Students in St. Bonaventure University’s six-week Francis E. Kelley Oxford Program at the University of Oxford’s Trinity College conducted research for a conference presentation on Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” album.
Students in St. Bonaventure University’s six-week Francis E. Kelley Oxford Program at the University of Oxford’s Trinity College conducted research for a conference presentation on Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” album.
The presentation, “Fifty Years Later, Are the Songs Still in the Key of Life?,” was part of the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association’s July 26 Virtual Symposium.
“Songs in the Key of Life,” released on Sept 28, 1976, is the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Wonder’s career. The record is regarded as one of the greatest albums in the history of popular music.
Students in Anne Lee’s Women, Minorities and the Media course and Richard Lee’s Media and Democracy course watched documentaries about Wonder’s career and the album, listened to the songs on the record, researched the background of each track and shared their thoughts on the album.
“The students’ analyses were extraordinary. Their work became a large part of our presentation,” Anne Lee said. “By having college students work on the project, we were able to view the recording through the lens of a different generation.”
The students found the songs relevant for today’s audiences, noting that topics such as poverty and race remain important. They also were impressed with Wonder’s ability to play multiple instruments and to find inspiration for songs in his personal life.
“The project showed that the tracks on the album are very much in the ‘key of life’ in 2026,” Richard Lee said.
The students who participated in the project were Matthew Barber, Aubrey Domres, Jacob Frank, Montana Geibel, Elisabeth Hassett, Lindsey Lilly, Declan McGrath and Niamh Moore. All eight are in Anne Lee’s Women, Minorities and the Media course. Barber also is in Richard Lee’s Media and Democracy course.
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