Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Hits List: Stevie Wonder

The Wonderman is one of the giants in musical history and blessed are we to be living at the same time this great creative force has been recording innovative music and important lyrics.  His story is even more amazing when we remember that his first hit, "Fingertips", was recorded when he was all of 12 years old, he was 15 when he did "Uptight", 15 when he recorded "I Was Made To Love Her" and 18 when he released "My Cherie Amour".  Here is the complete Hits List* for Stevie Wonder:

1962:  "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues"
            "Little Water Boy"
            "Contract on Love"
1963:  "Fingertips-Part 1 & 2" (#1, #1 R&B)
            "Workout Stevie, Workout" (#33)
1964:  "Pretty Little Angel"
            "Castles in the Sand" (#52)
            "Hey Harmonica Man" (#29)
            "Happy Street"
1965:  "Kiss Me Baby"
            "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (#59, #30 R&B)

1966:  "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (#3, #1 R&B, #14 U.K.)
            "Nothing's Too Good for My Baby" (#20, #4 R&B)
            "With a Child's Heart" (#8 R&B)
            "Blowin' in the Wind" (#9, #1 R&B, #36 U.K.)
            "A Place in the Sun" (#9, #3 R&B)
            "Someday at Christmas"
1967:  "Travelin' Man" (#32, #31 R&B)
            "Hey Love" (#90, #9 R&B)
            "I Was Made to Love Her" (#2, #1 R&B, #5 U.K.)
            "I'm Wondering" (#12, #4 R&B, #22 U.K.)

1968:  "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" (#9, #1 R&B, #46 U.K.)
            "You Met Your Match" (#35, #2 R&B)
            "Alfie" (#66, #11 Easy Listening)
            "For Once in My Life" (#2, #2 R&B, #3 U.K.)
1969:  "I Don't Know Why" (#39, #16 R&B, #14 U.K.)
            "My Cherie Amour" (#4, #4 R&B, #3 Easy Listening, #4 U.K.)
            "Yester-Me-Yester-You, Yesterday" (#7, #5 R&B, #10 EL, #2 U.K.)
1970:  "Never Had a Dream Come True" (#26, #11 R&B, #31 EL, #6 U.K.)
            "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (#3, #1 R&B, #15 U.K.)
            "Heaven Help Us All" (#9, #2 R&B, #29 U.K.)
1971:  "We Can Work It Out" (#13, #3 R&B, #27 U.K.)
            "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" (#78)
            "If You Really Love Me" (#8, #4 R&B, #10 EL, #20 U.K.)
            "What Christmas Means to Me"
1972:  "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" (#33, #13 R&B)
            "Keep On Running" (#90, #36 R&B)

1973:  "Superstition" (#1, #1 R&B, #38 EL, #11 U.K.)
            "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (#1, #3 R&B, #1 EL, #7 U.K.)
            "Higher Ground" (#4, #1 R&B, #41 EL, #29 U.K.)
            "Living for the City" (#8, #1 R&B, #15 U.K.)
1974:  "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" (#16, #2 R&B, #9 EL)--underrated.
            "He's Misstra Know It All" (#10 U.K.)
            "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (#1, #1 R&B, #30 U.K.)
1975:  "Boogie On Reggae Woman" (#3, #1 R&B, #12 U.K.)

