"Pastime Paradise" is a song by American musician

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

, from the 1976 album ''

Songs in the Key of Life ''Songs in the Key of Life'' is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A double album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. It was recorded primarily at Crys ...

''. The song was one of the first to use a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

(the

Yamaha GX-1 The Yamaha GX-1, first released as Electone GX-707, is an analog polyphonic synthesizer organ developed by Yamaha as a test bed for later consumer synths and Electone series organs for stage and home use. The GX-1 has four synthesizer "ranks" or t ...

) to sound like a full string section. Built initially from synth tracks rather than from a drummer setting the basic rhythm, the song is augmented with rhythm performances from Ray Maldonado,

Bobbye Hall Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early career, work for Motown and move to ...

, and Wonder, and a persistent "chinging" bell pattern by

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna may refer to: * International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a group commonly known as "Hare Krishnas" or the "Hare Krishna movement" * Hare Krishna (mantra), a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra also known as the "Maha Mantra" (Great ...

musicians. A gospel choir from West Angeles Church of God and Hare Krishna chanting group culminate in a multicultural finale.

Meaning

Steve Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

writes that listeners may understand the song in one of two ways. One way is the comparison and contrast of the difference between the negative attitude of someone with a flawed past, and the positive outlook of someone who wishes for a perfect future in this life or the next. The other way is a description of how selfish

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical material ...

and laziness cannot compare to a strong work ethic which brings the great reward of

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the bel ...

Covers and sampling

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a sol ...

's "

Gangsta's Paradise "Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's 1976 song " Pastime Paradise", and featuring American singer L.V., the single was released on August 1, 1995. Certified Platinum in October, the song was ...

" (and its parody, "

Amish Paradise "Amish Paradise" is a 1996 single by satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the hip hop song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V. (which itself is a reworking of the Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise"). Featured on the alb ...

" by

Weird Al Yankovic Weird derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wyrd, meaning fate or destiny. In modern English it has acquired the meaning of “strange or uncanny”. It may also refer to: Places * Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. People *"Weird Al" Yankovic (b ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

's "Time",

Basta (Noggano) Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Vakulenko (russian: Василий Михайлович Вакуленко; born 20 April 1980), better known by stage name Basta, and also known as Noggano, is a Russian rapper, producer and radio host. In January 2023, Ukrai ...

's "Russian Paradise",

Blue's ''Blue's'' is the fourth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari. It was released on 15 June 1987, with Fornaciari credited as "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari". The album sold over 1.3 million copies. The success that Zucc ...

Curtain Falls "Curtain Falls" is a song by English boy band Blue. The song was co-written by the band and StarGate, who produced the track. Stevie Wonder is also credited as a writer due to the sampling of his 1976 song " Pastime Paradise". "Curtain Falls" wa ...

" and

Scarface Scarface may refer to: Gangster-related * ''Scarface'' (novel), a novel by Armitage Trail, loosely based on Capone's rise to power. ** ''Scarface'' (1932 film), a film starring Paul Muni ** ''Scarface'' (1983 film), a remake starring Al Pacin ...

's "Crack" each sample the song.

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

Youngblood Brass Band The Youngblood Brass Band is an American brass band from Madison, Wisconsin that was established in 1998. The band has released six albums and has toured throughout the United States and Europe. History The band came together in 1995 as the O ...

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and " ...

, Sunlightsquare,

Rainer Ptacek Rainer Ptacek, also known mononymously as Rainer (June 7, 1951 – November 12, 1997), was a German-American guitarist and singer-songwriter based in Tucson, Arizona for much of his adult life. His guitar technique, which incorporated slide, fin ...

Ray Barretto Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Lati ...

, and

Martik Martik Qarah Khanian ( fa, مارتیک قره‌خانیان; born 17 July 1949), known mononymously as Martik (Armenian: Մարտիկ), is an Iranian Armenian singer and songwriter. Discography Studio albums * ''Martik 1'' 1977 Avang * ''To ...

have recorded covers of the song.

Eläkeläiset Eläkeläiset (Finnish language, Finnish for "pensioners") are a Finnish people, Finnish humppa band founded in 1993. They specialise in humppa and jenkka music and have been successful in Germany, Finland and elsewhere. Current members of the b ...

, a Finnish

humppa Humppa is a type of music from Finland. It is related to jazz and very fast foxtrot, played two beats to a bar ( or ). Typical speed is about 220 to 260 beats per minute. Humppa is also the name of a few social dances danced to humppa music. ...

-rock band, did a humorous Finnish-language parody on their 5th studio album ''

Werbung, Baby! ''Werbung, baby!'' is a 1998 album by the Finnish group Eläkeläiset. It consists of humppa cover versions or remixes of popular songs. Track listing Original artist and song in parentheses. # Hump (Van Halen - Jump) - 2.27 # Humppakonehumpp ...

'' (1999)..

IAM IAM may refer to: Concepts * Identity and access management, a concept that combines business processes, policies and technologies *Indo-Aryan migration, the theory that speakers of Indo-Aryan languages migrated into the Indian subcontinent duri ...

also sampled the song in "Tam Tam de l'Afrique" at the chorus.

References

{{Authority control Songs written by Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder songs 1976 songs Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder