Forty years ago today, Stevie Wonder’s song, Superstition, from his album Talking Book reached the top of the singles chart displacing You’re So Vain by Carly Simon. Let’s listen…… I am sure that you’ve heard the song but I am betting that you don’t know the story behind the song. Here how Jeff Beck remembers it. (Note; the summary below is adapted from Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers by Annette Carson)
So I did a couple of tracks on Talking Book, which went down very well; he liked what I did. Then it was his job to write us a song. One day I was sitting at the drum kit, which I love to play when nobody’s around, doing this beat. Stevie came kinda boogying into the studio and said “Don’t stop.” Ah, c’mon Stevie I can’t play the drums. Then the lick come out: Superstition. That was my song, in return for Talking Book. I thought, he’s given me the riff of the century. We played a version that he quickly put down. At that point, however, Wonder suddenly realized he’d hit gold. Of course once the Motown bosses heard it, Superstition had to be a Stevie Wonder song.
So Superstition was written for Jeff Beck as part his reward for playing on the session for the Talking Book album. Unfortunately for him, once it became clear that Superstition would be a huge hit, Stevie and the management at Motown pulled it back. Stevie had the biggest hit of his career and Jeff was left with nothing. Jeff eventually included the song on the Beck, Bogert, and Appice (BBA) album that was released later in 1973, however, any chance that the song had for being a major hit for Jeff had been erased by Stevie’s #1 version of the song. I prefer Jeff’s version…listen and see what you think…… If you liked Jeff’s version of Superstition, I thought you mike like to hear the remainder of the BBA Album. It’s is the only album the group would ever record but it’s a good one! As always, let me know what you think……
thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard 