Song of the Day 8/3: Stevie Wonder, “You Haven’t Done Nothin”
Don’t know if you saw it, but Charles Barkley made an unwelcome-by-Democrats point during this week’s debate coverage:
“I think all politicians take black folks for granted,” Barkley told reporters. “They talk to black folks every four years, and that’s about it. How they’re going to make our lives better, and then do nothing about it.”
Stevie Wonder knew the feeling years ago. This song from 1974’s “”Fulfillingness’ First Finale” uses the same observation to take direct aim at Richard Nixon, with the help of the Jackson 5 on the “doo de wop” backup vocals. It was released days before Nixon resigned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uQCJ6PzRdA
Barkley spelled it out for reporters: “It’s not a Republican or a Democrat thing, it’s not a liberal or a conservative thing — it’s an economic thing, and that’s what both parties have been neglecting. Especially the Democratic Party. Because every black person I know has always voted Democratic and, with the exception of a few guys who can play sports, all those people are still poor.”
And here’s what Stevie said when he released the song, which became his fourth No. 1 single:
“Everybody promises you everything, but in the end, nothing comes out of it. I don’t vote for anybody until they have really done something that I know about. I want to see them do something first. The only trouble is that you always hear the President or people say that they are doing all they can and they feed you with hopes for years and years and years. But that is probably typical of most people in very important positions who have a lot of power. I’m sick and tired of listening to all their lies.”
A live version:
