(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Stevie Wonder - "Sir Duke"
Hit Number 1: May 21, 1977
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
The great Duke Ellington died in 1974. For those who don't know, Ellington was a composer and a pianist. For about 50 years, he played in and composed music for his own band, from 1923 to, basically, the end of his life. Mostly in the '40s and '50s, this guy was at the forefront of music and became one of the most influential musicians of his day. And little do people might know, we may have Ellington to thank for the career of Stevie Wonder. Wonder has stated before that Ellington was one of his biggest influences to start getting into music himself. And after Ellington died in 1974, Wonder wanted to not only pay homage to a legendary musical figure, but to let everyone know how important Ellington was on his own music path. That is why "Sir Duke" exists.
This was not the first time Wonder would pay homage to his favorite musicians. His 1968 song "Bye Bye World" was written for West Montgomery, a guitarist who Wonder was a huge fan of, and wanted to collaborate with eventually. However, Montgomery died before Wonder would get the chance to do so. When Wonder was 12 (yes, 12) he had released his second album (yes, his second album at just 12 years old) which was entirely dedicated to Ray Charles. So basically, if you were a musician that inspired Stevie Wonder, he would make sure he honored you in his music. However, I think it's safe to say that nothing hit quite as hard as "Sir Duke" did. I'm not sure if it's the song itself, or if it was other people who also shared the sorrow Wonder had about Ellington's recent death. What I do know, is that the song was an epic smash.
You'd be hard-pressed to find albums that are much more celebrated than Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life album. It's actually for good reason. This album is filled of fun, great music. We've actually already seen one example of this with "I Wish," a song that Wonder wrote about his childhood nostalgia. Another hit song from this album, "Isn't She Lovely" was about the birth of his daughter in 1976. It's safe to say that Songs in the Key of Life is literally an album about Wonder's own life, and things that were important to him. (Oh yeah, and "Isn't She Lovely" was not released as a single, despite still being a hit. It's a 7. It would be higher if not for the baby crying in the beginning. Too much for me. But I digress) Now, Wonder has never said this, at least from what I'm seeing, but I have to imagine "Sir Duke" is probably the most important song for Wonder on the album. It's a song about one of his favorite-ever musicians, and I don't think it's a stretch to say we might not have Stevie Wonder music without Ellington.
And musically, of course the song kicks ass. Those horns in the beginning are an immediate attention grabber. The bass licks intertwining with those horns and Wonder's lead vocal is magical, and I also love the little ad-libbed "woos" and "yeahs!" that Wonder throws in between the little horn solos throughout the song. That, right there, shows how much fun Wonder is having performing the song, perhaps even feeling like he's making Ellington proud. But the best part about "Sir Duke," and the most memorable, is that chorus. "You can feel it all over/You can feel it all over people!" is a line that stays with me. For Wonder, that line has to do with Ellington, as well as the other composers/musicians he gives a shoutout to in the song. But honestly, that line can be about music in general too. Everybody has their favorite music and musicians, and that line right there is the one thing that shows how awesome music is. We can all, literally every single person on this planet, feel music. That's what makes the whole idea of "Sir Duke" so great too; it's that idea of what music means to everyone. Oh yeah, and in case that wasn't enough, the hook that chorus has is insane too. Everything about it is just, well, awesome.
Now for me personally, "Sir Duke" is not the greatest song on the album. (That still has to go to "I Wish") But the song is still an incredibly fun time, and it's hard to not feel this song in and of itself! Wherever Ellington is now, I think he has to be pretty proud to have a song like this attached to his name. In the grand scheme of things, "Sir Duke" is another example of why Songs in the Key of Life is an absolutely epic album. Seriously, listen to it if you haven't already. I promise you'll "feel it all over" yourself.
As for Wonder, we'll definitely hear from him again, but his future music does not stack up to the awesomeness of Songs in the Key of Life. I mean, how could anything?
GRADE: 9/10
IN POP CULTURE: Here's a bunch of hooligans on a subway having the nerve to cover "Sir Duke." And surprisingly not destroying it. Here's that cover for you to check it out if you wish:
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