Stevie Wonder and Jacob Collier: two artists who, despite generations apart, are more alike than I initially realized. This essay will examine the correlation between their careers, musical styles, lyrical complexity, and historical impact as musicians and artists in pop culture and the music world in both the 20th and 21st centuries. The first example of this correlation has already appeared; the title. The title of this essay is that of a song; a song that unites the two. While “Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing” may have been just another hit song for the likes of Stevie Wonder, for Jacob Collier it was the start of something bigger. To start, let's talk about one of the greatest R&B artists to ever live; Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950. A multi-instrumentalist and blind from birth, he quickly became a huge hit after "Fingertips, Part 2", his first single recorded at age 12 when he was still going under the name " Little Stevie Wonder,” went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts in 1963. Between the years 1963 to 1988, not a year went by in which a single released by Wonder did not enter the Billboard pop charts. At 21, he completely renegotiated his contract with Berry Gordy and Motown Records, demanding creative control, saying, “I'll do things my way… I'm 21 now, I won't do what you say anymore. " It was then that he gained complete control over his finances. Shortly before his 21st birthday, however, he married Syreeta Wright, an accomplished lyricist and performer who helped him co-write one of his biggest early hits, "Signed, Sealed , Delivered, I'm Yours". Over the course of his career and up to 2019, Stevie Wonder has earned 25 Grammy Awards and over 70 Grammy nominations. He remains an active artist and musician today. Say no to plagiarism. Get an essay tailored on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Besides being a phenomenal keyboardist, singer, harmonica player, and drummer (ok, let's be honest, there's not much he can't do), Stevie Wonder is also a well-known social and political activist. Some of his songs talk about real and intense topics such as the ghetto, racism and being spiritual. He addresses these issues in the songs he wrote for Spike Lee's Jungle Fever and also in his album Conversation Peace released in 1995. Stevie also played an integral role in ensuring that Martin Luther King Jr Day was a national holiday, as well as advocating for AIDS awareness, gun control in the United States and South African apartheid. The more research you do on Stevie Wonder, the more you realize that the love and soul don't stop at his music. There are so many artists out there who could be compared to Stevie Wonder in various ways, be it their activism, musicianship, showmanship, etc. However, I chose Jacob Collier because they are incredibly similar in more ways than people might imagine. Like Stevie, Jacob started at a young age. He is from London, born to parents who were both incredible musicians, and took classical singing lessons from the age of 8 to 13. At the age of 18, however, his career took off when he released a cover of "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing” by none other than Stevie Wonder. His video depicts him in 6 separate frames, singing the song and vocally overlapping harmonies. At one point, it zooms in to show him playing 22 different things all stacked on top of each other. This caught the attention of his current manager, Quincy Jones, who hired him to his record label Qwest Records. where then, as Stevie often did, he personally played every instrument for therecording of his debut album In My Room. instrumentalist, his musicianship and skill have been a source of inspiration to many people around the world. Especially for former MIT doctoral student Ben Bloomberg. Bloomberg and Collier collaborated to create a method in which Jacob could use his multi-instrumental layering and looping techniques and transfer them into a live performance environment. This performance method will debut at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2015, where the legendary Herbie Hancock opened the concert. Although he no longer uses this method of performance, he is still a very collaborative artist as he has performed with the likes of Snarky Puppy and even film score composer Hans Zimmer. When it comes to discussing songs, I could write a whole other article about Stevie Wonder's songs, but I'll focus on "Ain't She Lovely" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" instead. "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" was written by Stevie Wonder in 1973 and was included on the album Innervisions (1973). Innervisions as an album covers many problems that happen in society such as racism, violence and corruption, another reason why it is so valid today in covers like those of Tori Kelly or Jacob Collier, because we are still suffering the same problems in society. The upbeat, Latin-style sound of this track provides an upbeat and upbeat message of the title, "don't worry about a thing." This message would have been important during this time due to the violence associated with the Vietnam War and the seemingly endless racial tension in the civil rights movement in America. “Ain't It Lovely,” while upbeat and uplifting, has a much more personal and charming tone. This song was written to celebrate the birth of Stevie's