを再び偉大にしたいなら、愛を再び偉大にしろ。

本当に何をすべきか知りたいなら、心を開き、心の目で見て、僕たちはみんな一つだと気づくことです。それが創造主のなさったこと。でもリーダーたちに思い出させるのは、僕たち市民の役目です。あなたたちが守るべきなのは僕たちなのだと。特定の誰かではなく、すべての人間を。学ぶか、ふざけて痛い目を見るか。ポップコーンで遊べば、はじけて火傷するって言うでしょう。

グレッグ、これを実現してくれて本当にうれしい。ここにいてくれて。彼は「ステージに上がらなくていい、何もしなくていいから、ただ楽しんで」と言ってくれた。でも聞いてほしい。どれほど感謝しているか、言葉にできない。本当に恵まれていて、光栄に思っている。最後の息を引き取るまで、みんなを愛し続けると伝えたい。それは確かなことです。信じていい。

そしてもう一つ、はっきり知っておいてほしいのは、僕は地球で最初の人類が生まれた場所から来たということ。つまり、人々が「いやいや」と言い出すずっと前から…。聞いてほしい。僕は真実を知っている。知っているだけじゃなく、感じている。最初からわかっていた。だからそんなことを言い出す人には「いい加減にしろ」と言う。現実には、僕たちはこの星の最初の人類で、つまり、みんなは僕の子どもたちなんだ。だから僕の子どもたちよ、大人になって、いい加減…

愛してる。神の祝福を。愛はここにある。本当に大好きだよ。ありがとう。

[スティーヴィーがバンドと「ある愛の伝説」を始める。]

待って、待って。間違えた。テイク2。昔みたいにね。テイク2、いくよ。ツー、ワン、頭から。

[演奏のあと:]

一節だけ歌っていい?

[「世界は愛を求めている」を歌う。]

席に戻るよ。

[最後に、ステージを降りながら:]

投票に行くのを忘れずに。