92. Stevie Wonder, Isn’t She Lovely
I once told someone that only two things in life matter, love and freedom, and she replied, “Maybe they’re two words for the same thing.” Likewise, this song has a great line, “Life and love are the same.” Life, love, freedom: a holy trinity of meaning. This song is about the ecstatic moment one meets one’s child for the first time, how nothing can prepare you for it. The great Stevie Wonder, singing in the key of life, cuts joyously through any sentimentality, straight through to the miraculous freedom of knowing what it is to love someone more than life itself.
“Isn’t She Lovely,” written and performed by Stevie Wonder, 1976.
This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day through July 4, 2025. Inspired by my MFAH 100 project.
Too many emails? For instructions on receiving a weekly recap, click here.
Or send me a message:
Certainly, this delivers great confidence and pride....this will preach!!! Thank you!
True true - it makes Janice Joplin’s line “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” all the more sad and poignant.