In Square Circle
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Album Summary
Cut deep in the grooves of Capitol Studios out in Hollywood, 'In Square Circle' stands as Stevie Wonder's triumphant return after four years of silence — and what a return it was. Produced by the man himself, this masterwork landed on Motown Records in 1985, a full studio album that reminded the world why Stevie Wonder is not just an artist, but a force of nature. The album arrived at a moment when the music landscape was shifting fast, all synths and drum machines, and Wonder stepped right into that world without losing one ounce of his soul.
Reception
- The album climbed all the way to number one on the Billboard 200, a testament to the public's hunger for what only Stevie Wonder could deliver.
- The lead single 'Part-Time Lover' became Wonder's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in over a decade, proving his commercial magic was very much alive.
- The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1986, cementing its place among the most celebrated records of the mid-1980s.
Significance
- At a time when synthesizer-driven production was swallowing the charts whole, Wonder used 'In Square Circle' to demonstrate that technology and soul were not mutually exclusive — he bent those machines to his will rather than the other way around.
- The album showcased Wonder's remarkable range across pop, R&B, and dance music, with tracks like 'Overjoyed' revealing his tender balladry and 'Part-Time Lover' showing his gift for an undeniable groove.
- With the powerful closing statement of 'It's Wrong (Apartheid)', Wonder reaffirmed that his music had never abandoned its social conscience, using his platform to speak truth at a moment when the world needed to hear it.
Samples
- Part-Time Lover — one of Wonder's most sampled works from this era, lifted and flipped by hip-hop and R&B artists drawn to its irresistible synth hook and rhythmic foundation.
- Overjoyed — the lush harmonic structure and chord progressions of this ballad have been revisited and sampled by contemporary R&B producers seeking to capture its timeless emotional warmth.
Tracklist
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A1 Part-Time Lover 86
4:09
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A2 I Love You Too Much 110
5:30
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A3 Whereabouts 73
4:17
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A4 Stranger On The Shore Of Love 111
5:01
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A5 Never In Your Sun 121
4:07
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B1 Spiritual Walkers 112
5:12
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B2 Land Of La La 147
5:14
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B3 Go Home 119
5:18
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B4 Overjoyed 83
3:42
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B5 It's Wrong (Apartheid) 125
3:29
Artist Details
Stevie Wonder, born Steveland Hardaway Morris in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950, came up through the soul and R&B world as a child prodigy signed to Motown Records at just eleven years old, eventually blossoming into one of the most transcendent musical geniuses this world has ever been blessed to hear — a man who weaved together soul, funk, pop, and jazz into something that felt like pure human truth. His landmark run of albums in the 1970s — Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life — set a standard so impossibly high that even the heavens had to take notice, earning him Grammy after Grammy while simultaneously speaking to the struggles, joys, and spiritual yearning of Black America and all of humanity. Stevie Wonder didn't just make music — he made medicine for the soul, and his influence on everything that came after him in R&B, pop, and beyond is so deep and wide that you simply cannot tell the story of modern music without his name sitting right at the very center of it.
