Stevie Wonder: "Do I Do"

10 June 1982

"Worth its weight in goldfish."

— Fred Dellar

A twenty-five word review: you're spoiling us, Dells. The brevity of this write-up is so stark that I went about counting the word length of all twenty-two singles up for consideration this fortnight. (I went through them just the once, not especially feeling like double-checking so there may be the odd error here and there) Bolstered by a seemingly Proust-like hundred and sixteen word critique of Carrie Lucas' "Show Me Where You're Coming From", the average length here is forty-seven words (and the median isn't much more forgiving, clocking in at forty-five). His concise "analysis" of Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do" is the shortest piece here, beating a dismissive review of ver Quo's "She Don't Fool Me" by four words. And, you know, it's cool. Dellar expended all the lexicography he deemed necessary for these pieces and maybe it's something I can learn from. Thus, in the spirit of prosaic economy, I present my own attempts at capturing Little Stevie's single in less than a baker's two dozen.

Stevie Wonder's run of seventies albums — Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life — is unbeatable. 

Wow, that's twenty-five already. I really shot my word count load listing off all those albums. Best not to bother with them.

Was Stevie Wonder aware that he was no longer on a creative roll? The seventies were in the can and his release rate began slowing...

Okay, so my penchant for kick starting these posts with vague notions that have been running through my head won't work here.

Taken from Original Musicquarium, the single set an annoying trend of new tracks being tacked on to a greatest hits, thereby ensuring purchase from fans.

So much for being able to add a little context.

As Dellar says, this is a marked improvement on his recent Macca collaboration "Ebony and Ivory". A pity that the inferior number is remembered today.

Well, I guess there's no space here to bring up Fred Dellar's critique, such as it it. Not a big sacrifice given there's so little there.

Chopped down to five minutes, the single mix leaves out an unremarkable Dizzy Gillespie solo and useless rapping. What's left is a typically Wonder-ful groove. 

Now, I don't like to write reviews on Amazon or iTunes or TripAdvisor but if I did they would probably read like the above. Next.

Oh, you do, do you? Well, I would do what you do if I had an idea what you're doing. I'm not done doing nothin'.

Token "clever" review you might spot in a free weekly paper. More than a little hackish.

Given how I can happily listen to the sublime "Another Star" on a daily basis, I can't help but feel this is pleasant but disposable.

Summing up my honest feelings towards "Do I Do". This blog — not to mention music writing in general — would be a whole lot different if I wrote about every song this way. I've always felt, for example, that over-analytical sports journalists and commentators could probably do with a simple "well, Team A won because they're better than Team B" bit of punditry but the impulse towards basic banalities is not something I aspire to. I got a head full of vague notions and theories I can't wait to share with the world.

Glorious goodness that Wonder churns out so effortlessly, "Do..." succeeds in spite of some clunky lyrics about candy kisses. A great bass gets it moving.

Not bad and perhaps the best I can do for now. Let's finish up with one more that reads like a cliché pop mag review that manages to say as little as possible:

Well, I'll be damned. Little Stevie turns that mother out with a luscious groove from the heavens. He's still got it and then some. Ace.

And there you have it. Sort of an Exercises in Style for singles reviews. Not something I see myself attempting again unless another Smash Hits scribe I encounter here has taken upon him or herself to compose a twelve word review of a Strawberry Switchblade record. Until then, we'll have to make do with my standard notions and context and a smattering of analysis — and the next novelty piece I manage to cook up.

~~~~~

Also Reviewed This Fortnight

Monsoon: "Shakti (The Meaning of Within)"

The missing link between sixties raga and the joss stick techno of Talvin Singh, this is enlightened pop that shines on into a Karmic cascade.

Damn, I suck at this.