So all things considered, such individuals seem to be the ones he is addressing primarily. And if so what he would be telling them, succinctly put, is to stop harping on Africa’s glory days. Indeed Stevie himself wore a kaftan, which some may classify as a traditional African dress, on the cover of his 1972 album “Talking Book”. And that is why for instance during that time you may find those who support equal rights for Blacks wearing traditional African garb. For instance, they may reference traditional African societies as being preferable to the types of societies we live in today. And again such-minded people had a notable influence on Civil Rights movement. In fighting against the oppressive system they find themselves in the present, these individuals have a tendency to idealize the past. Addressee spends much time idealizing the past For the sake of simplicity we will classify them as Afrocentrists. And also considering how many times he references this struggle, one can’t help but to think that the main group he is speaking to is a segment of African-American activists. a particular part of the latter half of the 20 th century whereas many African-Americans (aided by others), including celebrities and prominent public figures, made a concerted effort to achieve equal rights. Indeed he ends the first verse by recognizing the “evils of the world”. But he also seems to take a special interest in “race relations” and the such. And people who are familiar with the artist’s history know that he was heavily involved in the Civil Rights movement, i.e. Wonder lists a wide range of issues plaguing mankind. Who is the Addressee?Īnd again, that thesis of the song is discernible. Rather the issue of debate is who exactly are the addressees. So simply put, the singer is telling the addressee to focus on bringing his or her ideology for the world into fruition in the here and now as opposed to harping on the past when it did perhaps exist or expecting it to magically transpire in the future. So overall this reads as a case of the addressee’s mind being stuck in the perceived glory days of old, so to speak. And as Stevie points out, said fantasies are often based in the past, as in say an individual’s view of a society or culture which once existed but is no more. But as he also notes, these imaginings can likewise be future-based.
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