Stevie Wonder is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life with a four-song EP featuring previously unreleased recordings from the album’s sessions: “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun In Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’.”
Personally curated by Wonder, the recordings were recently mixed by the album’s original recording and mixing engineers, John Fischbach and Gary O Adante, who was credited on the original LP as Gary Olazabal.
The release also connects to a phrase born during the album’s final studio session. At 4:54 a.m., longtime bassist Nathan Watts exclaimed, “Fo’FiftyFo’!” The phrase became an inside joke within Wonder’s circle and now marks the arrival of four recordings from those sessions.
“We’ve lived with Songs in the Key of Life for fifty years, but there’s still more to hear,” says Wonder. “We didn’t add these songs to the album, but they were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it. They bring me back to that time in my life, and now they get to become part of yours.”
Originally released September 28, 1976, Songs in the Key of Life earned Wonder the third of his three GRAMMY Awards for Album of the Year, achieved Diamond certification and entered the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
The anniversary continues with the Songs in the Key of Life Performances – 50th Anniversary Tour, beginning Oct. 13 in Birmingham before traveling through Europe and the U.S., concluding Dec. 19 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.