You Are the Sunshine of My Life

Last updated
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
Steviesunshine.jpg
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Talking Book
B-side "Tuesday Heartbreak"
ReleasedMarch 1973
Recorded1972
Genre
Length2:58
Label Tamla
Songwriter(s) Stevie Wonder
Producer(s) Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Superstition"
(1972)
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
(1973)
"Higher Ground"
(1973)
Official audio
"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" on YouTube

"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a 1973 single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder's third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his first number-one on the Easy Listening chart. [3] It won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. [4] This song was the second single (following "Superstition") released from the 1972 album entitled Talking Book , which stayed at number one on the R&B albums chart for three weeks. [4]

Contents

Rolling Stone ranks the song at number 183 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". [5] Billboard called it "a soft, haunting ballad with outstanding electric piano runs and outstanding production work." [6]

Background

The first two lines of the song are sung, not by Wonder, but by Jim Gilstrap; Lani Groves sings the next two. [7] Gilstrap and Groves, together with Gloria Barley, also provide backing vocals. The single version of the song differs from the album version with the addition of horns to the mix; this version is also included in the greatest hits compilation album Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I (1982).

Reception

Cash Box said that Wonder "changes the pace [from 'Superstition'] and delivers a stirring ballad performance that is also certain to go gold instantly." [8] Record World said that the "tune that's been covered many times is done best by the originator." [9]

Personnel

Source: Talking Book , Tamla: T 319L, October 27, 1972 (album cover)

Chart performance

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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