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.
A Fool For You
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
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Such a long time ago
Oh that you didn't want me girl
No you said you didn't love me no more
And I know it's something
What is it that makes me love you the way I do?
Must be that I'm a fool for you
I know you told me
You didn't want me 'round, ooh
But I know girl
I know you got a man way 'cross town, oh yeah
And I know it's something
What is it, what is it that makes me love you the way I do?
Must be that I'm a fool for you
Such a fool for you
Did you ever wake up in the morning, babe
Just about the break of day?
Nothing on your mind but love, love, and sweet lovin'
And find your baby's gone away
Then you breakdown go and start crying
Like you never cried before
Even cry so loud, yeah
You wake up all the people upstairs, oh, next door
Ever since I was one, two, three, four, five years old, babe
You know I been a fool for you
Deep, deep down in my soul, babe
I'm a fool for you
And i, I know it's something
Whoa it's something that you got that I love
Makes me do what I do
'Cause I'm a fool for you
I, I'm a fool for you, yeah
I know I'm a fool for you
(Fool for you)
Gonna be a fool for you, girl yeah, yeah
In Stevie Wonder's "A Fool For You," the singer admits that the woman he loves has let him know that she does not want to be with him. Despite this, he cannot help but love her, and he acknowledges that he must be a fool for loving someone who does not return his feelings. He wonders what it is about her that makes him feel this way, and he cannot explain it. He knows that she is seeing someone else, but he cannot stop loving her.
The song is a classic example of unrequited love. The singer is aware that he is not wanted, and yet he cannot help but feel the way he does. The lyrics are simple yet poignant, and they capture the pain and confusion that often accompanies a one-sided love affair. The singer's vulnerability is palpable, and it is easy to imagine him standing outside the woman's house, wondering what he did wrong and why he cannot forget her.
Despite the sadness of the lyrics, the song is upbeat and catchy. This is a common theme in Wonder's work, as he often juxtaposes deep emotional themes with upbeat rhythms and catchy melodies. The result is a song that is both easy to listen to and deeply affecting.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you told me
I am aware that you had said
Such a long time ago
It was quite a while back
Oh that you didn't want me girl
You mentioned that you are not interested in me, my dear
No you said you didn't love me no more
You expressed your disinterest in me as you don't love me anymore
And I know it's something
There is a reason for my behavior
What is it that makes me love you the way I do?
I fail to understand what makes me have so much affection towards you
Must be that I'm a fool for you
I believe that my foolishness is the reason behind it
I said, I'm a fool for you
I proclaim, I am a fool just because of you
I know you told me
You informed me earlier
You didn't want me 'round, ooh
You wanted me to stay away
But I know girl
Nevertheless, I understand, my lady
I know you got a man way 'cross town, oh yeah
You are seeing someone else who lives far away from here
And I know it's something
This is confusing me
What is it, what is it that makes me love you the way I do?
I am struggling to comprehend what I feel for you
Must be that I'm a fool for you
I think that maybe my foolishness is the reason behind my feelings
Such a fool for you
I am such a big fool for considering you and not moving on
Did you ever wake up in the morning, babe
Have you ever woken up early morning, my love
Just about the break of day?
Just before daylight appears?
Nothing on your mind but love, love, and sweet lovin'
When you only think about love, loving and sweet lovemaking
And find your baby's gone away
And then you realize your partner is not with you
Then you breakdown go and start crying
You start sobbing uncontrollably
Like you never cried before
As if you didn't cry ever in your life
Even cry so loud, yeah
Cry so loud and boisterously
You wake up all the people upstairs, oh, next door
Even wake up all your neighbors on the upper floor as well as the next door
Ever since I was one, two, three, four, five years old, babe
Since my childhood days
You know I been a fool for you
I have been a big fool for you throughout my life
Deep, deep down in my soul, babe
My foolishness is buried deep down in my soul, my love
I'm a fool for you
No doubt, you own my heart
And i, I know it's something
I am well aware that there is something that confuses me
Whoa it's something that you got that I love
It's the something that you possess and that I like
Makes me do what I do
It's the reason behind all my actions
'Cause I'm a fool for you
Because my foolishness is all because of you.
I, I'm a fool for you, yeah
I confirm that I am still a big fool thinking about you
I know I'm a fool for you
I fully accept that I am indeed a big fool for you
(Fool for you)
I am still crazy for you, my dear
Gonna be a fool for you, girl yeah, yeah
I am ready to continue being foolish for you, my love
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Charles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheryl Rowland Hall
on Isn't She Lovely
Dedicated to my lovely daughter, Amy Kathleen Rawson, the lovely child who helped mom to grow up!