Tag Archives: Henry Cosby

♫ Uptight (Everything’s Alright) ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history

Those of you who have known me for a while know that Stevie Wonder is my #1 guy!  When I need a boost or just need to get the toes tapping, I turn to Stevie.  I’ve only played this one once, a few years ago, so I think it’s time for a redux, don’t you?

I knew that Stevie had been something of a child prodigy, but I didn’t realize he had his first #1 hit at the age of only 13!  Blind since birth, Stevie has overcome all obstacles and has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has won 22 Grammy Awards. He was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red. Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a federal holiday in the United States. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2014, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Whew!  That’s quite a list of accomplishments … no wonder he had to start young!

StevieThis song was released in 1965 when Stevie was a ripe ol’ 15 years of age, and it was the first single that Stevie co-wrote.  An accompanying album, Up-Tight (1966), was rushed into production to capitalize on the single’s success. It also garnered Wonder his first two career Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.

The single was a watershed in Wonder’s career for several reasons. Aside from the US number-one Fingertips (1963), only two of Wonder’s singles, Workout, Stevie, Workout (1963) and Hey Harmonica Man (1964) had both peaked inside of the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #33 and #29 on that chart respectively. And despite receiving a modicum of chart success, the then 15-year-old Wonder was in danger of being let go. In addition, Wonder’s voice had begun to change, and Motown CEO Berry Gordy was worried that he would no longer be a commercially viable artist.

With the top Motown producers passing on Stevie, it was looking bleak until he started working with Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby. Moy had Stevie play her different song ideas he had come up with, but wasn’t impressed with any of them. Pressing to make sure he didn’t have anything else, Wonder reluctantly played her something he had been working on: a ditty where he sang, “Everything is alright, uptight.” Moy likes what she heard and helped him develop the song along with Cosby. The song went to #3 in the US and from that point forward, Wonder was a regular at the top of the charts.

And now, get ready to tap your toes and sway your head, but put the dishes down first!

Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
Stevie Wonder

Baby, everything is all right, uptight, out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, out of sight

I’m a poor man’s son, from across the railroad tracks
Only shirt I own is hanging on my back
But I’m the envy of every single guy
Since I’m the apple of my girl’s eye
When we go out stepping on the town for a while
My money’s low and my suit’s out of style
But it’s all right if my clothes aren’t new
Out of sight because my heart is true

She says, baby everything is alright, uptight, out of sight
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight

She’s a pearl of a girl, I guess that’s what you might say
I guess her folks brought her up that way
The right side of the tracks, she was born and raised
In a great big old house, full of butlers and maids
She says no one is better than I, I know I’m just an average guy

No football hero or smooth Don Juan
Got empty pockets, you see I’m a poor man’s son
Can’t give her the things that money can’t buy
But I’ll never, never make my baby cry
And it’s all right, what I can’t do
Out of sight because my heart is true

She says, baby everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, hahahahaha, yeah
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, way out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight-

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Wonder Stevie / Moy Sylvia Rose / Cosby Henry
Uptight (Everything’s Alright) lyrics © Black Bull Music, Stone Agate Music, Jobete Music Co. Ltd., Sawandi Music, Jobete Music Co Inc, Jobete Music Co., Inc.

♫ My Cherie Amour ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

When I’m a bit ‘under the weather’, there is one musician who can always make me feel better, even if only for a few minutes.  Those of you who have followed my music posts for a while know that one person is none other than Stevie Wonder!!!

The title is French for “My Dearest Love.”  Stevie wrote this song in 1967 when he was a student at Michigan School for the Blind, recording a rough version and putting into his trusty “tape box,” where he kept his song ideas. He wrote the song for his girlfriend at the time, Marcia, and the song was originally titled “Oh My Marcia.”

By the time he recorded the song, Marcia was out of the picture, so Wonder changed the title to My Cherie Amour.  Motown songwriter/producers Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy wrote this with Wonder, who was 19 at the time. Wonder was recording at age 12, and was writing songs in his teenage years. On his later hits, Wonder did almost all of the writing and production himself, but early on, he had a lot of help from the Motown staff.

My Cherie Amour
Stevie Wonder

La la la la la la
La la la la la la

My Cherie Amour, lovely as a summer’s day
My Cherie Amour, distant as the Milky Way
My Cherie Amour, pretty little one that I adore
You’re the only girl my heart beats for
How I wish that you were mine

In a cafe or sometimes on a crowded street
I’ve been near you, but you never notice me
My Cherie Amour, won’t you tell me how could you ignore
That behind that little smile I wore
How I wish that you were mine

Maybe someday you’ll see my face among the crowd
Maybe someday I’ll share your little distant cloud
Oh, Cherie Amour, pretty little one that I adore
You’re the only girl my heart beats for
How I wish that you were mine

La la la la la la
La la la la la la

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Wonder Stevie / Cosby Henry / Moy Sylvia Rose
My Cherie Amour lyrics © Black Bull Music, Stone Agate Music, Sawandi Music, Johanan Vigoda Admin. Acct. Stevie Wonder Catalogue, Jobete Music Co Inc, Stone Agate Music Corp, Black Bull Music Inc, Jobete Music Co., Inc.

