10 Stevie Wonder Stonkers for a Wedding

To mark the 50th anniversary of his magnum opus Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie is taking the record on tour around the UK and Europe, playing the iconic double album in full and in order. The shows are already garnering sensational reviews, as a huge collective of musicians back the great man to bring the record to life. The 1976 masterpiece marked the denouement of a monumental period of prolific creativity, ending arguably the greatest four-album run in the history of popular music.

Stevie's legacy lives on, as generation after generation of artists remain in thrall to his vision, sound and ambition. For Wedding Jam it is no different, and barely a single wedding goes by without hearing Stevie either covered by a live band or spun by a DJ.

Picking out 50 Stevie Wonder classics would be tough enough, but we've made life difficult for ourselves by selecting just ten of his greatest bangers, all ideal for lighting up any wedding dancefloor.

Superstition

It would be remiss of us to not start with what we reckon is by a distance the most-played Stevie song at a Wedding Jam party. Driven along by Stevie's signature Hohner Clavinet - where most mortals would've used a guitar - and underpinned by a phat Moog synth bassline, its tight-as-hell rhythm is infectious beyond belief. As was his wont, Stevie played almost every instrument himself...just one of many testaments to his utter genius.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)

Trailing just a fraction behind Superstition in the Wedding Jam popularity stakes is the euphoric Signed, Sealed, Delivered. One of Stevie's classic, breathless love songs, it was - unfathomably - recorded when he was just 19 years old. It was the first track Stevie produced entirely on his own, marking a major turning point as he battled Motown for complete artistic control. Pleading for forgiveness after messing up a relationship, and pledging total devotion, Stevie pours his usual heart and soul into the vocal.

I Wish

Stevie's legacy shines on in myriad ways - notably in the sheer volume of hip-hop artists who've sampled his work. One of the most sampled and covered songs in popular music history, I Wish has been sampled on at least 30 occasions, most famously by Will Smith in his '90s smash hit Wild Wild West. The first in this list to be taken from Songs in the Key of Life, it is Stevie at the peak of his powers, popping along to a ridiculous groove.

Do I Do

Few would argue Stevie hadn't peaked by 1976, aged just 26 but having already made a phenomenal amount of world class music. Stevie, however, was not yet done. Leaping forward to 1982, Do I Do is a five minute party in itself, propelled by one of the greatest basslines of all-time - played by the great Nate Watts, who was also responsible for the killer line on I Wish. In yet another nod to Stevie's jazz roots, he roped in jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie to play the extended trumpet solo.

For Once in My Life

Still in his Motown phase, and at a scarcely believable 18 years old, Stevie Wonder dropped For Once in My Life in 1968. This rapturous slice of soul features three key Stevie tenets. It marked the debut of his Hohner Clavinet that would go on to become his '70s signature, stars arguably the greatest bassist of all-time in Jim Jamerson (as many of his songs did), and last but not least includes a classic, soaring Stevie harmonica solo. So, so good!

I'm Wondering

Something of a deep-cut, this was released as a stand-alone single by teenage Stevie in 1967. Backed by Motown's famous house band, The Funk Brothers (including James Jamerson), and featuring a signature harmonica solo, it drives along with a free and reckless abandon and in our view should be better-known.

Another Star

Another Songs in the Key of Life masterpiece, Another Star is a carnival of music packed into 8-and-a-half glorious minutes. Fusing Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms, it features legend-in-his-own-right George Benson on guitar as part of a stellar ensemble of musicians. Few could have so many musical legends queuing up to play second fiddle in the way Stevie could. Just another sign of his unsurpassed greatness.

I Was Made to Love Her

It gets crazier - Stevie was 17 (17!!!) when he released this titanic single, which begs the question just how young was he when he wrote it?! Showing emotional maturity so wildly beyond his years as to be simply miraculous, it is one of the greatest declarations of love ever committed to tape. With James Jamerson on bass once again, it soars with a raw gospel energy and a powerhouse vocal from an artist still technically a child. It beggars belief, and served as an early sign of a God-given talent.

Higher Ground

Taken from his seminal record Innervisions, Higher Ground is a clinic in funk-soul. Featuring another sick Moog bassline, 23 year old Stevie wrote, produced and played every single instrument on the track. At over 53 years old, it is remarkable how fresh and vital it still sounds. Furthermore, it's sometimes easy to forget just what a phenomenal drummer Stevie is - listen to those drums!

Sir Duke

'Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand'

For all the incredible songs Stevie Wonder wrote, there are many out there who believe Songs in the Key of Life centrepiece Sir Duke is his finest work. A tribute to titans of music like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Glen Miller ('For there's Basie, Miller, Satchmo / And the king of all, Sir Duke / And with a voice like Ella's ringing out / There's no way the band could lose'), it is as good as music gets, with the blazing horns tipping their hats to those jazz pioneers. You can feel it all over.