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.
10 Please Don
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til man goes busy just for fun
Man gets the guilt, tells fun girl we can't no more
Fun girl says if you stop I'll tell her right now
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
That is all his lips could say
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
I was blinded by sexsation
Temporarily out my head
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
She mustn't know we went to bed
And you could hear him moaning
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
You shoulda thought about that boy
Before you were using it like a toy
You shoulda thought about that boy
Before you did the ooh-ah, ooh-ah, ooh-ooh-ah
What a pretty love pair, perfect fit
'Til woman sights on one that she's just got to get with
Woman gets scared tells plaything we can't no more
Plaything says if you stop I'll tell him right now
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
That is all her lips could say
Ah, please don't tell my baby
He won't believe you anyway
I was blinded by desire
Temporarily insane
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
He can't know we did the wild thing
And you could hear her crying
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
You shoulda thought about that girl
Before you were giving up that pearl
You shoulda thought about that girl
Before you did the ooh-ah, ooh-ah, ooh-ooh-ah
You shoulda thought about that boy
Before you were using it like a toy
You shoulda thought about that boy
Before you did the ooh-aah, ooh-aah, ooh-ooh-ah
You shoulda thought about that girl
Before you were giving up that pearl
You shoulda thought about that girl
Before you did the ooh-aah, ooh-aah, ooh-ooh-ah
You shoulda thought about that boy
Before you were using it like a toy
You shoulda thought about that boy
Before you did the ooh-aah, ooh-aah, ooh-ooh-ah
The song "Please Don't Hurt My Baby" by Stevie Wonder is a cautionary tale about cheating and the consequences that come with it. The lyrics tell the stories of two couples who engage in infidelity, with the "fun girl" and the "plaything" being the ones pushing for the cheating while the male partners express guilt and remorse. Each partner begs the other not to hurt their significant other and to keep the affair a secret. In the end, the song highlights the pain and damage that can be caused by selfish decisions.
The song's message is clear - cheating hurts everyone involved, especially the innocent parties who are unaware of what is happening. The pleading vocals and soulful instrumentation create a sense of urgency and desperation, emphasizing the importance of honesty and communication in relationships. The song also touches on the double standards and gender roles that often come into play, with the men being portrayed as weak and regretful while the women are seen as manipulative and reckless.
Overall, "Please Don't Hurt My Baby" is a powerful and emotional track that sheds light on the destructive nature of infidelity and the importance of trust and respect in any relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Such a happy couple love and some
The couple was once happy and in love
'Til man goes busy just for fun
The man became interested in other women just for the fun of it
Man gets the guilt, tells fun girl we can't no more
The man felt guilty and told the woman he was with that they couldn't continue their relationship
Fun girl says if you stop I'll tell her right now
The woman threatened to tell the man's partner about their affair if he ended things
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
The man is pleading for the woman not to tell his partner about their affair
That is all his lips could say
The man is speechless and helpless in this situation
She won't believe you anyway
The man believes his partner won't believe the woman even if she does tell her
I was blinded by sexsation
The man was overcome by lust and desire
Temporarily out my head
The man lost his sense and judgment in the moment due to his desire
She mustn't know we went to bed
The man doesn't want his partner to know that he slept with the other woman
And you could hear him moaning
The man is in pain and distress over the situation
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
The man's cries of anguish
You shoulda thought about that boy
The woman should've considered the man's feelings before getting involved with him
Before you were using it like a toy
The woman was treating the man like a toy, without considering the emotional consequences
What a pretty love pair, perfect fit
The couple was once in a loving and perfect relationship
'Til woman sights on one that she's just got to get with
The woman became interested in another man and couldn't resist pursuing him
Woman gets scared tells plaything we can't no more
The woman gets scared and tells the man she was with that they must end their relationship
Plaything says if you stop I'll tell him right now
The man threatens to tell the woman's partner about their affair if she ends things
Ah, please don't hurt my baby
The woman is pleading for the man not to tell her partner about their affair
That is all her lips could say
The woman is speechless and helpless in this situation
Ah, please don't tell my baby
The woman is begging the man not to tell her partner
He won't believe you anyway
The woman believes her partner won't believe the man even if he does tell him
I was blinded by desire
The woman was overcome by lust and desire
Temporarily insane
The woman lost her sense and judgment in the moment due to her desire
He can't know we did the wild thing
The woman doesn't want her partner to know that she slept with the other man
And you could hear her crying
The woman is in pain and distress over the situation
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
The woman's cries of anguish
You shoulda thought about that girl
The man should've considered the woman's feelings before getting involved with her
Before you were giving up that pearl
The man was giving up something valuable (the woman's love) without considering the emotional consequences
You shoulda thought about that boy
The woman should've considered the man's feelings before getting involved with him
Before you were using it like a toy
The woman was treating the man like a toy, without considering the emotional consequences
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lali
Uuu uuu uuu uuu uuu uuu uuu
Please don't go, no no no
If you go I'll be sad and blue
So I say no no no, don't go away
Oh no please don't leave, baby please
If you should leave my poor heart would grieve
So I say nay nay nay, baby please stay
And I'll do ev'rything you want me to
If you promise that you won't leave tonight
'Cause I'll break down and cry a river of tears
With just the thought of you not here in my life
So please don't go, no no no
If you should go I'll be sad and blue
So I say no no no, don't go away
Yeah baby, baby, baby
And I'll do ev'rything you want me to
If you promise that you won't leave tonight
'Cause I'll break down and cry a river of tears
With just the thought of you not here in my life
Oh no no, no, no, yea yea
Please don't go, don't say bye
Tell me why baby do you want to make me cry
Please please stay
Oh no no, no no, I'm gonna try
Yeah, yeah, yeah so baby please don't leave
Don't leave Steve
If you leave baby my poor heart would grieve
So I say yeah yeah yeah
Don't go
Don't go baby, don't go baby
Don't go baby, don't go baby
Don't go baby, don't go baby
Don't go baby, don't go baby
Don't go baby, don't go
Don't go baby, don't go
Don't go baby, don't go
Don't go baby, don't go
Don't go baby, don't go
Don't leave me baby (don't go baby don't go)
Hear me, hear me, hear me, hear me, hear me
Cryin' (wooh), for your lovin' in the midnight hour
Cryin' (wooh), for your lovin' in the morning
Don't go baby, hear me cryin', oh no oh no
mhertz25
This album was not underrated - it was always accepted as an integral of his most fertile "genius" period - every song on it was, and is great - over 30 years after it was recorded - as timeless as the Beatles - as Gershwin - as Ellington - as Dylan - absolute perfection. Stevie Wonder is a gift to the human race from the heavens!!!!!
stillatit 50
The way he closes this thing out, is nothing short of wonderful.
Ayanna Uhuru
the music and the emotion!!!!
Rob Varney
The same groove as Golden Lady (Innervisions) and Summer Soft (Songs in the key)
Jason Chavarro
Stevie has so much love to express he couldn't help but flip this sad song into a joyous one at the end 😂and to make it still sound organic.. GENIUS
David Wella
doesnt matter how many years youve listened to this it still has it
Chermaine Bigby
Oh hell yes
SingDriver101
This is my favorite song off this album. The emotion just amazes me. Stevie really is a Wonder in the musical world.
Mountain Rigi
Stevie's joyful music flows through people's soul like a river.
Rob Michael-Phillips
One of absolute favourites of his. That bass sound is like a big funky cuddle.