Following the themes of his speech at the Democratic National Convention, Stevie Wonder has released a new single titled, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.”
At the DNC, Wonder exhorted the crowd to get involved and seize the crucial moment that the country and the world find themselves in right now.
“I know the importance of action,” Wonder, 74, said to the crowd. “Now is the moment to understand where we are and what it will take to win: win the broken hearts, win the disenchanted, win the angry spirits — now is the time.
“This is the moment to remember when you tell your children where you were and what you did… We must choose courage over complacency. It is time to geeeeettt up!” he said, changing his tone to exhortation, “and go vote!”
Co-written with Mauli Bonner, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” is a heartfelt reverberation of that sentiment. Wonder sings:
“We’ve been floating alone in a dark and bitter cold
‘Cause there’s a growing ocean of lies that we’ve been told
To tear us down
But what I’ve found
Is with our truth, compassion and love
We can fix our nation’s broken heart“
The guitar remains soft in the background while Wonder raises questions to challenge and encourage listeners. “Can we fix our nation’s broken heart?/Are we brave enough to try,” Wonder asks.
Within his 60-year career spanning career, Wonder has used his talent to shed light on political issues. On Innervisions’ “Living for the City,” Wonder highlights a young, poor, black man experiencing discrimination while looking for work. There’s also the Nixon-bashing “You Haven’t Done Nothing,” which reflected the outrage and anger many Americans were feeling in 1974. In “Pastime Paradise”, Wonder encourages viewers to focus on the present society rather than the previous one that no longer exists.