Black Man (song): Difference between revisions

"Black Man"
"Black Man"
Song by Stevie Wonder
from the album Songs in the Key of Life
Released	1976
Genre	Funk rock
Length	8:30
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder; Gary Byrd;
Producer(s)	Stevie Wonder
Licensed audio
	"Black Man" on YouTube

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"Black Man" is a track on the 1976 Stevie Wonder album Songs in the Key of Life. The song was written by Wonder and Gary Byrd.^[2]

The song was written about Wonder's desire for worldwide interracial harmony,^[3] and criticism of racism.^[4] The lyrics referred prominently to Crispus Attucks, widely considered the first martyr of the American Revolution. Wonder deliberately chose this theme as the United States Bicentennial was underway at the time of recording.^[5]

Lyrics

The opening verses refer to 12 people, with four people per verse each, broken by the chorus and bridge. The song uses color terminology for race.

a black man – first man to die for the American flag (Crispus Attucks)
the redman – first people on American ground (Native American people)
a brown man – guide on the first Columbus trip (Pedro Alonso Niño)
the yellow man – laid tracks for railroads (Chinese workers)
a black man – first heart surgeon (Dr. Daniel Hale Williams)
a redman – helped pilgrims to survive at Plymouth (Squanto)
a brown man – leader for farm workers' rights (Cesar Chavez)
a white man – inventor of incandescent light bulb (Thomas Edison)
a black man – created first clock to be made in America (Benjamin Banneker)
a red woman – scout who helped lead Lewis and Clark Expedition (Sacagawea)
a yellow man – pioneer of martial arts in America (Bruce Lee)
a white man – Emancipation Proclamation (Abraham Lincoln)

The second section is a call-and-response format, calling out 17 people.^[2]

Matthew Henson – a black man – first man to set foot on the North Pole
Squanto – a redman – first American to show the pilgrims at Plymouth the secrets of survival in the New World
Sing Kee – a yellow man – soldier of Company G who won high honors for extraordinary heroism in World War I^[6]^[7]
Cesar Chavez – a brown man – leader of United Farm Workers who helped farm workers maintain dignity and respect
Dr. Charles Drew – a black man – founder of blood plasma and the director of the Red Cross blood bank
Sacagawea – a red woman – great American heroine who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Hayakawa – a yellow man – famous educator and semanticist who made outstanding contributions to education in America
Garrett Morgan – a black man – invented the world's first stop light and the gas mask
Harvey William Cushing – a white man – American surgeon who was one of the founders of neurosurgery
Benjamin Banneker – a black man – man who helped design the nation's capitol, made the first clock to give time in America and wrote the first almanac
Hiawatha – a red man – legendary hero who helped establish the league of Iroquois
Michio Kushi – a yellow man – leader of the first macrobiotic center in America
Jean Baptiste – a black man – founder of the city of Chicago in 1772
Dennis Banks – a red man – one of the organizers of the American Indian movement
Luis de Santángel – a white man – Jewish financier who raised funds to sponsor Christopher Columbus' voyage to America
Harriet Tubman – a black woman – woman who led countless slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad
T. J. Marshall^[8] – a black man – inventor of the fire extinguisher (barely heard during fadeout)

References

^ McFerrin, John. "Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life". Retrieved 4 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b Wonder, Stevie; Byrd, Gary. "Black Man Lyrics". MetroLyrics. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Werner, Craig Hansen (2006). A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America. University of Michigan Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780472031474.
^ Gulla, Bob (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ; The Temptations ; The Supremes ; Stevie Wonder. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 322. ISBN 9780313340468.
^ Wilson, Ivy G (2011). Specters of Democracy:Blackness and the Aesthetics of Politics in the Antebellum U.S. Oxford University Press. p. 169. ISBN 9780199843725.
^ "Sing Kee – Recipient – Military Times Hall Of Valor". valor.militarytimes.com.
^ "Sing Lee". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
^ "Black or Afro-American Inventors: Patent and Invention Index" (PDF). Turlock, California: California State University, Stanislaus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

[1] McFerrin, John. "Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life". Retrieved 4 April 2021.

[lyrics-2] Wonder, Stevie; Byrd, Gary. "Black Man Lyrics". MetroLyrics. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[3] Werner, Craig Hansen (2006). A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America. University of Michigan Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780472031474.

