SONG OF THE DAY: Stevie Wonder, "I Wish"

This is in honor of Mr. Wonder receiving the Gershwin Prize For Popular Song a couple of days ago. The Library of Congress established the Gershwin Prize two years ago to "celebrate the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding."

President Obama and Mrs. Obama are huge Stevie Wonder fans. Their wedding song was "You And I", and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was Barack Obama's campaign theme song. At the award ceremony, they talked about how his music has influenced their lives. I am also a Stevie Wonder fan (is there someone who isn't a fan?). "I Wish" (1976) is my fave Stevie Wonder cut: it's funky, tight bass line and horns, and there are Stevie's iconic vocals. It went #1 on both the U.S. R&B and pop charts, and was #5 on the British chart:



I was among the 78,000 people who flocked to Grant Park's Petrillo Music Shell last summer to see this living legend perform for free (or rather, compliments of our tax dollars), during the Taste Of Chicago. It had to be the best attended Taste concerts of all time, because I've never seen a Taste show so packed to the gills. Petrillo couldn't hold everybody, so some folks were literally in the trees. All sorts of folks were there as a testiment to his widespread appeal: fortysomething and fiftysomething steppers, Generation Xers like myself, twentysomething hipsters, kids, and elderly folks of all races. Stevie went way past his allotted time - almost three hours, when most Taste performers go for 1.5 to 2 hours - but he put on a great show.

The award ceremony - which included all-star covers and a performance by Mr. Wonder - aired last night on PBS. Here is the entire ceremony. What's your favorite Stevie Wonder song?