Living for the City

"Living For The City" is a 1974 hit single by Stevie Wonder for the Tamla (Motown) label, from his Innervisions album. Reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the record is driven by a slow piano groove that manages to exude a certain amount of tension, an appropriate soundscape for the angry social commentary of the song.

Related Topics:
1974 - Stevie Wonder - Tamla - Motown - Innervisions - Billboard Hot 100

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The song begins with Wonder describing the life of a poverty stricken young boy in Mississippi. His family is poor, but his parents work hard and encourage him, in spite of the dreadful conditions they live in: lack of food and money, and racism as well. As the record progresses, the tension and anger build in Wonder's voice, matching the growing frustrations of the subjects in the song.

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A spoken interlude midway through the song has the young boy, now a young man, arriving in New York City for a new beginning. Unfortunately, the young man is unaware of the dangers of the city, and is tricked into transporting something illegal (presumably drugs). After being brutalized by the police and convicted in court, he winds up in prison, ending the song as a homeless vagrant on the streets of New York. The tension in Wonder's voice boils over at this point into an angry growl, but then subsides again as he ends the song on a positive note.

Related Topics:
New York City - Drugs - Police

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