Wonder's single "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s. His "classic period" began in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, the latter featuring "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. His works Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making him the tied-record holder for the most Album of the Year wins, with three. He is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases. Wonder began his "commercial period" in the 1980s; he achieved his biggest hits and highest level of fame, had increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations (including Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson), political impact, and television appearances. Wonder has continued to remain active in music and political causes.
Wonder is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 100 million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards (the most by a solo artist) and one Academy Award (Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red). Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday in the U.S. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and in 2014, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950, the third of five children born to Lula Mae Hardaway, and the second of Hardaway's two children with Calvin Judkins. He was born six weeks premature which, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, resulted in retinopathy of prematurity, a condition in which the growth of the eyes is aborted and causes the retinas to detach, so he became blind.
Living For The City
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
His parents give him love and affection
To keep him strong moving in the right direction
Living just enough, just enough for the city
His father works some days for fourteen hours
And you can bet he barely makes a dollar
And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny
Living just enough, just enough for the city, yeah
His sister's black but she is sho' 'nuff pretty
Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy
To walk to school she's got to get up early
Her clothes are old but never are they dirty
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Mm, her brother's smart he's got more sense than many
His patience's long but soon he won't have any
To find a job is like a haystack needle
'Cause where he lives they don't use colored people
Living just enough, just enough for the city, yeah
Living just enough for the city
Living for the city, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
Ain't nothin' for the city
Oh, living just enough for the city
Living for the city, yeah, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
The lessons of the city
Oh, living just enough for the city
Living for the city, yeah, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
The funky, cruddy city
Oh, living just enough for the city
I'm living for the city, yeah, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
For a nothing, nothing, city
Oh, living just enough for the city
Every body clap your hand, it's going down
Oh, living just enough for the city
Mm-hmm, for the city, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
Hmm, for the city, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
For the city, yeah
Oh, living just enough for the city
For the city
"Bus going to New York City"
"Hey, bus driver I'm getting on there, hold it"
"Thanks a lot"
"Wow
New York, just like I pictured it
God straightened everything"
"Psst, hey, hey, brother
Hey, come here flick
Yeah, you look, you look hip man
Hey you wanna make your self five bucks man?"
"Yeah brother I just came into town"
"Look here, run this across the street for me right quick, okay?
Run it across the street for me"
"Hey, what?
Huh? I didn't know
What? I'm just going across the street
"Shut your mouth"
"Oh no, what I do?"
"Okay turn around, turn around
Put your hands behind your back lets go, lets go"
"A jury of your peers having found you guilty ten years"
"What?"
"Come on, come on, get in that cell nigger"
"My God, no"
His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
He spends his life walking the streets of New York City
He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution
He tried to vote but to him there's no solution
Living just enough, just enough for the city yeah, yeah, yeah
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow
And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow
This place is cruel no where could be much colder
If we don't change the world will soon be over
Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city
“Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder is a social commentary on the issues of the African-American community in urban cities during the 1960s. The song tells the story of a boy who is born and raised in Mississippi but moves to New York City in search of a better life in the midst of poverty, racism, and social injustice. In the first verse, the song describes the boy’s parents, who work tirelessly to provide for their family, yet they can barely make ends meet. The second verse shows the struggles of the boy’s sister and brother: the sister has to walk to school every day, and her brother is unable to find a job because of the color of his skin. The bridge explains what it means to live just enough for the city, which is a life that is just barely above the poverty line. The last verse shows the devastating consequences of the cruel city, ending with a plea for change.
Overall, Living in the City is a powerful portrayal of the racism and discrimination that plagued America’s urban centers in the 1960s, and its themes of poverty, injustice, and inequality still resonate with many people today.
Line by Line Meaning
A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
The song describes a young boy who's born into a society with limited resources and opportunities, with many people around him struggling to make ends meet.
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
The boy is living in a cramped, probably poorly maintained living space, and the four walls around him are hardly conducive to a happy and healthy upbringing.
His parents give him love and affection
Despite their struggles, the boy's parents are doing their best to provide him with the emotional support he needs to succeed in life.
To keep him strong moving in the right direction
This line suggests that the boy's parents are determined to keep him focused on achieving his goals instead of succumbing to the temptations and distractions of their harsh environment.
Living just enough, just enough for the city
This repeated line is a way of saying that the boy's family is surviving amidst a city environment that provides very limited resources in terms of basic necessities like food, shelter, and money.
His father works some days for fourteen hours
The boy's father is working extremely long hours for very little pay, trying to earn enough money to support the family.
And you can bet he barely makes a dollar
Despite his long hours, the boy's father is probably barely scraping by because he is paid very little for his hard work.
His mother goes to scrub the floors for many
The boy's mother works long hours as a cleaner, probably for very low wages, in order to support the family.
And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny
This line reinforces the idea that the boy's mother is working extremely hard for very little income, barely enough to pay for basic necessities like food and shelter.
Mm, her brother's smart he's got more sense than many
Despite the challenges around him, the boy's brother is intelligent, and can probably see through the obstacles and prejudices that lie in his path.
His patience's long but soon he won't have any
This line suggests that the boy's brother has been trying to stay hopeful and patient, but is slowly losing hope in finding any kind of work or prosperity in his city.
To find a job is like a haystack needle
This line underscores the challenges that people in this city face in finding work or opportunities to advance their lives; the job market is almost nonexistent.
'Cause where he lives they don't use colored people
This line suggests that the boy's brother is facing racism and discrimination in his search for work, making it even more difficult to find employment or hope for a better future.
Living for the city, yeah
This repeated line drives home the theme of the song: that people in the city are simply trying to survive amidst a society that provides them with just enough to get by.
Every body clap your hand, it's going down
This line breaks the narrative of the song to almost create an interactive moment with (and between) the listeners.
If we don't change the world will soon be over
This line carries a warning: if we don't change the way we treat people in the city - and around in general - then the entire world will suffer the consequences of our shortsightedness.
Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city
This final, repeating line is a call-to-action that is the song's titular, most powerful point. We need to do better than barely scrape by if we're going to create a just society that serves all people.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheryl Rowland Hall
on Isn't She Lovely
Dedicated to my lovely daughter, Amy Kathleen Rawson, the lovely child who helped mom to grow up!