“Fulfillingness’ First Finale” by Stevie Wonder

A Stevie Wonder classic turns 50.

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Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!

Today’s music pick celebrates the 50th anniversary of an impressive (and underrated) Stevie Wonder LP.

Genre: R&B, Soul, Funk

Label: Tamla

Release Date: July 22, 1974

Vibe: 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Beginning in 1972 with Music of My Mind, Stevie Wonder embarked on what’s been called “the greatest creative run in the history of popular music.” In the span of five years, he dropped six all-time classic R&B LPs, including Talking Book, Innervisions, and the double album Songs in the Key of Life. Wedged between the latter two is arguably the most slept-on Stevie Wonder record from his peak period, Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Released on this date 50 years ago, it captures the soul legend at his most introspective and, at times, his most vulnerable. His arrangements follow suit, opting for subtler techniques that, at times, border on austere. There are fewer big, sweeping statements here, with the bulk of the album feeling like a late-night confessional your friend or lover might whisper to you over the telephone.

What’s remarkable to me is how young Stevie Wonder was in the throes of his classic period. After letting his initial Motown contract expire in the Spring of 1971, he created two new albums independently before inking a new deal that, at the time, made him one of the wealthiest recording artists on the planet. He was 21 years old. By the time Talking Book drops in October 1972, it became clear that the former child prodigy was now a pop star with a peerless virtuosity. If you go deeper than the huge hits—“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Superstition”—you hear Wonder move seamlessly between expressions of romantic longing (”You and I (We Can Conquer the World,” “You’ve Got it Bad Girl”) and spiraling heartbreak (”Blame It on the Sun,” “Lookin’ for Another Pure Love”). His ability to weave opposing emotions or urges together into a cohesive whole is unmatched to this day.

Two years later, on Fulfillingness’, he refines and intensifies that template, resulting in a more mature sound. On the one hand, you have “Too Shy to Say,” one of his most innocent and heartfelt love songs. His vocals exude tenderness, transforming what could’ve felt like cliched balladeering into a manifestation of a hopelessly romantic inner monologue. At the opposite end of that emotional spectrum, you have “Please Don’t Go,” which positions Wonder as a man begging the love of his life to stay despite past transgressions. Interestingly, even when there’s an admission of wrongdoing, the singer’s charisma never fades. He walks right up to the line separating confidence and arrogance without ever stepping into the latter zone.

The material that deals explicitly with Wonder’s spirituality was most intriguing for me on a re-listen. “Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away” grapples with how man can possibly gain entry through the pearly gates without genuinely believing in the gospel. “Let God's love shine within to save our evil souls,” he sings, “for those who don't believe will never see the light.” “They Won't Go When I Go” is a more sonically adventurous and memorable play on similar themes. Cribbing from Chopin and other baroque source material, Wonder doubles down on his righteousness, separating himself ideologically from the “hopeless sinner” searching for absolution in the afterlife. The track can also be framed as coming to terms with one’s own mortality, which Wonder came face to face with following a serious 1973 car accident. The overall narrative is as compelling as it is contradictory—much like the human experiment in general.

Oddly enough, the highest-charting track off Fulfillingness’ is its most pointed political critique, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’.” Wonder’s lyrics take direct aim at then-President Richard Nixon, who would be forced to resign two days after the single was released. With help from the Jackson 5 (they’re the ones singing that “Doo Da Wop” refrain), he positions himself as a man of the people—someone who’s willing to use his platform to hold marginalizers accountable. “The world is tired of pacifiers,” Wonder sings. “We want the truth and nothing else.” For context, Nixon’s penchant for straddling party lines on issues like civil rights and the Vietnam War, among many others, led to him labeling law-abiding whites left uncomfortable by increased societal unrest as “forgotten Americans.” The statement has a delicious irony when you consider his rhetoric around the War on Drugs and which groups were repeatedly targeted by law enforcement during his tenure in the White House.

Though it’s primarily Stevie’s show (he plays multiple instruments on almost every track), Fulfillingness quietly features an all-star supporting cast of pop and soul luminaries. Paul Anka, Syreeta Wright, Deniece Williams, Minnie Riperton, Michael Sembello, and Sergio Mendes are among the names who provide Wonder with backing vocals (in multiple languages, I might add). It speaks to where the impresario was in his career trajectory and how much cultural cache he could wield. That many A-listers signing on for background duties should tell you something about how many artists just wanted their names in the credits on a Stevie record.

And what a record it turned out to be in the court of public opinion. It topped Billboard’s album chart for two weeks and their Soul LPs chart for nine non-consecutive weeks. It also nabbed Wonder three Grammys, including the Album of the Year trophy. The other two awards came courtesy of a track I haven’t even mentioned yet, “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” despite its slightly misleading title, it is one of the funkiest compositions he ever committed to tape. It may not top “Superstition” in terms of how deep the groove is, but if you listen closely, you can hear him giving it a game try.

In a way, the comparison is a microcosm of why this record is so special. It’s not necessarily the LP that gets the most attention historically, nor is it the one with the most “greatest hits” compilation inclusions. However, as a cross-section of Stevie Wonder’s unparalleled talent as a musician, songwriter, and innovator, you could argue that this is the most concise testament to his greatness.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