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''Songs in the Key of Life'' is the eighteenth album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released on September 28, 1976, by Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums.〔Some observers count six classic albums, some count five, and others count four. 〕 The album was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood, with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in New York City. Final mixing was performed at Crystal Sound. An ambitious double LP with a four-song bonus EP,〔Lundy, Zeth. (Playing God: ''Songs in the Key of Life'' ). ''Stylus Magazine''. Retrieved on 2009-08-01.〕 ''Songs in the Key of Life'' became among the best-selling and most critically acclaimed albums of his career. In 2005, it was ranked number 57 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In the same year it was preserved into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which called it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." ==Background== By 1976, Stevie Wonder had become one of the most popular figures in R&B and pop music, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. Within a short space of time, the albums ''Talking Book'', ''Innervisions'' and ''Fulfillingness' First Finale'' were all back-to-back top five successes, with the latter two winning Grammy Award for Album of the Year, in 1974 and 1975, respectively. By the end of 1975, Wonder became serious about quitting the music industry and emigrating to Ghana to work with handicapped children. He had expressed his anger with the way that the U.S. government was running the country.〔Lundy, Zeth ''33 Songs in the key of life'', pp. 14/15.〕〔Lundy, Zeth ''33 Songs in the key of life'', p. 119.〕 A farewell concert was being considered as the best way to bring down the curtain on his career. Wonder changed his decision, when he signed a new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975, thinking he was better off making the most of his career. At the time, rivals such as Arista and Epic were also interested in him. The contract was laid out as a seven-year, seven LP, $37 million deal and gave him full artistic control, making this the largest deal made with a recording star up to that point.〔 Almost at the beginning Wonder took a year off from the music market, with a project for a double album to be released in 1976.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Songs in the Key of Life )〕 There was huge anticipation for the new album which was initially scheduled for release around October 1975. It was delayed on short notice when Wonder felt that further remixing was essential. According to Wonder, the marketing campaign at Motown decided to take advantage of the delay by producing "We're almost finished" T-shirts.〔Davis, Sharon ''Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder'' p. 112.〕 Work on the new album continued into early 1976. A name was finally chosen for the album: ''Songs in the Key of Life''. The title would represent the formula of a complex "key of life" and the proposals for indefinite success.〔Lundy, Zeth ''33 Songs in the key of life'', pp. 8/9.〕 The album was released on September 28, 1976 after a two-year wait as a double LP album with a four track seven-inch EP titled ''A Something's Extra'' ("Saturn", "Ebony Eyes", "All Day Sucker" and "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)") and a 24-page lyric and credit booklet.〔〔Lundy, Zeth ''33 Songs in the key of life'', p. 16.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Songs in the Key of Life」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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