Stevie Wonder: "We All Can Be Inspired"
CBS News anchor Katie Couric sat down with singer Stevie Wonder, who took part in Tuesday's memorial service for Michael Jackson.
Q: Stevie, this must have been a very difficult day for you.
A: It's been a very difficult 12 days, really. But last the last two days I had more peace. Just knowing that Michael gave so much of himself, gave so much of himself to the world as a musician, singer, song writer, dancer. His commitment to making this world better with his songs, with his expressions of not just talking about it but being about it, made a difference in the world in the time that he lived and obviously he died too soon.
Q: I know you first met the Jackson 5 when they sang backup vocals for one of your songs. This is what I was told. I guess it was "You Haven't Done Nothing Yet." And that was a long time ago, Stevie, wasn't it?
A: It was '74 when we did that. And it was '74 the latter part, the late summer is when I wrote the song and they were kind enough to come and sing the background. And Michael was very curious, you about how I worked. But actually I had met Michael a little after, shortly after he came to Motown when he was, like 9 years old, 9 or 10.
Q: Were you amazed by his talent? I mean, you were a child star yourself, little Stevie Wonder. But were you amazed by his voice?
A: Very similarly to Smokey [Robinson]. You know, the way he sang the song "Who's Loving You," I said "What?" He's got to be older than 9. But he was 9 - 9 or 10. He was 9, yeah. And he has got to be looking at history as one of the greatest readers of the song. A song writer wants to always have a singer that is able to take the lyrics and give it the complete meaning that it was meant to be when the song was written. So he took the lyrics of "Who's Loving You" and other songs that he did and made it completely believable. In your opinion that experience and he was great with that.
Q: And he did it time and time again. Stevie, thank you so much for coming and sharing your thoughts with us on what I know is a difficult day for you.
A: Yeah. It's a very painful moment. It's sort of surreal, I guess. As much as I know it's true, I can't believe it. But I just encourage everyone to take the book of Michael's life and the positive things that he did and the music that he made and the songs that he sang and the commitment that he made to humanity, take that book and read it and we all can be inspired to do more for our humanity as he did.
Watch the full interview below.