The Genius of Stevie Wonder Trivia Quiz

Answer: Steveland Judkins

Stevie was born on May 13 1950 in Saginaw, MI; his given name is Steveland, and at birth his last name was Judkins (his father's last name). Before taking on his more famous stage name, he took on his mother's last name when she re-married, and was henceforth known as Steveland Morris (he considers this his true last name to this day). If your answer above was Steveland Morris, it's still technically wrong here, because that wasn't his birth name.

Answer: Hardaway

I have no idea where it's from. I just know he was born with it.

Answer: Taurus Productions

Stevie really took his career in his own hands when he turned 21. This marked the end of his Motown contract, and he used the royalties he had gathered up until then (which he couldn't touch until he was 21) to start up Taurus Productions (presumably named after his Zodiac sign) as well as his own publishing company, Black Bull Music.

This gave him the kind of leverage and creative freedom he couldn't have enjoyed earlier with Motown, and from then on he went to set new standards in music. He eventually returned to Motown under new terms, including full creative control and sole ownership of his master tapes.

Answer: Where I'm Coming From

Some people seem to forget about this one in their Stevie discographies, skipping from "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" right to "Music Of My Mind". "Where I'm Coming From" actually came in between, and was his first entirely self-produced album, co-written with his one-time wife Rita Wright (nee Syreeta), who passed away in 2004.

Answer: establish Martin Luther King day

His immense admiration for the late Dr. King and his accomplishments led Stevie to start a campaign to have his birthday recognized as a national holiday. Of course, any current calendar can tell you the campaign was successful. Stevie also wrote a tribute song to King on the album "Hotter Than July", entitled "Happy Birthday".

Answer: Maybe Your Baby

This is the second song on 1972's "Talking Book", and deals with the insecurity and pain of getting cheated on (or thinking you are). The chorus simply goes "Maybe your baby done made some other plans".

Answer: Love Having You Around

This is the first song on "Music Of My Mind", a happy yet no-less soulful tune, which kind of rang in the next chapter in Stevie's artistic career. It's one of Stevie's many songs dedicated to a woman, or perhaps women in general.

Answer: Big Brother

Musically, this song stands out as one of Stevie's more unorthodox tracks. Instead of the traditional kick/snare drumbeat and punchy synths, this one has a more organic, folksy feel to it, due in no small part to an infectious bongo beat that sounds like it's being hammered out on a giant tribal drum in the woods somewhere. Lyrically, it's also one of his more conscious songs, dedicated to the "all-powerful" Big Brother (i.e. the man) ending with the masterful line "I don't even have to do nothing to you/ You'll cause your own country to fall".

Answer: All Day Sucker

On this track, Stevie is the guy continually being led on by a woman, only to be left hanging and keep coming back like, well, a sucker. The chorus says it all: "I'm an all day sucker/ Coming to give something but to get none of your love". Stevie basically wrote this song about being whipped.

Answer: Saturn

This is one of the most inspiring songs ever written anywhere. Stevie seems to be saying that he's had enough of this world and all its nonesense, and like the chorus says, "I'm going back to Saturn where the rings are gold" because "On Saturn, people live to be 205".
Listen to this song with your eyes closed; you almost feel like you're actually blasting off to Saturn or some other far off planet.

Answer: They Won't Go When I Go

This one is off "Fulfillingness' First Finale", and is one powerful piano ballad. The song could be interpreted in many ways, but I think it's basically Stevie's lament about people who don't live good lives, such as "lying friends", "the greed of man", "people sinning just for fun" and so on. Stevie sings this song as if he's confident he'll rise above it, capping it off with "No one can keep me from my destiny."

Answer: Superwoman

This one is off "Music Of My Mind", and deals with Stevie's relationship to a woman who, in his own words, "wants to be a superwoman". Stevie just wants to love her as she is, but she's so caught up in her ambition that he ends up neglected, and his love just doesn't seem to be enough.

In terms of composition, this song is a masterpiece, and at one point it switches into a whole different melody, in which Stevie laments her leaving him behind altogether, singing "Where were you when I needed you last winter?"

Answer: Cash In Your Face

This song, off "Hotter Than July", depicts thinly veiled racist housing practices. Stevie sings from the perspective of a black man who runs into difficulties trying to rent a home, despite being respectable and clearly qualified to keep it. In the chorus, he changes into the landlord, saying quite simply "You might have the cash, but you cannot cash in your face/ We don't want your kind living in here".

Answer: Ordinary Pain

This one is from "Songs In The Key Of Life", and is all about- you guessed it- the pain of being jilted by a woman. A nice touch on this one was to have the woman give her point on her very own tune at the end of the song (I can't call it a hidden track, though). Stevie's laid-back melancholy tune seems to end, then turns to a rowdy number on which she tells him what a fool he was for falling for her, and expresses no remorse of any kind.

Answer: Jesus Children Of America

This is off "Innervisions", and again Stevie shows us a spiritual side that doesn't see the God in many people (no pun intended), from children to false preachers to junkies. At times, he seems to be pleading with people to acknowledge the place Jesus or God should have in their lives.