After seven seasons and countless D.C. dilemmas, ABC’s Scandal is coming to an end on Thursday night (April 19). But there’s one last twist before Olivia Pope hangs up her white hat: A brand-new Stevie Wonder song will debut on the series finale, Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland production company announced.
There are no further details yet on the song’s title or release, but we do know it will play at the end of the episode — making it the final song of a series known for its memorable throwback music moments.
Wonder has been a frequent favorite for Scandal music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who talked to Billboard ahead of the finale about the show’s classic ’60s and ’70s soul vibe. “Even though the action is present-day, we’ve had many repeat uses and iconic tracks from Stevie Wonder, from Roberta Flack, from Aretha Franklin. So many of these songs are from Shonda’s personal playlist.”
Patsavas cited a scene featuring Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” in season 4 as one of her favorite song selections of the series. “I had not had the great privilege of licensing Stevie Wonder a lot before Scandal,” she said. “He was definitely a muse for the show.” The scene features the frequently high-strung Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) letting go of all her cares while dancing with Jake (Scott Foley). “Oftentimes songs are selected in post, after the scene is shot. In this particular instance, that song was decided on in advance so that it could really be danced to. I think that’s my favorite [Stevie Wonder moment] of a very competitive field.”
Wonder hasn’t released a new album since 2005’s A Time to Love, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The Scandal series finale premieres at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.