1977:  "I Wish" (#1, #1 R&B, #23 EL, #5 U.K.)
            "Isn't She Lovely?" (not released as single--#23 EL)
            "Sir Duke" (#1, #1 R&B, #3 EL, #2 U.K.)
            "Another Star" (#32, #18 R&B, #29 EL, #29 U.K.)--underrated.
1978:  "As" (#36, #36 R&B, #24 EL)--highly underrated.
            "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" (with Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson & Marvin Gaye--#59, #26 R&B, #66 U.K.)
1979:  "Send One Your Love" (#4, #5 R&B, #1 Adult Contemporary, #52 U.K.)
1980:  "Black Orchid" (#63 U.K.)
            "Outside My Window" (#52, #56 R&B, #43 AC, #52 U.K.)
            "Master Blaster (Jammin')" (#5, #1 R&B, #2 U.K.)
1981:  "I Ain't Gonna' Stand for It" (#11, #4 R&B, #20 AC, #10 U.K.)
            "Lately" (#64, #29 R&B, #33 AC, #3 U.K.)
            "Happy Birthday" (#17 R&B, #2 U.K.)
            "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me" (#72 R&B)
1982:  "That Girl" (#4, #1 R&B, #19 AC, #39 U.K.)
            "Ebony and Ivory" (with Paul McCartney--#1, #8 R&B, #1 AC, #1 U.K.)
            "Do I Do" (#13, #2 R&B, #25 AC, #10 U.K.)
            "Ribbon in the Sky" (#54, #10 R&B, #21 AC, #45 U.K.)
            "Used to Be' (With Charlene--#46, #35 R&B, #31 AC)
1983:  "Frontline" (#94 U.K.)

1984:  "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (#1, #1 R&B, #1 AC, #1 U.K.)
1985:  "Love Light in Flight" (#17, #4 R&B, #10 AC, #44 U.K.)
            "Don't Drive Drunk" (#62 U.K.)
            "Part-Time Lover" (#1, #1 R&B, #1 AC, #16 U.K.)
            "That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne Warwick and Friends--#1, #1 R&B, #1 AC, #16 U.K.)
1986:  "Go Home" (#10, #2 R&B, #1 AC, #67 U.K.)
            "Overjoyed" (#24, #8 R&B, #1 AC, #17 U.K.)
            "Land of La La" (#86, #19 R&B)
            "Stranger on the Shore of Love" (#55 U.K.)
1987:  "Skeletons" (#19, #1 R&B, #59 U.K.)
            "You Will Know" (#77, #1 R&B, #16 AC, #77 U.K.)

1988:  "Get It" (with Michael Jackson--#80, #4 R&B, #37 U.K.)
            "My Love" (with Julio Iglesias--#80, #14 AC, #5 U.K.)
            "My Eyes Don't Cry" (#6 R&B, #92 U.K.)
1989:  "With Each Beat of My Heart" (#28 R&B)
            "Free" (#49 U.K.)
1990:  "Keep Our Love Alive" (#24 R&B, #44 AC, #77 U.K.)
1991:  "Gotta' Have You" (#92, #3 R&B)
            "Fun Day" (#6 R&B, #63 U.K.)
           "These Three Words" (#7 R&B)
           "We Didn't Know" (with Whitney Houston--#20 R&B)

1995:  "For Your Love" (#50, #11 R&B, #23 AC, #30 U.K.)
            "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing" (#60 R&B, #71 U.K.)
            "Treat Myself" (#36 R&B, #92 U.K.)
1996:  "Kiss Lonely Goodbye"
1997:  "How Come, How Long" (with Babyface--#10 U.K.)
1998:  "True to Your Heart" (with 98 Degrees) (#51 U.K.)
2003:  "Signed, Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours)" (with Blue and Angie Stone--#11 U.K.)
2005:  "So What the Fuss" (#96, #34 R&B, #19 U.K.)
            "Positivity" (with Aisha Morris--#54 U.K.)
2006:  "From the Bottom of My Heart" (#25 R&B, #7 AC)
            "Shelter in the Rain" (#93 R&B)

2009:  "Never Give You Up" (with Raphael Saadiq and C.J. Hilton--#26 R&B)
            "All About the Love Again"

All told, that's 65 hits for Wonder, with 28 going Top 10 and 10 #1's.  On the R&B chart, Stevie grooved his way to 71 hits, with 46 of those reaching the Top 10 in that smaller genre and 19 going to #1.  On the combined Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary chart, Stevie charted 33 hits, with 15 of those reaching the Top 10 and 8 #1's.  Remarkable.

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