[4] Gulla, Bob (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ; The Temptations ; The Supremes ; Stevie Wonder. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 322. ISBN 9780313340468.

[5] Wilson, Ivy G (2011). Specters of Democracy:Blackness and the Aesthetics of Politics in the Antebellum U.S. Oxford University Press. p. 169. ISBN 9780199843725.

[6] "Sing Kee – Recipient – Military Times Hall Of Valor". valor.militarytimes.com.

[7] "Sing Lee". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

[8] "Black or Afro-American Inventors: Patent and Invention Index" (PDF). Turlock, California: California State University, Stanislaus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Infobox song <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
+{{Infobox song
-| Name           = Black Man
+| name     = Black Man
-| Cover          =
+| cover    =
-| Cover size     =
+| alt      =
-| Caption        =
+| type     =
-| Artist         = [[Stevie Wonder]]
+| artist   = [[Stevie Wonder]]
-| Album          = [[Songs in the Key of Life]]
+| album    = [[Songs in the Key of Life]]
-| A-side         =
+| released = 1976
-| B-side         =
+| recorded =
-| Released       =
+| studio   =
+| genre    = [[Funk rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=McFerrin|first=John|title=Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life|url=http://www.johnmcferrinmusicreviews.org/wonder.htm#sitkol|access-date=4 April 2021}}</ref>
-| Format         =
-| Recorded       =
+| length   = 8:30
+| label    =
-| Genre          = [[Soul Music|Soul]], [[funk]], [[disco]]
-| Length         = 8:30
+| writer   =
+* Stevie Wonder
-| Label          =
-| Writer         = [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Gary Byrd]]
+* [[Gary Byrd]]
-| Producer       = Stevie Wonder
+| producer = Stevie Wonder
+| misc     = {{External music video|header=Licensed audio|type=song|{{YouTube|XCX2o7zOzg8|"Black Man"}}}}
-| Certification  =
-| Misc           = {{Extra track listing
-| Album          = [[Songs in the Key of Life]]
-| Type           = Studio
-| prev_track     = "Joy Inside My Tears"
-| prev_no        = 7
-| this_track     = "'''Black Man'''"
-| track_no       = 8
-| next_track     = "Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing"
-| next_no        = 9
-}}
 }}
-"'''Black Man'''" is a track on the 1976 [[Stevie Wonder]] album ''[[Songs in the Key of Life]]''. The song was written by Wonder and [[Gary Byrd]].<ref name=lyrics>{{cite web|last=Wonder|first=Stevie|last2=Byrd|first2=Gary|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625061704/http://www.metrolyrics.com/black-man-lyrics-stevie-wonder.html|archivedate=2013-06-25|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/black-man-lyrics-stevie-wonder.html|title=Black Man Lyrics|publisher=[[MetroLyrics]]|accessdate=2016-03-28}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider --></ref>
+"'''Black Man'''" is a track on the 1976 [[Stevie Wonder]] album ''[[Songs in the Key of Life]]''. The song was written by Wonder and [[Gary Byrd]].<ref name=lyrics>{{cite web|last=Wonder|first=Stevie|last2=Byrd|first2=Gary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625061704/http://www.metrolyrics.com/black-man-lyrics-stevie-wonder.html|archive-date=25 June 2013|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/black-man-lyrics-stevie-wonder.html|title=Black Man Lyrics|publisher=[[MetroLyrics]]|url-status=unfit|access-date=28 March 2016}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider --></ref>
 The song was written about Wonder's desire for worldwide interracial harmony,<ref>
@@ Line 42: / Line 32: @@
 |page=187
 }}
-</ref> and criticism of racism,<ref>
+</ref> and criticism of racism.<ref>
 {{cite book
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YNae0zmGow4C
@@ Line 52: / Line 42: @@
 |isbn=9780313340468
 |page=322
-}}</ref>  as evidenced in earlier works such as "[[Living for the City]]". The lyrics referred prominently to [[Crispus Attucks]], widely considered the first martyr of the [[American Revolution]]. Wonder deliberately chose this theme as the [[United States Bicentennial]] was underway at the time of recording.<ref>
+}}</ref> The lyrics referred prominently to [[Crispus Attucks]], widely considered the first martyr of the [[American Revolution]]. Wonder deliberately chose this theme as the [[United States Bicentennial]] was underway at the time of recording.<ref>
 {{cite book
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rubJvMWsg-4C
@@ Line 63: / Line 53: @@
 |page=169
 }}</ref>
