You Met Your Match

Last updated
"You Met Your Match"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album For Once in My Life
B-side "My Girl"
ReleasedJuly 1968
Recorded1968
Genre
Length2:42
Label Tamla
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stevie Wonder, Don Hunter
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day"
(1968)
"You Met Your Match"
(1968)
"For Once in My Life"
(1968)

"You Met Your Match" is a song written by Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, and Don Hunter that was released by Wonder on his 1968 album For Once in My Life . It was the first song Wonder produced in the studio. [1] "You Met Your Match" was released as a single where it reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. [2]

Contents

Background

Cash Box said that it has a "pounding rhythm and a vocal performance that scours the emotions," calling the single an "exciting drive side." [3] Billboard called it a "pulsating rocker" and a "blockbuster." [4] Wonder biographer Steve Lodder described the song as being "based around blues changes" but said that it "lacks an 'earworm' hook of a melodic line." [1] "You Met Your Match" was one of the first songs to use a clavinet in a popular music recording. [5] [1]

Chart performance

Chart (1968)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 35
US Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevie Wonder</span> American musician (born 1950)

Stevland Hardaway Morris, known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of contemporary R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.

<i>Stevie Wonders Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"</i> 1979 soundtrack album by Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" is an album by Stevie Wonder, originally released on the Tamla Motown label on October 30, 1979. It is the soundtrack to the documentary The Secret Life of Plants, directed by Walon Green, which was based on the book of the same name by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. It contains two singles that reached the Billboard Hot 100 charts: "Send One Your Love" and the minor hit "Outside My Window". The single "Black Orchid" reached No. 63 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Duke</span> 1977 single by Stevie Wonder

"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles charts, and reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, his joint biggest hit there at the time. Billboard ranked it as the No. 18 song of 1977.

<i>Hotter than July</i> 1980 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Hotter than July is the nineteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on September 29, 1980, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. Wonder primarily recorded the album in Los Angeles at Wonderland Studios, which he had recently acquired. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 1981. It was Wonder's most successful album in the UK, where it peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and produced four top ten singles. Music videos were produced for the album's first, third, and fourth singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superstition (song)</span> 1972 single by Stevie Wonder

"Superstition" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was released on October 24, 1972, as the lead single from his fifteenth studio album, Talking Book (1972), by Tamla. The lyrics describe popular superstitions and their negative effects.

<i>Music of My Mind</i> 1972 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Music of My Mind is the fourteenth studio album by American soul musician Stevie Wonder. It was released on March 3, 1972, by Tamla Records, and was Wonder's first to be recorded under a new contract with Motown that allowed him full artistic control over his music. For the album, Wonder recruited electronic music pioneers Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff as associate producers, employing their custom TONTO synthesizer on several tracks. The album hit No. # 21 in the Billboard LP charts, and critics found it representative of Wonder's artistic growth, and it is generally considered by modern critics to be the first album of Wonder's classic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wish (Stevie Wonder song)</span> 1976 single by Stevie Wonder

"I Wish" is a song by American singer Stevie Wonder. It was released in late 1976 as the lead single from his eighteenth album, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). Written and produced by Wonder, the song focuses on his childhood from the 1950s into the early 1960s about how he wished he could go back and relive it. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and soul singles chart. At the 19th Grammy Awards, Stevie Wonder won the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for this song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebony and Ivory</span> 1982 single by Paul McCartney featuring Stevie Wonder

"Ebony and Ivory" is a song that was released in 1982 as a single by Paul McCartney featuring Stevie Wonder. It was issued on 29 March that year as the lead single from McCartney's third solo album, Tug of War (1982). Written by McCartney, the song aligns the black and white keys of a piano keyboard with the theme of racial harmony. The single reached number one on both the UK and the US charts and was among the top-selling singles of 1982 in the US. During the apartheid era, the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned the song after Wonder dedicated his 1984 Academy Award for Best Original Song to Nelson Mandela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevie Wonder discography</span>

