Lady Gaga wore her heart on her sleeve at Stevie Wonder’s Grammy Salute, telling the soul icon a story from her childhood that she hadn’t “shared with anyone before.” Gaga told Wonder that when she was six years old “Your album was the first CD that I ever took myself and put it in the CD player, and you truly are the reason that I’m here today.” You could see from Wonder’s reaction that Gaga’s heartfelt tribute clearly meant a lot to him.
Gaga then kicked out the jams and dropped a performance on Wonder’s ’77 number-one hit “I Wish” that many fans consider to be one of her greatest performances. We’ve all seen Gaga’s dance bangers, but seeing her absolutely killing some old-school funk and soul is some major soul food! The New York City star’s performance was off the chain funky, and her vocals were nothing short of smokin’. The Music Man has to say that it’s yet more proof, if anyone needed it, that Gaga can do absolutely anything!
Fans loved hearing Gaga throw down on some old school funk and added comments such as “I just realized that the audience was standing the entire performance — from the moment she started getting groovy. Pure talent” and “One of her best live performances. The vocals, the energy, her outfit, everything about this is *chef’s kiss*.”
Wonder’s Grammy Salute featured some of the biggest names in the business. Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, and Gary Clark Jr. bowled everyone over with a powerhouse medley on the night. Beyoncé kicked off the performance with a soul power take on “Fingertips,” and then she and Sheeran brought the funk on “Master Blaster (Jammin’).” Sheeran’s reggae rhythm guitar here is just groove perfection. Clark Jr. then joined the fun for a closing jam on the rocker “Higher Ground.”
Wonder issued “I Wish” in November 1976 as the first single from his 18th studio album, Songs in the Key of Life. The song subsequently hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1977, becoming his fifth number one hit on the chart. Wonder recalled that “the day I wrote ‘I Wish’ was a Saturday, the day of a Motown picnic in the summer of ’76.” He had such a good time at the picnic that he hit Crystal Recording Studio straight afterward and captured the good vibes of the day by writing the joyful grooves of the song. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that he then struggled with the lyrics, trying spiritual and cosmic themes. He eventually settled on the final lyrics about childhood nostalgia after finding it matched the “fun” vibe of the music better.