-The song uses [[Color terminology for race|color-based terminology]]; (i.e. [[African American|black]], [[Native Americans in the United States|red]], [[Asian American|yellow]], [[White American|white]], [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|brown]]) to describe different racial groups and although this language has become less acceptable culturally, these terms are mentioned below, as in the original form of the song, along with the activity for which the song holds each historical figure to be famous.
 ==Lyrics==
+The opening verses refer to 12 people, with four people per verse each, broken by the chorus and bridge. The song uses [[color terminology for race]].
-'''Section 1'''
+# a black man – first man to die for the [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] ([[Crispus Attucks]])
+# the redman  – first people on American ground ([[Native American people]])
+# a brown man – guide on the first Columbus trip ([[Pedro Alonso Niño]])
+# the yellow man – laid tracks for railroads ([[History of Chinese Americans#Transcontinental railroad|Chinese workers]])
+# a black man – first heart surgeon ([[Daniel Hale Williams|Dr. Daniel Hale Williams]])
+# a redman – helped pilgrims to survive at [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth]] ([[Squanto]])
+# a brown man – leader for farm workers' rights ([[Cesar Chavez]])
+# a white man – inventor of [[incandescent light bulb]] ([[Thomas Edison]])
+# a black man – created first clock to be made in America ([[Benjamin Banneker]])
+# a red woman – scout who helped lead [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] ([[Sacagawea]])
+# a yellow man – pioneer of martial arts in America ([[Bruce Lee]])
+# a white man – [[Emancipation Proclamation]] ([[Abraham Lincoln]])
+The second section is a call-and-response format, calling out 17 people.<ref name=lyrics/>
-The opening verses refer to 12 people, or groups of people.<ref name=lyrics/> In two cases, however their names are not mentioned in the song itself. The numbers of people mentioned for each racial grouping are as follows: Black - 3, Red - 3, Yellow - 2, White - 2, Brown - 2.
-# a black man - first man to die for the [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] ([[Crispus Attucks]])
+# [[Matthew Henson]] – a black man – first man to set foot on the North Pole
+# [[Squanto]] –  a redman –  first American to show the pilgrims at Plymouth the secrets of survival in the New World
-# the redman  - first people on American ground ([[Native American people]])
+# [[Lau Sing Kee|Sing Kee]] – a yellow man – soldier of Company G who won high honors for extraordinary heroism in World War I<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/12842|title=Sing Kee – Recipient – Military Times Hall Of Valor|website=valor.militarytimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329032111/http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=12842|archive-date=29 March 2016|url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/12842|title=Sing Lee|work=Hall of Valor|publisher=Military Times|url-status=live|access-date=29 March 2016}}</ref>
-# a brown man - guide on the first Columbus trip ([[Pedro Alonso Niño]])
+# [[Cesar Chavez]] – a brown man – leader of [[United Farm Workers]] who helped farm workers maintain dignity and respect
-# the yellow man - laid tracks for railroads ([[History of Chinese Americans#Transcontinental railroad|Chinese workers]])
+# [[Dr. Charles Drew]] – a black man – founder of blood plasma and the director of the Red Cross blood bank
-# a black man - first heart surgeon ([[Daniel Hale Williams|Dr. Daniel Hale Williams]])
+# [[Sacagawea]] – a red woman – great American heroine who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition
-# a redman - helped pilgrims to survive at [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth]] ([[Squanto]])
+# [[S. I. Hayakawa|Hayakawa]] – a yellow man – famous educator and semanticist who made outstanding contributions to education in America
-# a brown man - leader for farm workers' rights ([[Cesar Chavez]])
+# [[Garrett Morgan]] – a black man – invented the world's first stop light and the gas mask
-# a white man - inventor of [[incandescent light bulb]] ([[Thomas Edison]])
+# [[Harvey Cushing|Harvey William Cushing]] – a white man – American surgeon who was one of the founders of [[neurosurgery]]
-# a black man - created first clock to be made in America ([[Benjamin Banneker]])
+#  [[Benjamin Banneker]] – a black man – man who helped design [[U.S. Capitol Building|the nation's capitol]], made the first clock to give time in America and wrote the first almanac
-# a red woman - scout who helped lead [[Lewis and Clark expedition]] ([[Sacagawea]])
+# [[Hiawatha]] – a red man – legendary hero who helped establish the league of [[Iroquois]]
-# a yellow man - pioneer of martial arts in America ([[Bruce Lee]])
+# [[Michio Kushi]] – a yellow man – leader of the first [[Macrobiotic diet|macrobiotic]] center in America
-# a white man - [[Emancipation Proclamation]] ([[Abraham Lincoln]])
