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Jon, to really do a song right, you have to get a sheet of lyrics and pick each word apart and see the vowel(s) in each word like I had shown in "Ready for love."
You sing on the vowels, because vowels enable breath flow, where consonants inhibit breath flow and or close down the throat.
The notes you admire are tuned vowels ......
The vowel changes with the pitch.  The higher the notes, the more you have to be concerned with vowel choices.
Pronunciation and intelligibility erodes as you sing higher...

 "Singing lighter is about shedding vocal cord weight and reducing sound volume."
M, You do not have to reduce sound volume.  You do not have to lighten up anything.  You can keep a constant flow of air and intensity, regardless of volume. This shedding weight is accomplished by the vowel...(the throat shape). The vowel choice you design for yourself (no one else) is the thing that let's you up.
Do you really want to be training or singing and having to say to yourself "I'm going up high, time to cut back my voice?"
What does lowering volume accomplish?  All you end up doing is underpowering and loosing connection.
Whether you begin light or heavy you need to still play the instrument.  The voice has to get requistite breath energy at any volume.
 
 

Jon, to really do a song right, you have to get a sheet of lyrics and pick each word apart and see the vowel(s) in each word like I had shown in "Ready for love."
You sing on the vowels, because vowels enable breath flow, where consonants inhibit breath flow and or close down the throat.
The notes you admire are tuned vowels ......
The vowel changes with the pitch.  The higher the notes, the more you have to be concerned with vowel choices.
Pronunciation and intelligibility erodes as you sing higher...

Another one is remembering lyrics..LOL!!! especially as I get older.

Why not purchase a voice evaluation?  It's inexpensive and will help you.  

Dan would be a good one to ask for Stevie Wonder.  I skyped him.
As far as technique goes, he is using mask (more forward placement) with a little touch of nasality....NOT singing nasal...but a higher placement with a higher (but not high) larygeal positioning. He's also splitting his resonance at times and employing twang for bite and cut. Notice how he never lets the sound go back or drop down into the throat. The "ng" exercise is what helps you find the spot to place your voice for this kind of singing.
Then you still need to see how you can sound when you get this placement, because if you get too nasal, it deteriorates.

Now listen carefully to this.  It a $5,000 mic (or more, I'm guessing), he's a breathy falsetto and very light head voice. Listen to his speaking voice.
 

Now listen carefully to this.  It a $5,000 mic (or more, I'm guessing), he's a breathy falsetto and very light head voice. Listen to his speaking voice.
 

Now listen carefully to this.  It a $5,000 mic (or more, I'm guessing), he's a breathy falsetto and very light head voice. Listen to his speaking voice.
 

His voice sounds like the chest voice while my voice sounds like head voice 
Oh? Does it?  What do YOU think you need to fix?
 

Kill the negative thinking......it will get you every time.
 
The mind......it is the voice!!!
 
 

Certainly, pursue the song, but be realistic..This ones like carving a statue.  Chip away on it each day...and do other songs less demanding as well.

Certainly, pursue the song, but be realistic..This ones like carving a statue.  Chip away on it each day...and do other songs less demanding as well.