Boogie On Reggae Woman

At this point in his career, Wonder had negotiated a contract with Motown records that gave him almost complete control over his recordings. He took advantage by making some very political songs like "You Haven't Done Nothin'," but also recorded some lighter material, like this reggae-influenced song. The 1972 Johnny Nash hit "I Can See Clearly Now" proved that reggae could work on the pop charts, and Wonder used a reggae groove again on his 1980 song "Master Blaster."

This won the 1974 Grammy for best R&B vocal. Wonder was a Grammy favorite in the '70s, winning three times for album of the year, including a win for Fulfillingness' First Finale.

Wonder recorded this at an extremely prolific time in his career. After turning 21 in 1971, he negotiated a new contract with Motown that put him on the Tamla label and gave him complete creative control. With the considerable help of engineers Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, he would record constantly, keeping studio time booked wherever he was. "Boogie On Reggae Woman" was one of many songs he put to tape, and it was originally slated for his 1973 Innervisions album. Margouleff convinced him it was a better fit for Fulfillingness', and it became the second single, following "You Haven't Done Nothin'."