Studio Session

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder — Songs in the Key of Life (Record Plant Sessions, 1975)

October 21, 1975 · Record Plant Sausalito

Stevie Wonder recorded at the Record Plant in October 1975. Session details below.

Session

Type: Studio Session
Date Recorded: October 21, 1975

Archive note

Songs in the Key of Life tracking sessions at Record Plant, 2200 Bridgeway, Sausalito. Client: Taurus Productions. Artist: Stevie Wonder. Engineer: John Fischbach. Session dates: October 21–27, 1975. 7 reels total (Reels 1–7). Released October 29, 1975 to Crystal Recorders, L.A. per Cathy Callan. Note on reverse: 'per 12/14 — none here' — all tapes had left the Plant by December 14, 1975. Sausalito sessions were a discrete one-week block within the larger Songs in the Key of Life sessions, which were centered at Crystal Sound, Hollywood. Reels departed directly to Crystal Recorders L.A. on 10/29/75, confirming these were working masters handed off for further production. Format: Masters (Reels 1, 2, 5) at 30 ips / 16-track. Mix/reference reels (Reels 3, 4, 6, 7) at 15 ips / 2-track, Dolby. NOTEWORTHY CONFIRMED TRACKS: - 'As' (Reel 1, 10/21/75) — one of the most celebrated tracks on the album and in Stevie Wonder's catalog. Primary source evidence of it being tracked at Record Plant Sausalito on October 21, 1975. No other public source documents this specific session date or location for this track. - 'Can't Help It' (Reel 6, 10/22/75) — released on SITKOL and later became one of the most sampled tracks in hip-hop history (notably sampled by Michael Jackson on 'Human Nature'). Primary source evidence places it at Record Plant Sausalito on October 22, 1975. The 15/2-track Dolby format indicates this is a mix reel, meaning the tracking had already occurred and a reference copy was being made — the master for this track was likely cut earlier, possibly at another studio, or on an earlier reel not captured on this card. TITLE RESOLUTIONS (preliminary): - 'Lady Prima' — working title, unresolved; appears as 30/16 master (Reel 2) and 15/2 mix (Reel 6) - 'Have You Heard From Your Mother' — working title, unresolved - 'Don't Be Sad 'Cuz Your Sun is Down (?)' — working title with engineer uncertainty noted; unresolved - 'In Between Time' — working title, unresolved - 'It's My Life Story of Love' — working title, unresolved - 'Clarinet — 2nd Fiddle' — arrangement/instrument note, not a song title - 'Rap' — spoken word or intro take - 'Piano — New Tune' — untitled sketch at session time - 'You Don't Have to Be Lonely' — working title, unresolved CHAIN OF CUSTODY: Reels 1–7 released 10/29/75 to Cathy Callan, per John Fischbach, to Crystal Recorders L.A. All tapes confirmed departed by 12/14/75. No tapes remain at the Plant. PRIMARY SOURCE UPDATE 2026-06-22 — File 238 (Record Plant tape-log card, 2 cards/3 sides, client Taurus Productions). Supersedes all secondary source dating. [Reference URL — audio not found]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_in_the_Key_of_Life RESEARCH UPDATE 2026-06-23 — 'Can't Help It' (Reel 6, 10/22/75) song identity resolved, and prior note corrected. The reel 'Can't Help It' is very likely the original Stevie Wonder and Susaye Greene composition that Michael Jackson later recorded as 'I Can't Help It' on Off the Wall (1979, track 8). Stevie and Susaye Greene wrote it during the SITKOL period. It was cut from the album and Stevie never released it himself. In the 2016 Spike Lee Off the Wall documentary, Stevie says it was meant for SITKOL, and that his sister Renee, a friend of Michael's, carried the demo cassette over to Michael. The 15/2-track Dolby mix-reel format fits a reference copy of an already-tracked demo, which is consistent with a shelved SITKOL cut. Title, date, Sausalito location, and writers all align. Treat this as a strong lead, not a confirmed identical match, until the audio is heard or a primary credit surfaces. CORRECTION to the 2026-06-22 note above: the line saying 'Can't Help It' was 'released on SITKOL' and 'sampled by Michael Jackson on Human Nature' is wrong on both counts. The song was shelved from SITKOL, not released on it. 'Human Nature' is an unrelated Thriller track written by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis. The Michael Jackson recording 'I Can't Help It' is itself the heavily sampled track, not a source sampled into Human Nature. SUPPORTING FACTS (verified against secondary sources): - Writers: Stevie Wonder and Susaye Greene, a final-lineup member of the Supremes and former Wonderlove vocalist. Credits per SecondHandSongs and the Off the Wall album. - Release: B-side to 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' (1979), then again a B-side to 'Bad' (1987). Never an A-side single. Comment claims of a 'Rock With You' or 'She's Out of My Life' B-side are wrong. - Off the Wall personnel: Louis Johnson (bass), John Robinson (drums), Greg Phillinganes (keys and rhythm arrangement), Quincy Jones (producer). - Arrangement story (attributed to a Greg Phillinganes interview): the demo ran much faster and was reworked into the slow quiet-storm version at Quincy's direction. An up-tempo first demo leaked in 2015 and matches that faster original. Worth chasing to a primary clip. - Afterlife: reportedly the most-sampled track in Michael's catalog. De La Soul's 'Breakadawn' pairs it with Smokey Robinson's 'Quiet Storm'. Covers include Esperanza Spalding and John Legend. DO NOT PROPAGATE: the widely repeated fan claim that Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson are blood cousins. No reliable genealogical source supports it. Keep it out of any published copy. SUSAYE GREENE OUTREACH: this strengthens the case for contacting Susaye Greene about the Sausalito demo, since she co-wrote the song. Targets on file: Roland Smeets at ActiveMusicManagement BV/EU, susayegreene.online, IG @susayegreene. Source: YouTube comment mine (Digging The Greats, 'I Can't Help It' breakdown) cross-checked against Grokipedia, the MJ Fandom wiki, SecondHandSongs, formersupremes.com, and the 2016 Spike Lee Off the Wall documentary. Verification: secondary sources plus Stevie's own statement. Reel-to-song match: strong lead, unconfirmed.