History
The song, built on a heavy reggae feel, is an ode to reggae legend Bob Marley; Wonder had been performing with Marley a few times in concerts (and actually billed him as an opening act) on his US tour in the fall of that year. Lyrics mention Marley, joining as "children of Jah", and the end of the civil war in Zimbabwe.
The song was the leading single from Wonder's Hotter than July album. It was a major hit, spending seven weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B singles chart, reaching number five on Billboard's pop singles chart in the fall of 1980 and peaking at number two on the UK Singles chart. It can be played as a follow on segue to Marley's hit "Jamming", and some critics believe it was designed as an extension of that song. The song is also significant for the difficult vocal maneuvers Wonder showcased especially on the line, "I bet you if someone approached you yesterday/to tell you that you would be jammin'/you would not believe it/they would be jammin' thought that you'd be jammin'". The song also includes the "hotter than July" line.
Read more about this topic: Master Blaster (Jammin')
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“All history and art are against us, but we still expect happiness in love.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“What is most interesting and valuable in it, however, is not the materials for the history of Pontiac, or Braddock, or the Northwest, which it furnishes; not the annals of the country, but the natural facts, or perennials, which are ever without date. When out of history the truth shall be extracted, it will have shed its dates like withered leaves.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The principle that human nature, in its psychological aspects, is nothing more than a product of history and given social relations removes all barriers to coercion and manipulation by the powerful.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)