Stevie Wonder vs. Michael McDonald | Head 2 Head

On the 2^nd edition of Head 2 Head (2022), Stevie Wonder and Michael McDonald contend for the best rendition of “All in Love Is Fair.” 

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elcome to Head 2 Head ! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  On the 2^nd edition of head-to-head (2022), Stevie Wonder and Michael McDonald contend for the best rendition of “All in Love is Fair”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

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1. Stevie Wonder, “All in Love is Fair”

Innervisions • Motown • 1972

“All is fair in love / Love’s a crazy game / Two people vow to stay / In love as one they say.” Well, “In case you didn’t know”, Brett Young, Innervisions is one of the greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone agrees (they rank it as the 34^th greatest album of all time).  It marks one of three albums that soul legend Stevie Wonder was awarded the highly coveted Grammy for Album of the Year (the other two being Fulfillingness’ First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life).  Innervisions features just nine songs but all nine are hits including “Living for the City”, “Higher Ground”, and the marvelous ballad at hand, “All in Love Is Fair.” 

What makes “All in Love Is Fair” utterly sublime? Honestly, it’s everything! It all starts with those signature, tenor pipes of Stevie Wonder, whose voice is anointed – a godsend.  Wonder sings buttery smooth also rising to the occasion when the lyrics call for it.  The songwriting, handled exclusively by Wonder, is elite – it speaks to heart.  The best moment, unsurprisingly, is the chorus, specifically the final one, where Wonder soars, serving up remarkable authenticity and sincerity:

“But all is fair in love

I should have never left your side

A writer takes his pen

To write the words again

That all in love is fair.”

Besides those utterly sublime, lovelorn lyrics, the music is exceptional.  I love the jazzy harmonic progression that expands beyond basic I, IV, and V chords.  The instrumental is lush, propelling those silky smooth pipes of Wonder.  As stated before, “All in Love Is Fair” is everything – the perfect song that stands the test of time.  Was there ever need for anyone other than Wonder to record it? No, of course not.  Still, there’s a solid cover by a blue-eyed soul dude named Michael McDonald!

Also Appears On :
Stevie Wonder, “All in Love is Fair”: Throwback Vibez No. 3

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2. Michael McDonald, “All in Love is Fair”

Motown • Universal Music International Ltd. • 2003 

Sometimes, a covers album can reignite the spark! That’s what happened to former Doobie Brother and blue-eyed soul extraordinaire, Michael McDonald.  Rather than record a brand-new album of original songs in 2003, he opted for Motown, an album of Motown covers – duh! Given his robust, soulful voice, this was a highly successful endeavor.  One of the best moments from Motown is a cover of the Stevie Wonder, Innervisions classic, “All in Love Is Fair.”  As the rappers might say, Michael McDonald does the damn thing – NO CAP!

Let’s be clear – few musicians can successfully sing Stevie Wonder. Michael McDonald is one of those few blessed with the pipes to pull it off.  His tone is marvelous on this ballad, giving the right emotion to the love-driven lyrics.  The production is updated from the 70s sounds of the original yet still delivers ample soulfulness.   A few tweaks bring this gem into the aughts.  McDonald, a baritone, doesn’t aim for the Stevie (a tenor) runs but impresses as he ascends, packing punch behind those treble notes.  All said and done, one leaves “All in Love is Fair” with the sense that McDonald ‘left it all on the field.’ He never tries to usurp the original but provides a nice, sophisticated version of a classic on his own.

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The Verdict  

Stevie Wonder or Michael McDonald? Man, oh man – two incredibly soulful vocalists! Even though both musicians are incredible, and both renditions of “All in Love is Fair” are awesome, we all know that Wonder wins this one, period.  It’s not even close, people! Stevie wrote and recorded “All in Love is Fair,” and while McDonald sounds wonderful on the more recent version, no cover was necessary because Stevie had already done that!

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Stevie Wonder vs. Michael McDonald: Head 2 Head No. 2 (2022) [: Brent Faulkner, Layers, Motown, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, RODNAE Productions, Universal Music International Ltd., Valentin Tikhonov]

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