Sir Duke Quotes

Context

This line is sung and written by Stevie Wonder in the song "Sir Duke," from the album Songs in the Key of Life (1976).

Without the popularization of jazz music in the 20s, you might have been stuck listening to ragtime or hymns or *shudders* classical music on the radio while on a road trip or your super annoying commute. Stevie Wonder understood his debt to jazz music, and paid it forward with his 1976 hit "Sir Duke."

Now, the Duke of the song is Duke Ellington, who is basically jazz royalty. He had passed away a couple years before "Sir Duke" came out. Stevie Wonder also uses the song to give a couple shout outs to other jazz icons, like Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller.

One legend praising other legends equals some pretty darn good music, a great horn section, and of course, some good feelings. And that's what music is all about.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this on the oldies station that plays classics from the 70s and 80s, and it makes you smile as you grit your teeth and face the traffic.

90s alternative/hip hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, sampled some of the horn from "Sir Duke" in their song "Footprints." They were some of the first hip hop artists to be influenced by jazz, and it really shows in this track.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Don't let anyone get in your way of quoting great music.