Stevie

In my eternal quest to find a voice to articulate intelligence and emotion -- to intelligently and emotionally articulate the anger and frustration embroiled in this country right now -- I looked to that genius, and National Treasure, Stevie Wonder.

Stevie has been writing songs about race and the African American struggle for decades -- decades -- with powerful lyrics but upbeat, irresistible music. We've been listening to Stevie all weekend, and I can't get "You Haven't Done Nothin'" out of my head.

The website Songfacts says, "There is some serious lyrical dissonance in this song, as the biting lyrics are accompanied by upbeat music. Wonder explained: 'The best way to get an important and heavy message across is to wrap it up nicely. It’s better to try and level out the weight of the lyrics by making the melody lighter. After all, people want to be entertained, which is all right with me. So if you have a catchy melody instead of making the whole song sound like a lesson, people are more likely to play the tune. They can dance to it and still listen to the lyrics and hopefully think about them.'"

So that's what I've been doing. Thinking about them. And listening to them. Lyrics which are as powerful and relevant today as they were almost 50 years ago . . .


We are amazed but not amused
By all the things you say that you'll do
Though much concerned but not involved
With decisions that are made by you
But we are sick and tired of hearing your song
Tellin' how you are gonna change right from wrong
'Cause if you really want to hear our views
You haven't done nothin'

It's not too cool to be ridiculed
But you brought this upon yourself
The world is tired of pacifier
We want the truth and nothing else
And we are sick and tired of hearing your song
Tellin' how you are gonna change right from wrong
'Cause if you really want to hear our views
You haven't done nothin'

Jackson 5 join along with me say
Doo doo wop - hey hey hey
Doo doo wop - whoa whoa whoa
Doo doo wop - mm-mm-mm
Doo doo wop - naw naw naw
Doo doo wop - bum bum bum
Doo doo wop

We would not care to wake up to the nightmare
That's becomin' real life, mm
But when misled who knows a person's mind
Can turn as cold as ice, um-hmm
Why do you keep on making us hear your song
Tellin' us how you are changin' right from wrong
'Cause if you really want to hear our views
You haven't done nothin'
Yeah, now
Now-now-now, nothin', nothin'

Let's listen to the man himself, at the 1974 Grammys . . .