UCLA

The problem of racial injustice in the United States continued to plague the nation during the 1970s despite the gains made by the Civil Rights Movement during the preceding decades. Under Republican administrations during the 1970s and 1980s, working Americans encountered new financial challenges as the lion’s share of economic growth benefitted the wealthiest citizens. As socially and politically conscious popular music faded in popularity, Stevie Wonder continued to express his concerns about the obstacles to the promise of freedom and equality that many Americans continued to face. This paper examines four songs, written and performed by Wonder - “Living for the City,” “You Haven’t Done Nothing,” “Happy Birthday,” and “It’s Wrong,” - to track the trajectory of his commentary from local, community-based issues to national, political topics and, finally, to international causes.