daughter, Aisha. Written in 1976 for his album Songs in the Key of Life, he praises his son's mother, Yolanda Simmons, in the lyrics "Londi wouldn't have been possible, without you who conceived it." Towards the end of the song, after a brilliantly improvised harmonica solo from Wonder, you can hear audio of him and his daughter during what is more than likely bath time, giving the listener a glimpse into his personal bond with the song. Jacob Collier has also written his share of original works. Both of the songs I'll be talking about are from his 2016 album In My Room. In his song “Down the Line,” he sings, “if you're lost right now, maybe I could help you and sing you a song and keep you going.” This is meant to be a slightly uplifting and also semi-reflective message of his journey through life singing songs and moving forward "down the line"; stay positive and seek new opportunities for growth and enthusiasm. This song in particular can be compared to Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" for its subtle yet uplifting message, and also for its Latin feel to the music; it also has a chorus in Spanish. The other song I chose for Jacob Collier is his song “In the Real Early Morning”. This piece is beautiful from start to finish, both lyrically and musically. Lyrically, it is similar to Stevie Wonder's "Ain't She Lovely" in that there is a clear sense of love between the singer's perspective and the person or being he is singing about; a deep fascination and perhaps even a love. However, in contrast to Wonder's song, this song seems to take the perspective of longing for something lost or out of reach instead of something new and welcomed. There's the same sense of passion and love in both songs, but presented in very different ways both musically and contextually, making the two songs a truly fascinating comparison. When it comes to these twomusicians, nothing more than the word incredible should be used to describe their talent. They have a deeper, more detailed, elegant and participatory understanding of music than any other artist I know. One thing that shines through in both of these artists' music is the love and joy they share in making it. Both Collier and Wonder specialize in similar genres, Jazz fusion, pop and R&B, with lots of keyboards, bass, drums and harmonica (although Collier replaces this with a melodica). They both play an insane amount of instruments, and most of the time they overlapped them on each other in their albums or studio recordings. When I compare the two, it all comes down to consistency. Stevie Wonder has a way of making complex riffs and compositions simple and clean. Jacob Collier, on the other hand, takes what some people normally see as a simple song, like the theme from the Flintstones TV cartoon, and turns it into something outrageous, highly technical and brilliantly arranged. Sometimes, this can actually be a bad thing for Jacob. While his arrangement of “Flintstones” didn't hurt him, as it won him a Grammy, his overly complex arrangements, and arguably overuse of jazz harmonies and techniques, can sometimes make his songs too challenging. There are times when Jacob Collier's songs require active listening and active thinking to appreciate. Alternatively, I can turn Stevie Wonder's best on shuffle and play "Superstition" any time of day. To put it bluntly, Stevie Wonder is to easy listening as Jacob Collier is to the full-fledged sonata. A perfect example of this frenzy I'm referring to can be found in Collier's video collaboration with Tori Kelly for “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” He layers 8 separate harmonies on top of his melody, and at times, it's hard to hear. You can't help but think to yourself "...I THINK this is good?" Now, all this to say that I still firmly believe that Jacob Collier is a phenomenal musician, but in direct comparison to Stevie Wonder, Stevie Wonder has as much creative control as Jacob, but shows restraint in creating masterfully balanced works of art. Considering the historical significance of the two artists, I think it is difficult to make a comparison just because of the age difference and generation gap. Stevie Wonder was (in his time) and still remains a huge success, while Jacob Collier is a great example of the incredible musical talent this generation can offer. Quincy Jones said after one of Collier's shows about the singer, "I've been waiting for a young man like him for a long time, man, he's an absolute genius," and I think that's a good example of why artists like Collier are significant. They bring hope to the world of music, as well as style, funk and a breath of fresh air from the mainstream pop we hear on the radio every day. One thing Jacob and Stevie have in common that makes them special is their pure and everlasting love for music. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, Jacob Collier and Stevie Wonder are two artists with incredible gifts as multi-instrumentalists, incredible collaborators, and dedicated musicians. Despite generations apart, each of them can create a sound that you can highly appreciate for the complexity, or simplicity, which offers the listener a truly unique listening experience. The soul and passion comes through clearly in their work and creates art that future musicians can, should and will aspire to make themselves. Bibliography: Werner, Craig Hansen. 2004. Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin,..