Stevie Wonder - Characters

This opening track, released in 1987 on the Motown label, immediately sets the stakes for an album that aims to be both personal and universal: it is about telling stories of characters without freezing them in place, saying that we don't know everything about someone but that we can always reach out. This intro track functions as an invitation for the audience to enter a space where human curiosity is the main engine.

You Will Know: The Starting Point of a Pop Adventure

Released on November 6, 1987, on Motown, Characters stands far apart from the musician's early work and fits into a period where Stevie Wonder continues to explore soul with a maturity that leaves nothing to chance. The cover art and recording reflect a desire to keep telling human stories, even if the production tools are those of a decade marked by 80s pop.

Get It feat. Michael Jackson: The Historic Meeting of Two Legends

It is the track Get It that gives the album its most defining dimension. On this song, Michael Jackson appears explicitly as a guest and radically transforms the sonic balance. Jackson's flow brings an immediate contrast to Stevie's softer, more introspective voice, creating a dynamic where the two artists respond to one another without either overshadowing the other. This collaboration does no more than serve as a gimmick: it anchors the album in the pop landscape of the 80s while retaining the lyrical depth characteristic of Wonder. It is a pivotal moment that marks a historic meeting between two major figures in American music, without diluting the integrity of the original project.

My Eyes Don't Cry: The Intimate and Melancholic Conclusion

The album closes with My Eyes Don't Cry, a track that offers an intimate and melancholic conclusion. This song contrasts with the brilliance of Get It while maintaining an emotional thread throughout. Stevie's voice here returns to its solitary, almost confessional dimension, as if the album is returning to its heart after exploring external characters. This final track validates the narrative structure of the record: it begins with universal curiosity and ends with personal introspection. It thus balances the pop-star dimension of the collaboration with the singer-songwriter voice that resonates throughout all twelve tracks.

Verdict: an album that refuses generational labels

The production of Characters follows a direct continuity with the previous studio album, In Square Circle, released in 1985, while anticipating the stylistic evolution that would lead Stevie Wonder to his next opus, Conversation Peace, published in 1995. The narrative structure of the album, which spans twelve tracks, allows Stevie Wonder to compose a work where each track contributes to a coherent story rather than reducing itself to a mere accumulation of singles. This rigorous approach contrasts with the more experimental conceptual albums of the 1970s and reinforces the humanistic dimension of the project. Michael Jackson's presence on Get It does not constitute an isolated parenthesis, but fits into an artistic endeavor where the artist refuses generational labels while integrating the codes of his decade. Characters stands out for its ability to hold two registers simultaneously without betraying either. It is neither a desperate attempt to recapture success nor purely introspective exercise. The collaboration with Michael Jackson serves as a pivot between pop star and solitary songwriter, while the solo tracks anchor the album in a humanistic vision that transcends stylistic divides. It is a late studio album but fully embraced, where each track contributes to a coherent narrative rather than an accumulation of singles. The place of this album in Stevie Wonder's career remains that of an essential step: it shows that the artist can still compose with the same rigor and curiosity, even after two decades on global stages.

Technical Specifications

- Release: November 6, 1987 - Label: Motown - Tracks: 12 - Opening / Closing: You Will Know / My Eyes Don't Cry - Guests: Michael Jackson