While “genius” may well be an overused word when it comes to the arts in the modern age, a few folks out there justly deserve the lofty accolade.
There are some purists out there who think it should never be used in the simple world of pop, but if anything, it is actually harder to use the limited vocabulary of the genre and reach lauded heights. The coin is an analogy, whose the better chef: the one who makes great dishes from a stocked pantry of the finest lobsters and other lashings, or the one who can reach Michelin heights with the measly ingredients in a fridge before payday?
Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney are two of the greats who have routinely lived up to the latter. They might not compete with Mozart when it comes to quantifiable musicianship, but they touch the soul in a manner that proves perhaps even more soaring. And they both mutually identify a peer who pushes things beyond even their own capabilities in pop.
When speaking about the rise of the genre, the great Leonard Bernstein explained: “This new music is much more primitive in its harmonic language. It relies more on the simple triad, the basic harmony of folk music. Never forget that this music employs a highly limited musical vocabulary: limited harmonically, rhythmically, and melodically.”
Adding, “But within that restricted language, all these new adventures are simply extraordinary. Only think of the sheer originality of a Beatles tune.”
And when you couple that with the connective power that such originality can uphold, the term genius becomes befitting of the few who have mastered the craft because the beauty of pop is in the benevolent impact it can foist upon the world. It asks for very little and gives a whole lot in return. Stevie Wonder is undoubtedly a star who has made his mark in this capacity.
When Dylan was asked about the ‘Superstitious’ star in 1989 by Rolling Stone, the freewheeling folkie remarked: “If anybody can be called a genius, he can be. I think it has something to do with his ear, not being able to see or whatever.”
“I love everything he does. It’s hard not to,” Dylan eulogised. “He can do gut-bucket funky stuff really country and then turn around and do modern-progressive whatever you call it. In fact, he might have invented that,” he said, citing how Wonder blended classical orchestration with the sort of Motown magic he was raised on.
Dylan then continues to add: “He is a great mimic, can imitate everybody, doesn’t take himself seriously and is a true roadhouse musician all the way, with classical overtones, and he does it all with drama and style. I’d like to hear him play with an orchestra. He should probably have his own orchestra.”
McCartney witnessed this genius first-hand, too. While he was working on Kisses on the Bottom, he called his old friend to come down to the studio to help him finish ‘Only Our Hearts’. When Wonder arrived, his seamless artistry blew him away. And this is a man who has played with practically everybody!
“Stevie came along to the studio in LA, and he listened to the track for about ten minutes, and he totally got it,” a humbled McCartney recalled. “He just went to the mic and within 20 minutes had nailed this dynamite solo. When you listen you just think, ‘How do you come up with that?’ But it’s just because he is a genius, that’s why.”
McCartney even confessed that working with him is somewhat overwhelming. “It was fascinating because he is such a musical monster; he just is music,” he said. “You had to be super precise because any mistake he would hear.“ In short, Wonder is a star who has all the faculties to do whatever he wants with music. We can all be thankful that he’s applied himself to provide beauty and empowerment to the masses.
As Wonder puts it himself, “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.” And the secret to his language sounding so spiritual is simply thus: “You will never feel proud of your work if you find no joy within it; your best work is always joyful work.”
