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't Go
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
"Please Don't Go" by Stevie Wonder is a song about pleading with a loved one not to leave. The opening lines of the song set the stage: "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". The chorus repeats this sentiment, with the singer promising to do anything to keep his love from leaving. The verses are more specific, with the singer describing how much he would miss his partner if they were to leave, and how much he wants them to stay.
The song is full of emotion and vulnerability, with the singer laying his heart bare for all to see. The repetition of the plea not to go, along with the haunting "uuu uuu uuu" of the background vocals, give the song a sense of desperation and urgency. The final verse is particularly poignant, with the singer crying out for his love not to leave him: "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".
Overall, "Please Don't Go" is a beautifully written and performed song that captures the pain and heartbreak of losing someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Please don't go, no no no
The singer implores the subject not to leave.
If you go I'll be sad and blue
The singer will feel extremely sad and depressed if the subject leaves.
So I say no no no, don't go away
The singer repeats their plea for the subject to stay and not leave.
Oh no please don't leave, baby please
The artist begs the subject to not leave them.
If you should leave my poor heart would grieve
The artist's heart would feel severe emotional pain if the subject leaves.
So I say nay nay nay, baby please stay
The singer continues to plead for the subject to stay with them.
And I'll do ev'rything you want me to
The singer promises to comply with the subject's wishes and desires.
If you promise that you won't leave tonight
The artist requests assurance from the subject that they will not leave tonight.
'Cause I'll break down and cry a river of tears
The artist will cry uncontrollably if the subject leaves.
With just the thought of you not here in my life
The mere thought of the subject not being in their life is unbearable for the artist.
Oh no no, no, no, yea yea
The singer is filled with anxiety and distress.
Please don't go, don't say bye
The artist asks the subject not to leave or say goodbye.
Tell me why baby do you want to make me cry
The singer wonders why the subject would want to make them sad and cry.
Please please stay
The singer pleads with the subject to continue staying with them.
Oh no no, no no, I'm gonna try
The singer will make an effort to keep the subject from leaving.
Yeah, yeah, yeah so baby please don't leave
The artist continues to ask the subject to stay with them.
Don't leave Steve
The artist uses their own name to emphasize how much they want the subject to stay.
Don't go
The singer restates their request for the subject not to leave.
Don't go baby, don't go baby
The singer repeats their request in a pleading tone.
Don't leave me baby (don't go baby don't go)
The artist expresses how much they need the subject to stay with them.
Hear me, hear me, hear me, hear me, hear me
The artist is trying their best to make the subject listen and understand their plea.
Cryin' (wooh), for your lovin' in the midnight hour
The artist is in pain and desperation for the subject's love and attention, particularly at night.
Cryin' (wooh), for your lovin' in the morning
The singer is still in pain and desperation for the subject's love and attention in the morning.
Don't go baby, hear me cryin', oh no oh no
The artist is still desperately pleading with the subject not to leave.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
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.