Wonder's single "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s. His "classic period" began in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, the latter featuring "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. His works Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making him the tied-record holder for the most Album of the Year wins, with three. He is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases. Wonder began his "commercial period" in the 1980s; he achieved his biggest hits and highest level of fame, had increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations (including Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson), political impact, and television appearances. Wonder has continued to remain active in music and political causes.
Wonder is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 100 million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards (the most by a solo artist) and one Academy Award (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. 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 U.S. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and in 2014, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950, the third of five children born to Lula Mae Hardaway, and the second of Hardaway's two children with Calvin Judkins. He was born six weeks premature which, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, resulted in retinopathy of prematurity, a condition in which the growth of the eyes is aborted and causes the retinas to detach, so he became blind.
07. Come Back Baby
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh mama please don't go, yeah
Cause the way I love you
Child you'll never know
Oh come back baby, yeah yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
That I was wrong
Don't you know, baby
Child you been gone too long
Oh come back baby, yeah yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
Say If I could holler
Like a mountain jack
Yeah yeah oh people
I'd call my baby back
Oh come back baby, Woo yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
Now one of these days, baby
And It won't be long, yeah
You gonna look for me child you know
And I'll be gone
So come back baby, yeah yeah
Let's talk it over one more time
Oh now now
Stevie Wonder's "Come Back Baby" is a song about heartbreak, regret, and longing for a lost love. The opening line of the song "Oh come back, baby" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer pleads with his lover not to leave him because of the depth of his love for her. The second line "Oh mama please don't go" reveals a sense of urgency and desperation in his plea. The singer realizes the value of his lover and that the depth of the love he has for her is immeasurable.
In the second verse, the singer admits that he was wrong and that his love has been gone for too long. He acknowledges the mistakes he made and the hurt he caused his lover to leave. In the third verse, the singer expresses his willingness to do whatever it takes to get her back. He states that if he could holler like a mountain jack, he would call his baby back.
The chorus of the song "Let's talk it over one more time" is a plea for reconciliation. It indicates that the singer is willing to work through the issues that caused the break-up and start afresh. The song ends with the singer warning his lover that if she doesn't come back soon, she will look for him, but he will be gone.
Overall, "Come Back Baby" is a sentiment-filled song that speaks to the depth of love and the vulnerability that comes with it. It is a universal theme that can be understood by anyone who has experienced the pain of lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh come back, baby
Addressing the loved one to return to the relationship
Oh mama please don't go, yeah
A plea to the lover not to leave the relationship
Cause the way I love you
The intensity of the love for the partner
Child you'll never know
The loved one cannot fathom the depth of the love
Oh come back baby, yeah yeah
Reiterating the need for the loved one to return
Let's talk it over one more time
To have a conversation and sort out the issues in the relationship
Well I admit, baby
Acknowledging a mistake made in the relationship
That I was wrong
Acceptance of the fault and asking for forgiveness
Don't you know, baby
Affirming the love for the partner
Child you been gone too long
Expressing the longing for the partner who has been away for a long time
Say If I could holler
Expressing how one wishes to call the partner back with great intensity
Like a mountain jack
Using the metaphor of a loud, intense voice to describe the longing for the partner
Yeah yeah oh people
Addressing the audience to express the intensity of the emotion
I'd call my baby back
Expressing the desire to call the loved one back
Oh come back baby, Woo yeah
Reiterating the need for the loved one to return
Let's talk it over one more time
To have a conversation and sort out the issues in the relationship
Now one of these days, baby
Foreseeing a future where the partner will actively seek to reconcile
And It won't be long, yeah
The reconciliation is inevitable and not far away
You gonna look for me child you know
The partner will also long for the reconcilitation and seek the singer
And I'll be gone
Expressing the regret that the artist would have moved on by the time the partner seeks to reconcile
So come back baby, yeah yeah
Reiterating the need for the loved one to return
Let's talk it over one more time
To have a conversation and sort out the issues in the relationship
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Charles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
adlai wordsworth
Suprisingly, I never heard "Tribute to Uncle Ray", although I may have heard a portion played on a Scott Receiver and Turntable my father had during the 1960's. Most likely on a Sunday Afternoon. 'I wish those days could come back once more'. That's the difference with Stevie's voice. His voice puts you right there than most. Motown music was honest, innocent, friendly, entertaining and felt like family music. I wish those days could come back once more.
reallyblessed
@vsbp I think little Mike was a better singer than Little Stevie was, as I still have yet to hear a more beautiful child voice than MJ. But, Stevie was and is a massively talented musical genius who's gifts remain unmatched to this day. He and Ray Charles are in a class by themselves. But as they aged, Michael and Stevie almost had the same exact high vocal ranges. They were so similar vocally as men that you can't go wrong either way. True Legends!!!!!!
MotownMaster
either this one or "Jazz Soul Of Little Stevie"
reallyblessed
@vsbp Not Even Close......but I respect your opinion.