Folks, I’ve done it again!!!  Last year, I missed Stevie Wonder’s birthday by a day … his birthday is the 13th, and after I didn’t play a Stevie Wonder song on that date, my dear friend Ellen took me to task, so I wished Mr. Wonder a ‘Happy Birthday’ on the 14th.  This year, though … I’ve missed it by five days!!!  Ellen … this is your fault, y’know!  Anyway, better late than never, they say, and since Stevie is in my top five favourites of all time, I cannot let his birthday go unnoticed.

I dug around for one of his songs that I haven’t played … no small task, considering I have featured him 28 times since I started doing these music posts a couple of years ago.  But, I came up with one and, while it isn’t in my top five favourites, I do like it.  The song made #1 in the U.S., #6 in Canada, and #11 in the UK

This was intended for Jeff Beck, who was brought in to play some guitar parts on the album in exchange for a song. At one of the sessions, Stevie came up with the riff and wrote some lyrics, and they recorded a rough version of the song that day for Beck. It took Beck a while to record the song, and by the time he released it, Wonder’s version had been out for a month and was a huge hit. Beck felt shortchanged, and made some statements in the press that Wonder didn’t appreciate. In 1975, Beck released an instrumental version of Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” on his album Blow By Blow. The album was a hit and helped solidify Beck’s reputation as an elite guitarist.

When Wonder turned 21, he was no longer obligated to Motown Records, and used his clout to sign a deal with the label giving him unprecedented control of his music. He got a large share of royalties and publishing rights, and Motown was not allowed to alter the albums once they were delivered. One thing Motown did control, however, were what songs they released as singles. Knowing Jeff Beck was about to record his version, Motown head Berry Gordy made sure this was the first single and released it before Beck could get his out.  A bit of dirty pool there, it seems.

Several artists besides Jeff Beck have covered this. None made much of an impact until Stevie Ray Vaughan released a live version as a single in 1986 on his album Live Alive. His version is still played on Classic Rock radio, and has grown even more popular since Vaughan’s death in 1990.

Wonder performed this song on Sesame Street in 1973 during the show’s fourth season. It was recorded at the show’s New York studios at a time when Wonder and his band were playing lots of gigs, and they treated the Sesame Street performance just like any other, extending it to nearly 7 minutes, complete with intricate musical shifts directed by Wonder. Video of the performance shows kids and puppets having a blast on the set, but the band remained focused, since getting distracted by a monster would not be a valid excuse for missing a change.  Normally, I would also include the Sesame Street version, and perhaps another day I will, but today is Stevie Wonder’s show alone.

So, without further ado … Happy 70th Birthday Mr. Stevie Wonder!!!!  🎈

Superstition
Stevie Wonder

Ladies and Gentlemen
Ladies and Gentlemen

Joining us on stage my Mr Jeff Beck

Very superstitious,
Writing’s on the wall,
Very superstitious,
Ladders bout’ to fall
Thirteen month old baby,
Broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad luck,
The good things in your past

When you believe in things
That you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition aint the way

Everybody scream!

Very superstitious,
Nothin’ more to say,
Very superstitious,
The devil’s on his way,
Thirteen month old baby,
Broke the lookin’ glass,
Seven years of bad luck,
Good things in your past

When you believe in things
That you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way,
No, no, no

Superstition ain’t the way
Superstition ain’t the way
Superstition ain’t the way
Superstition ain’t the way

Everybody say
We’re jamming in New York
We’re jamming in New York

Superstition ain’t the way
Superstition ain’t the way…

I love you…

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Stevie Wonder
Superstition lyrics © Jobete Music Co. Ltd., Jobete Music Co Inc, Black-bull-music, Inc., Black Bull Music Inc, Jobete Music Co., Inc.