Heartbreak is a painful sensation. It lets your mind roam free with lots of questions:

• Everything was so good, what happened?
• Will I ever love again?
• Has he/she already found another
  
  

This period of reflection and solitude is painful, but somehow, Stevie Wonder manages to make It one of the most joyous sonic experiences ever known by man. He does this with a monster of a track that over 8 minutes, and 25 seconds talks about how he won't be able to get over his ex-lover.

The final track in the original release of what many consider his Magnum Opus, Songs in the Key of Life, is an electrifying mixture of Latin Rhythm, Disco and Pop Appeal that results in a sound so rich that It has transcended generations.

It's because of this and many more that we'll go over a Song about Heartbreak that will put anyone to Dance: Another Star.

Let's dive right into It!

Stevie Wonder: Another Star REVIEW

Shoutout to Wikipedia.com

While the theme of this track is obvious: Heartbreak, much can't be said about Its origins. Whether It's a fictional story about heartbreak, a depiction of his feelings after a separation from his then-partner Yolanda Simmons or his divorce from longtime collaborator Syreeta Wright 4 years prior, we'll never know what happened through Stevie's mind during the recording of this song.

Even If It had a modest run on the Billboards, hitting Its peak with the #32 spot at the US Billboard 100 and number 2 at US Billboard National Disco Action Top 40, this song was overrun by Its sister tracks "Sir Duke", which reached Number 1 at the same chart and the lead single "I Wish", which won Stevie a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal performance.

The Writing Process

Shoutout to Rolling Stone

To make this monster of a track possible, Stevie, a multi-instrumentalist artist who can play the Piano, synthesizer, harmonica, congas, drums, bongos, organ, melodica and Clavinet, had to use the help of session musicians. He surely didn't hold on to the budget, as we can find between these:

Bobbi Humphrey – flute
George Benson – guitar and background vocals
Hank Redd – alto saxophone
Raymond Maldonado – trumpet
Trevor Laurence – tenor saxophone
Steve Madaio – trumpet
Nathan Alford, Jr. – percussion
Carmello Hungria Garcia – timbales
Stevie Wonder – lead vocal and background vocals, piano, drums
Nathan Watts – bass
Josie James – background vocals

Between these Titans, we can count George Benson, a 10x Grammy winner whose triple-platinum album Breezin' was released that year. Benson is one of the most prolific jazz guitarists of all time with #1 Classics back to back (Hear Give Me the Night).

We can also mention Bobbi Humphrey who plays the greatest flute solo in the latter half of this song. It's precisely in 1976, the year of this album's release that she was named the Best Female Instrumentalist by Billboard Magazine.

This song is packed with larger-than-life instrumentation, making you float in the air and shake your hips while leaving enough space for Stevie to let his vocal power run wild. Then, in the latter half of the song, we can experience how all this converges into a climax that showcases Humphrey's talent.

The Lyrics

Shoutout to VitazZa Za and Pinterest

This track begins with a combination of timbales, piano and bass that paves the way for iconic "la-la-la-la" choruses. Then, around the 0:45 mark, begins the first verse:

For you, there might be a brighter star
But through my eyes, the light of you is all I see
For you, there might be another song
But all my heart can hear is your melody

Here, the singer tells his ex-lover that even though she has found another person, the only person he'll ever think about is her. He ties this with metaphors about lights, stars and songs. As for the second verse:

For you, love might bring a toast of wine
But with each sparkle, know the best for you, I pray
Woah, for you, love might be for you to find
But I will celebrate our love of yesterday

Wonder then proceeds to wish the best for her, even If It is with another person, remarking that he'll cherish the love of yesterday. To wrap It up, comes a third verse that is almost identical to the first, with a little exception:

Woah, for you, there might be another star
But through my eyes, the light of you is all I see
Woah, for you, there might be another song
But in my heart, your melody will stay with me, oh

Even If she finds another, her "melody" will stay within his mind and his heart. This is a Farewell song, about a relationship that doesn't end with bitterness, but rather with longing from one part. All this is confirmed when we hear the chorus:

So long ago, my heart, without demanding
Informed me that no other love could do
But listen did I not, though understanding
I fell in love with one who would break my heart in two, woah, woah

Even If he knew that she would break his heart, he decided to give It a go, as there was no other person for his eyes. Tragic, yet heartwarming in a way.

Legacy

Shoutout to PopCrush

Even If It's not as known as Stevie Wonder's greatest hits, this song has influenced the world of music to create complex, yet commercially appealing songs that can put a smile on everyone's faces.

In 1995, Kathy Sledge, the youngest member of Sister Sledge, made a cover of this song, which reached #54 on the UK Charts.

We can also take BBC's use of the track while they were covering the 2014's Brazil World Cup. But most will remember this track from a Grammys performance. In the 2014 Grammys, Daft Punk, along with Stevie and Nile Rodgers, played the Biggest Hit from their Random Access Memories Album: Get Lucky. After this, Stevie played a bit of Another Star, making everyone kick off their shoes.

That being said, this is one of those tracks that will become more recognized as time passes, making everyone see the beauty of heartbreak.

This song is another one of Stevie Wonder's Jewels, now with one of his most complex compositions, something that even If It sounds rhythmically complex, It's still as enjoyable as a Top Billboard single. We're lucky to have Stevie Wonder as an artist, and I hope he'll bless us with more music in the future.

I hope this article could have entertained you, bringing you a track that will help you see Stevie's magic, all in just one song. Thank you for your support and good luck!

Sources

https://genius.com/Stevie-wonder-another-star-lyrics
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/stevie-wonder/another-star
https://music.fandom.com/wiki/Another_Star_(Single):Stevie_Wonder
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Star