The album closes with “Don’t Drive Drunk,' the first and probably only MADD anthem. That Stevie could maintain his dignity while working within the adult contemporary genre is just one more testament to his genius.
And there’s more to like on the LP! Wonder teams with Dionne Warwick on the tuneful “It’s You” and “Weakness,' but it’s “Love Light in Flight” that soars above the rest. Though “I Just Called to Say I Love You” is now a Gen X/Millennial punch line thanks to Jack Black in “High Fidelity,' put on some headphones, listen without prejudice and accept the fact that it’s a perfectly composed pop song (especially the long version with the vocoder verse). This was Wonder’s first crack at a full soundtrack since “The Secret Life of Plants,' and it’s much, much better than its reputation. Gene Wilder’s insipid remake of Yves Robert’s “Pardon Mon Affaire (or An Elephant Can Be Extremely Dangerous)” hasn’t disappeared completely from memory for two reasons: 1) it was one of the first PG-13 releases, and 2) it won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