+# [[Jean Baptiste Point du Sable|Jean Baptiste]] – a black man – founder of the city of Chicago in 1772
+# [[Dennis Banks]] – a red man – one of the organizers of the [[American Indian Movement|American Indian movement]]
-'''Section 2'''
+# [[Luis de Santángel]] – a white man – Jewish financier who raised funds to sponsor Christopher Columbus' voyage to America
+# [[Harriet Tubman]] – a black woman – woman who led countless slaves to freedom on the [[Underground Railroad]]
-people are mentioned in this call-and-response section<ref name=lyrics/> (although the last name, [[T. J. Marshall]], is difficult to hear clearly in the song's fade-out.) The numbers for each racial grouping are as follows: Black - 7, Red - 4, Yellow - 3, White - 2, Brown - 1.
+# T. J. Marshall<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329035411/https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/TeacherEd/FacultyStaff/betts/Handouts/PDFs/Black%20Afro%20Ameri%20Inventors.pdf|archive-date=29 March 2016|url=https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/TeacherEd/FacultyStaff/betts/Handouts/PDFs/Black%20Afro%20Ameri%20Inventors.pdf|title=Black or Afro-American Inventors: Patent and Invention Index|publisher=[[California State University, Stanislaus]]|location=[[Turlock, California]]|access-date=29 March 2016}}</ref> – a black man – inventor of the fire extinguisher (barely heard during fadeout)
-# [[Matthew Henson]] - a black man - first man to set foot on the north pole
-# Squanto -  a redman -  first American to show the pilgrims at Plymouth the secrets of survival in the New World
-# Sing Lee<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329032111/http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=12842|archivedate=2016-03-29|url=http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=12842|title=Sing Lee|work=Hall of Valor|publisher=Military Times|accessdate=2016-03-29}}</ref> – a yellow man - soldier of Company G who won high honors in World War I
-# Cesar Chavez - a brown man - leader of [[United Farm Workers]] who helped farm workers maintain dignity and respect
-# [[Dr. Charles Drew]] - a black man - founder of blood plasma and the director of the Red Cross blood bank
-# Sacagawea - a red woman - heroine who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition
-# [[S. I. Hayakawa|Hayakawa]] - a yellow man - famous educator and semanticist who made contributions to education in America
-# [[Garrett Morgan]] - a black man - invented the world's first stop light and the gas mask
-# [[Harvey Cushing|Harvey William Cushing]] - a white man - surgeon who was one of the founders of [[neurosurgery]]
-#  Benjamin Banneker - a black man - man who helped design the nation's capitol, made the first clock to give time in America and wrote the first almanac
-# [[Hiawatha]] - a red man - hero who helped establish the league of [[Iroquois]]
-# [[Michio Kushi]] - a yellow man - leader of the first [[Macrobiotic diet|macrobiotic]] center in America
-# [[Jean Baptiste Point du Sable|Jean Baptiste]] - a black man - founder of the city of Chicago in 1772
-# [[Dennis Banks]] - a red man - one of the organizers of the [[American Indian Movement|American Indian movement]]
-# [[Luis de Santángel]] - a white man - Jewish financier who raised funds to sponsor Christopher Columbus' voyage to America
-# [[Harriet Tubman]] - a black woman - leading slaves to freedom on [[the Underground Railroad]]
-# T. J. Marshall<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329035411/https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/TeacherEd/FacultyStaff/betts/Handouts/PDFs/Black%20Afro%20Ameri%20Inventors.pdf|archivedate=2016-03-29|url=https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/TeacherEd/FacultyStaff/betts/Handouts/PDFs/Black%20Afro%20Ameri%20Inventors.pdf|title=Black or Afro-American Inventors: Patent and Invention Index|publisher=[[California State University, Stanislaus]]|location=[[Turlock, California]]|accessdate=2016-03-29}}</ref> –  a black man - inventor of the fire extinguisher
-'''Note:'''<br />
-Four people are referred to twice in the song (both in section 1 and section 2): Squanto, Cesar Chavez, Sacagawea, Benjamin Banneker; which means 25 different people or groups of people are referenced in the song.
 ==References==
@@ Line 112: / Line 92: @@
 {{Stevie Wonder}}
+{{authority control}}
 [[Category:1976 songs]]
 [[Category:Stevie Wonder songs]]
 [[Category:Songs written by Stevie Wonder]]
-[[Category:Songs against racism and xenophobia]]
+[[Category:Songs about racism and xenophobia]]
+[[Category:Songs about black people]]
+[[Category:Benjamin Banneker]]
-{{1970s-song-stub}}
+[[Category:Funk rock songs]]
+[[Category:Songs written by Imhotep Gary Byrd]]
+[[Category:Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder]]

