You haven't done nothing, Stevie Wonder

"You Haven't Done Nothin" is a 1974 funk single by Stevie Wonder, taken from his album Fulfillingness' First Finale and featuring background vocals by the Jackson 5. The song became Wonder's fourth Number 1 pop hit and his tenth Number 1 soul hit. It also reached Number 1 in Canada. In the UK the single spent five weeks on the chart, peaking at Number 30.

Stevland Hardaway Morris known as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's label at the age of 11.

Wonder is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 100 million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards (the most by a solo artist) and one Academy Award. He is also known as an activist for political causes.

The cover of Fulfillingness’ First Finale depicts a staircase of keyboards rising to the sky,  symbolizing the ascent of Steevie Wonder from the Motor Town Review through gold records and Grammies. It’s remarkably right, because so few performers have experienced such uninterrupted ascents. Nothing has interrupted Wonder’s progress, and Fulfillingness’ First Finale is a new achievement. As its title declares, the album is a culmination of what has come before, but it is not a final destination.

The song was released during a tumultuous time in American politics. In 1972, President Nixon was running for re-election, but his campaign was disturbed by the Watergate scandal. This scandal involved a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.                                                                                                                                As the investigation into Watergate begins, it became clear that Nixon and his administration were involved in a cover-up.

The lyrics of “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” are powerful and directly steered towards the Nixon administration and its involvement in the Watergate. In fact, the scandal dominated the news and Richard Nixon resigned two days after the record's release. While this song was clearly targeted at Nixon it was also meant to address the growing political unrest of the African American Community. In the mid 1970’s many African Americans were unsatisfied with the progress of redressing racial and social inequities. In many ways, Wonder used his affluence as a famous songwriter to communicate political and social messages to the audience. By singing “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” Stevie Wonder shines a spotlight on this issue. Similarly, African American artists were using art as a means of bringing awareness to the African American social and political struggle.

For my part, I really like this song and the way it feels when you listen to it. The rhythm is very lively and the lyrics are as brilliant as the music.

I think “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” is an important song because it speaks truth to power and encourages listeners to get involved in the political process. While “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” was released in the 1970s, its message is just as relevant today. In recent years, we have seen political leaders fail to address important issues and make empty promises.  

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