♫ Uptight (Everything’s Alright) ♫

Posted on by under History, music

You already know that when I need a lift, I turn to da man, Mr. Stevie Wonder.  Tonight I need a lift, and this song just conveniently popped into my head as I was unloading the dishwasher.  My feet began to tingle, needing to tap, and my head began to sway back and forth just as Stevie’s often does when he sings.  Sadly, tapping feet and a swaying head while hefting a stack of plates into the cabinet may not be the wisest thing!

I knew that Stevie had been something of a child prodigy, but I didn’t realize he had his first #1 hit at the age of only 13!  Blind since birth, Stevie has overcome all obstacles and has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has won 22 Grammy Awards. He was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red. Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a federal holiday in the United States. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2014, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Whew!  That’s quite a list of accomplishments … no wonder he had to start young!

StevieThis song was released in 1965 when Stevie was a ripe ol’ 15 years of age, and it was the first single that Stevie co-wrote.  An accompanying album, Up-Tight (1966), was rushed into production to capitalize on the single’s success. It also garnered Wonder his first two career Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.

The single was a watershed in Wonder’s career for several reasons. Aside from the US number-one Fingertips (1963), only two of Wonder’s singles, Workout, Stevie, Workout (1963) and Hey Harmonica Man (1964) had both peaked inside of the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #33 and #29 on that chart respectively. And despite receiving a modicum of chart success, the then 15-year-old Wonder was in danger of being let go. In addition, Wonder’s voice had begun to change, and Motown CEO Berry Gordy was worried that he would no longer be a commercially viable artist.

With the top Motown producers passing on Stevie, it was looking bleak until he started working with Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby. Moy had Stevie play her different song ideas he had come up with, but wasn’t impressed with any of them. Pressing to make sure he didn’t have anything else, Wonder reluctantly played her something he had been working on: a ditty where he sang, “Everything is alright, uptight.” Moy likes what she heard and helped him develop the song along with Cosby. The song went to #3 in the US and from that point forward, Wonder was a regular at the top of the charts.

And now, get ready to tap your toes and sway your head, but put the dishes down first!

Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
Stevie Wonder

Baby, everything is all right, uptight, out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, out of sight

I’m a poor man’s son, from across the railroad tracks
Only shirt I own is hanging on my back
But I’m the envy of every single guy
Since I’m the apple of my girl’s eye
When we go out stepping on the town for a while
My money’s low and my suit’s out of style
But it’s all right if my clothes aren’t new
Out of sight because my heart is true

She says, baby everything is alright, uptight, out of sight
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight

She’s a pearl of a girl, I guess that’s what you might say
I guess her folks brought her up that way
The right side of the tracks, she was born and raised
In a great big old house, full of butlers and maids
She says no one is better than I, I know I’m just an average guy

No football hero or smooth Don Juan
Got empty pockets, you see I’m a poor man’s son
Can’t give her the things that money can’t buy
But I’ll never, never make my baby cry
And it’s all right, what I can’t do
Out of sight because my heart is true

She says, baby everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, hahahahaha, yeah
Baby, everything is all right, uptight, way out of sight
Baby, everything is all right, uptight-

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Wonder Stevie / Moy Sylvia Rose / Cosby Henry
Uptight (Everything’s Alright) lyrics © Black Bull Music, Stone Agate Music, Jobete Music Co. Ltd., Sawandi Music, Jobete Music Co Inc, Jobete Music Co., Inc.

♫ My Cherie Amour ♫

Posted on by under music

My level of angst has been at an all time high for a few days now, for various reasons that if you’ve been keeping up with my posts, you already know.  Loss of sleep, loss of appetite, too much caffeine, too much nicotine, and it’s time for some music by … my go-to guy … Stevie Wonder!!!

The title is French for “My Dearest Love.”  Stevie wrote this song in 1967 when he was a student at Michigan School for the Blind, recording a rough version and putting into his trusty “tape box,” where he kept his song ideas. He wrote the song for his girlfriend at the time, Marcia, and the song was originally titled “Oh My Marcia.”

By the time he recorded the song, Marcia was out of the picture, so Wonder changed the title to My Cherie Amour.  Motown songwriter/producers Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy wrote this with Wonder, who was 19 at the time. Wonder was recording at age 12, and was writing songs in his teenage years. On his later hits, Wonder did almost all of the writing and production himself, but early on, he had a lot of help from the Motown staff.

Tonight’s selection is from a live concert, so the quality may not be as good as the studio version, but I love the energy, the interaction with the audience, and … you get an added bonus … a second song!

My Cherie Amour
Stevie Wonder

La la la la la la
La la la la la la

My Cherie Amour, lovely as a summer’s day
My Cherie Amour, distant as the Milky Way
My Cherie Amour, pretty little one that I adore
You’re the only girl my heart beats for
How I wish that you were mine

In a cafe or sometimes on a crowded street
I’ve been near you, but you never notice me
My Cherie Amour, won’t you tell me how could you ignore
That behind that little smile I wore
How I wish that you were mine

Maybe someday you’ll see my face among the crowd
Maybe someday I’ll share your little distant cloud
Oh, Cherie Amour, pretty little one that I adore
You’re the only girl my heart beats for
How I wish that you were mine

La la la la la la
La la la la la la

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Wonder Stevie / Cosby Henry / Moy Sylvia Rose
My Cherie Amour lyrics © Black Bull Music, Stone Agate Music, Sawandi Music, Johanan Vigoda Admin. Acct. Stevie Wonder Catalogue, Jobete Music Co Inc, Stone Agate Music Corp, Black Bull Music Inc, Jobete Music Co., Inc.