v t e Stevie Wonder
Discography
Studio albums	The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Tribute to Uncle Ray With a Song in My Heart Stevie at the Beach Up-Tight Down to Earth I Was Made to Love Her Someday at Christmas Eivets Rednow For Once in My Life My Cherie Amour Signed, Sealed & Delivered Where I'm Coming From Music of My Mind Talking Book Innervisions Fulfillingness' First Finale Songs in the Key of Life Hotter than July In Square Circle Characters Conversation Peace A Time to Love
Live albums	Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius Stevie Wonder Live Live at the Talk of the Town Natural Wonder
Soundtracks	Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" The Woman in Red The Last Dragon Jungle Fever
Compilations	Looking Back Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection At the Close of a Century The Definitive Collection The Complete Stevie Wonder
Singles	"Fingertips" "Hey Harmonica Man" "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" "With a Child's Heart" "Blowin' in the Wind" "A Place in the Sun" "Someday at Christmas" "Hey Love" "I Was Made to Love Her" "I'm Wondering" "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" "You Met Your Match" "Alfie" "For Once in My Life" "I Don't Know Why" "My Cherie Amour" "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" "Never Had a Dream Come True" "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" "Heaven Help Us All" "We Can Work It Out" "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" "If You Really Love Me" "What Christmas Means to Me" "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" "Superstition" "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" "Higher Ground" "Living for the City" "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" "He's Misstra Know-It-All" "You Haven't Done Nothin'" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" "I Wish" "Sir Duke" "Another Star" "As" "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" "Send One Your Love" "Master Blaster (Jammin')" "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" "Lately" "Happy Birthday" "That Girl" "Ebony and Ivory" "Do I Do" "Ribbon in the Sky" "Front Line" "I Just Called to Say I Love You" "Love Light in Flight" "Part-Time Lover" "That's What Friends Are For" "Go Home" "Overjoyed" "Stranger on the Shore of Love" "Skeletons" "You Will Know" "Get It" "Gotta Have You" "For Your Love" "So What the Fuss" "From the Bottom of My Heart" "All About the Love Again" "Faith" "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate"
Featured singles	"My Love" "How Come, How Long" "California Roll"
Other songs	"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)" "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" "Golden Lady" "All in Love Is Fair" "They Won't Go When I Go" "Love's in Need of Love Today" "Knocks Me Off My Feet" "Pastime Paradise" "Isn't She Lovely" "Black Man" "We Are the World" "Just Good Friends" "Seasons of Love" "True to Your Heart" "Stop Trying to Be God"
Songwriting credits	"It's a Shame" "Tears of a Clown" "Tell Me Something Good" "Uptown Festival" "Let's Get Serious" "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me"
Tours	Songs in the Key of Life Tour
Related articles	Lula Mae Hardaway Syreeta Wright KJLH SuperEgo Wonderin' "Wonder-ful" Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show
Category