American musician Stevie Wonder has released 23 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, four live albums, 11 compilations, one box set, and 91 singles. His first album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, was released in 1962 when he was 12 years old, and his most recent, A Time to Love, was released in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Was Made to Love Her (song)</span> 1967 single by Stevie Wonder

"I Was Made to Love Her" is a soul music song recorded by American musician Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label in 1967. The song was written by Wonder, his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby and included on Wonder's 1967 album I Was Made to Love Her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing</span> 1974 single by Stevie Wonder

"Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released as the third single from his sixteenth studio album, Innervisions (1973). It reached number 16 on the US Billboard Pop Singles chart, number 10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and number two on the R&B chart. The song's lyrics convey a positive message, focusing on taking things in one's stride and accentuating the positive. In 1992, British band Incognito had a European hit with their cover of the song.

"For Once in My Life" is a song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Stein & Van Stock publishing company, and first recorded in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day</span> 1968 single by Stevie Wonder

"Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" is a 1968 single released by American and Motown recording artist Stevie Wonder. The song, co-written by Wonder and produced by Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, was the first to showcase Wonder's talents at the clavinet and was one of his first successful co-written tracks during his 1960s Motown period. The song reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in 1968, and went to number one on the R&B chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Cherie Amour (song)</span> 1969 single by Stevie Wonder

"My Cherie Amour" is a 1969 song by Motown singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard pop chart in August to be Wonder's third top ten hit. The song was co-written by Wonder, Sylvia Moy, and Henry Cosby; Cosby also served as producer of the song. At the end of 1969, the song was ranked number 32 for the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Are the Sunshine of My Life</span> 1973 single by Stevie Wonder

"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. 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. This song was the second single released from the 1972 album entitled Talking Book, which stayed at number one on the R&B albums chart for three weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Send One Your Love</span> 1979 single by Stevie Wonder

"Send One Your Love" is a 1979 soul single by American and Motown musician and singer Stevie Wonder from his album Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (1979). Released in November 1979 as the album's lead single, the song reached number four on the US Billboard pop singles chart in 1979 The song also became Wonder's second single to top the adult contemporary chart, following 1973's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", topping the chart for four weeks. On the soul charts, "Send One Your Love" went to number five.

<i>Characters</i> (Stevie Wonder album) 1987 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Characters is the twenty-first studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in late 1987. The album features six singles including the Grammy-nominated "Skeletons" (#19) and "You Will Know" (#77), which both reached number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. The album also contained a duet with Michael Jackson, "Get It" (#80), that was a minor hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Star</span> 1977 single by Stevie Wonder

"Another Star" is a song written and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. It is the final track on side four of the double LP. The flute player Bobbi Humphrey appears in the last section of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Know Why</span> 1969 single by Stevie Wonder

"I Don't Know Why" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, from the 1968 album For Once in My Life. It was released as a single on January 28, 1969, with "My Cherie Amour" on the B-side. A few months later, the single was re-issued with sides reversed because of the growing popularity of "My Cherie Amour", which became a Top Ten hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Ain't Gonna Stand for It</span>

"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" is the second single from Stevie Wonder's 1980 album, Hotter Than July. It reached number four on the Billboard R&B singles chart and number 11 on the Hot 100. It also hit number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is famous for Wonder's imitation of a seasoned country-and-western crooner and his inspiring drumming. Charlie and Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band provide backing vocals on the song. It was covered by Eric Clapton in 2001.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lodder, Steve (2005). Stevie Wonder: A Musical Guide to the Classic Albums. Backbeat. pp. 49–50. ISBN   9780879308216.
  2. Ruhlmann, William (2002). AllMusic Guide to Rock. Backbeat books. p. 1238. ISBN   9780879306533.
  3. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 6, 1968. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  4. "Spotlight Singles". Billboard. July 6, 1968. p. 74. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  5. Lundy, Zeth (2007). Songs in the Key of Life. Boomsbury Academic. p. 77. ISBN   9780826419262.