The song is a tribute to some of the great jazz artists. "But here are some of music's pioneers That time will not allow us to forget For there's Basie, Miller, Satchmo And the king of all, Sir Duke And with a voice like Ella's ringing out There's no way the band could lose" Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, Duke Elllington, Ella Fitzgerald.
In 1976 Paul Simon won the Grammy for Album of the Year and in his acceptance speech he thanked Stevie Wonder for not putting out an album that year - Stevie had won the two previous years with Innervisions and Fullfillingness' First Finale. And, sure enough, the following year Stevie won again for his Songs in the Key of Life (which had 'Sir Duke' on it.)
Marrying jazz to pop...only Stevie Wonder could do it so wonderfully original...make it so you sit up and notice and play it back in your mind (no pun intended)!
This is from the album Songs In The Key Of Life. Tribute to Duke Ellington. There were many hits off this album. Hope you feature more songs from this masterpiece!!
One of the greatest albums ever made, this album made history , every song is so memorable , everyone was talking about this album . So many songs, you should check out “ Isn’t She Lovely “ next …
The genius of Mr Stevie Wonder..amazing horn section too..yes It was about Duke Ellington .. This banger rocked out in one of the hottest summers ☀️ ever recorded..1976..
Stevie Wonder is definitely a Hall of Fame artist. So many great hits over the years. My favorites are 'Superstition', 'My Cherie Amor' and 'I Just Called to Say I Love You.'
Big number 1, ..3 more from the same LP, and nice props to the greats of Jazz ..Glenn MIller and Louie ( Satchmo) Armstrong on the horns, Count Basie and Duke on the pianos and Ella on vocals...that would be a swinging show for sure. By the way, Sir Duke Ellington is recognized by the Book of World records as having the biggest song output ever..wrote more than 10,000 in his career, some just for a particular show or movie to never be played again afterward.
Stevie Wonder wrote this song as a tribute to music, specifically to Duke Ellington, who had passed away in 1974. Ellington was a jazz bandleader and composer who was a big influence on Wonder. In addition to Ellington, musicians referenced in this song are "Satchmo" Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Sodarisa Miller. >>
Wonderful reaction! Your enthusiasm is so infectious! Stevie Wonder was top of the heap back in the '70s especially. This song came our when I was in college. Our Jazz Band worked hard to get that instrumental riff down. Great, Great memories!!! Thank you! :)
He also mentions “Miller” which is famous 1940’s band leader Glenn Miller who died in the service of his country during WWII. He was a captain in the Army Air Corps and his band would perform for the troops to keep morale up. The plane he was traveling on disappeared over the English Channel.
Great reaction to a fantastic song. Duke Ellington was a pianist and composer and his main contribution was to manage a big band and keep it on the road for the best part of 50 years until his death in 1974 whilst creating a catalogue of music to rival Beethoven. He was, as Stevie said, the King of All.
The last in perhaps the greatest run of albums an artist has ever had. Although “Innervisions” was my personal favorite. I truly believe that “Songs In The Key Of Life” was his highwater mark. He kicked it off with “Sir Duke”🎼🔥🎷
Ellington is considered the most prolific and influential jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader. Stevie recorded this song as a tribute to Duke, who had just died in 1974. The other references besides Ella Fitzgerald that he makes are Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, arguably the father of all jazz musicians as he was the most influential artist for musicians and singers alike; and William "Count" Basie and Glenn Miller, who were also legendary jazz bandleaders.
for me always the greatest song on the greatest double album by one of the greatest artists in the 20th century. This entire album is a tour de force. Innovation. Originality. Iconoclast. Sui Generis, he sounds like no other. The joy, the exuberance, the artistry.
My favorite song by Stevie comes from this very album! Songs In The Key Of Life! The song is Another Star! Check it out if you want at some point! Hasta luego!
I just wrote the same thing. ANOTHER STAR is a fantastic song. That and AS are great because Stevie allows the musicians to stretch out and show their skills. And the meaning of those songs are so uplifting and joyous... perfection.
Every Time I hear this song, it reminds me of a Heavy Set Dancer (called "Re-run" because you "couldn't see all of him the first time you looked") on a Sit-com called "that's my Mama"... A Funny show!
After Duke passed his son Mercer took over. I was able to see them with Mercer as lead. unfortunately, I did not see them while Duke was alive, except on TV. (I don't count that as seeing them, it's not live).
Hi Angela 😊 Great reaction to Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke 😊👍 As we know, you do not research the songs before you listen to them so they will be fresh for you 😊 because of this you nailed it 😊👍 Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald 😊 Yes, this is a fun song it played in the radio for a long time😊 Have a great day and bye for now 😊👍
Suggestion: Song's In the Key of Life is not necessarily a concept album, but the experience of listening to this album as a whole, from track 1 to track 21. That's a fulfilling thing to experience. And there are several songs that are much better than Sir Duke. Try "Another Star" and "As".. best songs Stevie ever wrote imo.
C'mon, she's really young, and Duke Ellington was way before her time. It's great that she discovers the music and so do her listeners. This is one of my favorite channels.
The Vox RU-vid channel did a great video on Sir Duke featuring musician Jacob Collier breaking down the song. One musical genius breaking down a song from his musical genius idol! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CZP6nogQYPg.htmlsi=US4nrkXEx2aJb4K7
