Stevie Wonder Still Holds the Key to Our Joy

Historians will look back and declare this the week of “encores.” Between the debut of Taylor Swift’s latest deluxe album, Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, and the box-office-dominating release of Avengers: Endgame Encore, we thought we’d seen the last of them, yet now Stevie Wonder is joining in on the fun. The legendary singer surprised fans with a new EP featuring four never-before-heard tracks from his legendary album Songs in the Key of Life in honor of its 50th anniversary. So forget everything we said about encore fatigue. We welcome this addition with open hearts.

Originally released on September 28, 1976, Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life is widely regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest albums ever made, earning the Album of the Year at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards in 1977 and later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. Twenty-one tracks make up the original double album and extra EP that became world-renowned for such enduring hits as “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Sir Duke,” but Wonder kept four songs from his original recording session in the vault, only to be released half a decade later. The four songs, “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun in Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’,” dropped on streaming platforms today under the title Songs in the Key of Life — The EP. “We didn’t add these songs to the album, but they were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it,” Wonder told Rolling Stone. “They bring me back to that time in my life, and now they get to become part of yours.”

On September 8, Wonder announced a commemorative 50th anniversary arena tour for Songs in the Key of Life, scheduled for October 13 through December 19. Fans have had 50 years to memorize every word, note, and beat of the original 21 songs. Now, they have four more to go before tour.