Buttkickin' Holiday Songs: "Someday At Christmas" - Stevie Wonder (1967)

Someday at Christmas man will not fail
Hate will be gone and love will prevail
Someday a new world that we can start
With hope in every heart…

There’s something about Stevie Wonder’s voice that gives me just the incredible sense of… I don’t know if peace is the word. Euphoria? No, that’s too strong. I guess it’s a pervasively warm feeling of groovy empathy and melodic happiness. I don’t even think that sums it up very well at all, but if nothing else I think it exemplifies why the music of Stevie Wonder goes so well with Christmas music. It hits you square in The Feels. Every time.

I mean, there’s a really good reason why Songs In The Key Of Life is my favorite album of all time…

Anyway, I’ve always loved the Ron Miller/Bryan Wells holiday song Someday At Christmas and it has been recorded countless times, but Stevie’s 1967 rendition of it is, in my mind, clearly the definitive version. The sentiments expressed therein might edge little bit towards the maudlin side — we’re clearly in Free To Be, You And Me territory here — but Stevie delivers it in a way that makes it believably awesome.