Stevie Wonder's Musical Politics During the 1970S and 1980S a Thesis
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Wonderful Words: Stevie Wonder’s Musical Politics During the 1970s and 1980s A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in African American Studies by Sandra Marie Kilman 2017 © Copyright by Sandra Marie Kilman 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Wonderful Words: Stevie Wonder’s Musical Politics During the 1970s and 1980s by Sandra Marie Kilman Master of Arts in African American Studies University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor Robin Davis Gibran Kelley, Chair The problem of racial injustice in the United States continued to plague the nation during the 1970s despite the gains made by the Civil Rights Movement during the preceding decades. Under Republican administrations during the 1970s and 1980s, working Americans encountered new financial challenges as the lion’s share of economic growth benefitted the wealthiest citizens. As socially and politically conscious popular music faded in popularity, Stevie Wonder continued to express his concerns about the obstacles to the promise of freedom and equality that many Americans continued to face. This paper examines four songs, written and performed by Wonder - “Living for the City,” “You Haven’t Done Nothing,” “Happy Birthday,” and “It’s Wrong,” - to track the trajectory of his commentary from local, community-based issues to national, political topics and, finally, to international causes. ii The thesis of Sandra Marie Kilman is approved. Richard Yarborough Shana Redmond Robin Davis Gibran Kelley, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2017 iii Acknowledgments This paper is dedicated to my family, whose love has sustained me throughout my life.
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