
Superstition
Wonder wrote that clavinet riff for Jeff Beck, heard it back, and sensibly kept it for himself.

Wonder wrote that clavinet riff for Jeff Beck, heard it back, and sensibly kept it for himself.

Written and taped in a three-hour burst, Wonder on clavinet and drums, the keyboard snarling through a Mu-Tron filter.
Wonder played most of it himself, then broke it open with a spoken street scene running past seven minutes.

Wonder built it for Ellington after his death in 1974, then handed the melody to horns playing in unison.

Wonder cut it for his newborn daughter Aisha, harmonica and all, and refused to shorten it for a single.

Wonder was fifteen, his voice breaking, and Gordy feared he was finished; Sylvia Moy fed him lyrics line by line.

Wonder hands the first four lines to Jim Gilstrap and Lani Groves, then walks in over his own Fender Rhodes.

Jamerson's bass line runs like a lead melody, and Wonder co-wrote it with his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway.
Wonder played every part himself, won the Oscar, and handed Motown its biggest-selling UK single.