Biography
17. Just A Call Of Love
Events of a
few months later were to bring sadness to Stevie and many others. On
the 1st of April 1984 Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his own father. A
few hours before Stevie had written a song called Lighting Up The
Candles which Stevie performed at the funeral service
Lighting up the candles
To what use to be
Tender memories in moments of love
Happy times and bad times
All seem wonderful
The planned album,
In Square Circle was again
delayed, but a surprise soundtrack was on the way. A Gene Wilder
comedy, The Woman In Red opened in August 1984 to a soundtrack put
together by Stevie ably assisted by Dionne Warwick. The first single
I Just Called To Say I Love You was a worldwide smash, giving Stevie
his first UK #1 single as a solo artist. It also topped the US
charts. The album included a classic Wonder composition,
Love Light
In Flight, the title track, and the socially aware
Don't Drive
Drunk. Stevie duets with Dionne on
It's You and
Weakness both
ballads in a pop vein. Dionne solos on
Moments Aren't Moments and Wonderlove
has an instrumental outing on
It's More Than You
written by Ben
Bridges.
More session work would follow for Stevie
during the 1984-5 period. He contributed a harp solo on the King
Sunny Ade track Ase for the
Aura album, played harmonica on the
Chaka Khan hit I Feel For You which also sampled his
Fingertips and
on Dizzy Gillespie's
Closer To The Source. He also appeared on Rockwells album, and contributed the songs
Upset Stomach
to the
soundtrack of the Motown movie,
The Last Dragon,
and the opening track,
Feel It on the British Trio Feelabilia's debut album.
Stevie also wrote two tracks,
Do I and
Everything's Coming Up Roses for Eddie Murphy's first album of
songs. The Eurythmics invited him to add a harmonica solo to their
song There Must
be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)
which would be a UK #1 smash and a top 20 US single. And he
contributed the song
I Do Love You
to the Beach Boys eponymous album.
Stevie then got involved in the USA for Africa
project which was based on the efforts by British artists to raise
funds for the starving people of Ethiopia. The brainchild of Bob
Geldof, a group of British singers and musicians under the
collective name of Band Aid released the song,
Do They Know It's
Christmas?. The
American version was conceived by Harry Belafonte, who invited
Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie and Stevie Wonder to compose an
appropriate song. Stevie was initially unavailable for the first
part of the project and advised the other two to compose the song in
his absence. However when the artists did assemble to perform the
song We Are The
World, Stevie's
presence was critical in working out the complex vocal arrangements.
Sitting at the piano he offered suggestions, encouragement and
constructive criticism. He even had to guide Bob Dylan, telling him
how he should sing his part. The high point of the final vocal
performance was Stevie's duet with Bruce Springsteen.
In
1985 Stevie was arrested for demonstrating outside the South African
embassy in Washington D.C.. He was held in custody as a symbol of
his commitment to the cause:
They said I was disturbing the peace. I
was singing.
I Just Called To Say I Love You was nominated
for both Oscar and Grammy awards. Though it did not win the Grammy,
Stevie did take the coveted Oscar home, though with some
controversy. In his acceptance speech at the awards Stevie dedicated
it to the then imprisoned black South African leader, Nelson
Mandela. This resulted in Stevie Wonder's Music being banned in
South Africa.
