Stevie Wonder has dug into the vault and pulled out four songs that never made it onto Songs in the Key of Life. The 90-minute double album was released half a century ago, and now, on its 50th anniversary, Wonder has handpicked four tracks from the extensive sessions that surrounded it. The result is Songs in the Key of Life: The EP, a four-song collection that presents material left off the final record.
Each track has a name and a history, and Wonder himself chose them. The EP includes “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun in Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’.” They are out now, and they run together as a short set rather than a full-length record.
Songs and Writers
Wonder wrote and produced all four songs, though not entirely on his own. Former Supremes member Susaye Greene co-wrote “My Life Story of Love,” adding her own perspective to the track. The other three remain Wonder’s own work, shaped by the same creative period that produced the album itself.
The songs come from the album’s extensive sessions. The EP draws directly from that material, presenting tracks that were left off the final album. Wonder’s selection process means these four tracks were singled out from among many others recorded during the same period, and his decision to release them now carries the weight of his own judgment about which songs mattered most.
Mixing the Tracks
John Fischbach and Gary O Adante, the album’s original engineers, returned to mix these four songs. Their involvement gives the EP a direct link to the sound of the original record, even as the new release stands apart from it. Having the original team return for the mixes preserves the continuity between the two releases while allowing the EP to stand on its own.
Wonder’s Statement
Wonder spoke about the project in a press release, offering a personal account of the songs’ place in his career. His words sit at the center of the announcement.
“We’ve lived with Songs in the Key of Life for fifty years, but there’s still more to hear,” Wonder said. “We didn’t add these songs to the album, but they were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it. They bring me back to that time in my life, and now they get to become part of yours.”
The statement captures the spirit of the release. These are not lost tracks being rediscovered. They are songs that were part of the same creative moment as the album, and Wonder wants listeners to experience them alongside the familiar material. His choice to release them now, on the 50th anniversary, suggests he sees them as a natural complement to the work that already exists.
The Anniversary Tour
Wonder is heading out on an anniversary tour of the original album next month. The EP gives fans a fresh set of songs to consider alongside the music they already know.
The timing is deliberate. The 50th anniversary is a milestone, and releasing these outtakes treats the occasion as a moment to look again at the work behind the record. Wonder is not simply reissuing old material. He is presenting new material that comes from the same creative period. The tour and the EP together give listeners two ways to engage with the album’s legacy: live performance and this new set of recordings.
What We Make of It
The EP is a small but significant gesture. It is not a massive reissue or a deluxe box set. It is four songs, chosen by Wonder himself, presented as a separate listening experience.
That approach respects the original album’s shape. The EP does not remake Songs in the Key of Life. It exists beside it, offering a window into the sessions that produced it. By releasing these four tracks alone, Wonder avoids overwhelming the original record with additional material; instead, he offers a quiet supplement.
The fact that Wonder picked these four tracks suggests they hold meaning to him personally. He said they bring him back to the time of making the album, and he wants listeners to feel that connection too. His selection of these particular songs implies they represent something distinct about the creative period, even if they did not make it onto the final album.
The Weight of the Release
Songs in the Key of Life: The EP is a modest release with a large emotional weight. Wonder is not trying to top the original. He is simply sharing more of what he made.
The EP runs as a short set, not a full-length record. That brevity fits the occasion. Fifty years later, the album remains a landmark, and these four songs offer a quiet addition rather than a loud one.
Source material: “Stevie Wonder Unvaults Four Songs in the Key of Life Tracks,” Pitchfork.
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