The Michigander and legendary Motown artist brings his “Sing Your Song As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” tour to Van Andel Arena Wednesday. Warm up with this Local Spins playlist of Stevie classics.
SCROLL DOWN FOR PLAYLIST, RECENT CONCERT SET LIST
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
In the summer of 1970, enamored of this exuberant and soulful pop hit, I purchased the 45 of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” released on Motown’s Tamla label.
As it would turn out, this single by an immensely talented, then 20-year-old singer and musician from Saginaw who began his career as “Little Stevie Wonder” would not only soar to No. 1 on the R&B chart, but would go on to make Rolling Stone magazine’s roster of “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” and rack up more than 661 million spins on Spotify.
It also became an iconic favorite of the Motown era and beyond, signaling the beginning of Wonder’s most prolific, revered and illustrious artistic stretch: It was the first song he produced himself and paved the way for milestone recordings such as “Talking Book,” “Innervisions” and “Songs in the Key of Life.”
Fifty-four years later, the multi-Grammy Award-winning Wonder, 74, continues to produce new music, releasing the single, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” in late August, followed by an election year-inspired tour of swing states that stops at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on Wednesday (Oct. 30). Tickets, $49-$410, available online here.
In announcing the tour amid “a pivotal juncture in American politics and culture,” Wonder called for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war.”
Set lists from the tour have been chock full of memorable favorites and milestone hits, with Wonder performing 27-28 songs per night.
For this ultimate Local Spins playlist, we’ve chosen a dozen of Wonder’s most important and most healing tracks from his most recent set lists to get fans ready for Wednesday night’s show, arranged in chronological order. Enjoy.
STEVIE WONDER: The Ultimate Local Spins Playlist on Spotify
LYRIC VIDEO: Stevie Wonder, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart”
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC