Album: Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder (1974)
Genre: Soul | Style: Urban/R&B | Mood: In Love
Format: Album

Description: Fulfillingness' First Finale is a landmark album by Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974; one of the albums from his "classic period". It is his seventeenth studio album overall. According to Billboard magazine, it was Wonder's first studio album to top the Pop Albums chart where it remained for two weeks, while it was his third album to top the R&B/Black Albums chart where it spent nine nonconsecutive weeks.

Subsequent to the epic sweep and social consciousness of Innervisions, this set projected a reflective, decidedly somber tone. The musical arrangements used in several songs while masterly could be considered sparse in comparison to others among his 1970s masterworks, evident especially in the bleak "They Won't Go When I Go" and understated "Creepin'". While largely a stripped down, more personal sounding record, Wonder had not completely foregone social commentary on the world around him. The No. 1 hit "You Haven't Done Nothin'" launched a pointed criticism of the Nixon administration[citation needed] bolstered by funky clavinet, drum machine, and a Jackson 5 cameo.[citation needed]

Fulfillingness' First Finale won Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal, Best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance (for "Boogie On Reggae Woman"), and Album of the Year in 1975. When Wonder took two years to record his follow-up album, Songs in the Key of Life, this broke his consecutive Grammy streak and led to Paul Simon's famous quote thanking him for not releasing an album in 1975 (when Simon won the Album of the Year award for Still Crazy After All These Years).


Artist Background: Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950 as Stevland Hardaway Judkins), known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. Blind since shortly after birth, Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven, and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day. Among Wonder's best known works are singles such as "Superstitio... Part of the Saginaw, Michigan, USA music scene. Emerged in the 1960s era. Associated with R&B movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Related Artists: Earth, Wind & Fire, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway

Music Scene: Part of the Saginaw, Michigan, USA music scene. Emerged in the 1960s era. Associated with R&B movement. Known for Urban/R&B style.

Tags: Soul, Urban/R&B, In Love, 1970s, Album

Additional Context: Rating score: 8. Based on 2 votes. Available on Discogs marketplace


Fulfillingness' First Finale is a landmark album by Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974; one of the albums from his "classic period". It is his seventeenth studio album overall. According to Billboard magazine, it was Wonder's first studio album to top the Pop Albums chart where it remained for two weeks, while it was his third album to top the R&B/Black Albums chart where it spent nine nonconsecutive weeks.

Subsequent to the epic sweep and social consciousness of Innervisions, this set projected a reflective, decidedly somber tone. The musical arrangements used in several songs while masterly could be considered sparse in comparison to others among his 1970s masterworks, evident especially in the bleak "They Won't Go When I Go" and understated "Creepin'". While largely a stripped down, more personal sounding record, Wonder had not completely foregone social commentary on the world around him. The No. 1 hit "You Haven't Done Nothin'" launched a pointed criticism of the Nixon administration[citation needed] bolstered by funky clavinet, drum machine, and a Jackson 5 cameo.[citation needed]

Fulfillingness' First Finale won Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal, Best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance (for "Boogie On Reggae Woman"), and Album of the Year in 1975. When Wonder took two years to record his follow-up album, Songs in the Key of Life, this broke his consecutive Grammy streak and led to Paul Simon's famous quote thanking him for not releasing an album in 1975 (when Simon won the Album of the Year award for Still Crazy After All These Years).


Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

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