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Innervisions is a 1973 album by Stevie Wonder, widely regarded as one of his best, along with Talking Book (1972) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). It's best remembered for the hits "Living For The City", "Higher Ground" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing". It was awarded the 1974 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year.

Tracklist

Side 1
  1. "Too High" (4:36)
  2. "Visions" (5:23)
  3. "Living For The City" (7:22)
  4. "Golden Lady" (4:40)

Side 2

  1. "Higher Ground" (3:42)
  2. "Jesus Children Of America" (4:10)
  3. "All In Love Is Fair" (3:41)
  4. "Don't You Worry 'bout A Thing" (4:44)
  5. "He's Misstra Know-It-All" (5:35)

Troping For The City

  • As Long as It Sounds Foreign: "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing"
    ''I speak very, very um fluent Spanish: 'Todo 'stá bien chévere'note ... you got that?"
  • Design Student's Orgasm: The album cover is a painting.
  • Downer Ending: "Living for the City". In spite of a solid upbringing from two loving parents who taught him responsibility and a strong work ethic, the protagonist of the song is convicted of drug possession after being tricked into being a mule, spends ten years in jail, and winds up destitute.
  • Drugs Are Bad: "Too High" criticizes drug abuse, where someone is high and hopes to "never come down", but in the end she dies.
    I'm too high, I'm too high
    I hope I never ever come down
    She's the girl in her life
    But her world's a superficial paradise
    • Conversely, the harsh punishment the protagonist gets for being tricked into being a drug mule in "Living for the City" is a criticism of the extremely prevalent sentencing disparity that occurred during the War on Drugs.
  • Epic Rocking: The 7:22 "Living For The City".
  • Face on the Cover: Stevie is seen from a window.
  • God-Is-Love Songs: "Jesus Children of America" and "Higher Ground".
  • I Am the Band: On "Living for the City" and three other tracks Stevie played ...every... single... instrument! Though not all at the same time, of course...
  • My Country Tis of Thee That I Sting: "Living For The City" criticizes discrimination of black people in the USA.
  • One-Woman Song: "Golden Lady".
  • Pep-Talk Song: "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing", accentuating a positive outlook on life.
  • Protest Song: "Living For The City", a criticism of systemic racism in the USA.
  • Shout-Out:
    I get innervisions like Stevie
  • Small Town Boredom: "Living For The City" tells the story of various people living in poverty who are "living just enough for the city". However the song, especially the album version, implies that the city isn't much better than their current lives.
  • Spoken Word in Music: "Living For The City".
  • Stock Sound Effects: Traffic sounds are heard in "Living For The City".
  • Take That!: "He's Misstra Know-It-All", aimed at Richard Nixon who would resign the next year.

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