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.
Ai No
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I awake to greet the coming dawn
The sun was hardly peaking through the garden
It felt that with everything, I was one
Then I wished that I could come back as a flower
As a flower, as a flower
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To spread the sweetness of love
The dew had finished making love to many
A rainbow smelling sweet was in the air
I envied all the silence I saw growing
So unmoved by things outside of themselves
And how I wished that I could come back as a flower
As a flower, as a flower
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
As a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
Oh, as a flower, as a flower
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
As a flower, as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To spread the sweetness of love
In Stevie Wonder’s song “Ai No Sono,” the lyrics evoke a sense of longing and envy for the simplicity and beauty of nature. The singer describes waking up to the dawn and feeling a sense of unity with everything around them. They express a desire to come back as a flower, to be a part of the natural world, free from the complications of human life. The imagery of the dew making love to many and the sweet, rainbow-colored air add to the sense of wonder and longing.
The repeated refrain of “to spread the sweetness of love” suggests that the singer sees the role of a flower as a symbol of love and beauty. They long to embody those qualities and share them with the world without the burden of human concerns. The song is a reflection on the beauty and simplicity of nature and the human desire to be a part of it.
Interestingly, the phrase “ai no sono” means “garden of love” in Japanese, and the song is a nod to the influence of Japanese culture on Stevie Wonder’s music. The song’s melody and chord changes were inspired by traditional Japanese music, with its use of pentatonic scales and unusual time signatures. The song was included on Wonder’s 1979 album, “Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants,” which was a concept album focused on the relationship between humans and plants.
Line by Line Meaning
The strangest thought came to me on this morning
I had a peculiar thought this morning
As I awake to greet the coming dawn
When I woke up to meet the approaching sunrise
The sun was hardly peaking through the garden
The sun was barely shining through the garden
It felt that with everything, I was one
I felt a sense of unity with everything around me
Then I wished that I could come back as a flower
I desired to be reincarnated as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To disseminate the pleasantness of love
The dew had finished making love to many
The dew had finished moisturizing many plants
A rainbow smelling sweet was in the air
A delightful scent was present in the air
I envied all the silence I saw growing
I was envious of the calmness I witnessed
So unmoved by things outside of themselves
They were unaffected by external events
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
I longed to be reborn as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To disseminate the pleasantness of love
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
I longed to be reborn as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To disseminate the pleasantness of love
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
I longed to be reborn as a flower
Oh, as a flower, as a flower
Oh, as a flower, as a flower
How I wished that I could come back as a flower
I longed to be reborn as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To disseminate the pleasantness of love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
n00se
There is a garden
Where every heart can
Share in the joy of giving
It like no other
Has love to cover
Bearing no price on living
Quietty listen and you might hear them singing their lullaby
Calling for you to join in their love filled garden
Kibo-ni afure
Ikiru yorokobi
Shiawase ni michi te
Ai no rakuen
Subete no kokoro ga
Ai o wakachiau
Shizuka ni mimi katamuke yo
Ai no komori uta
Kimi sasoi yobikakenu
Ai no sono
Dimple Face
There is a garden
Where every heart can
Share in the joy of giving
It like no other
Has love to cover
Bearing no price on living
Quietly listen and you might hear them
singing their lullaby
Calling for you to join in their love filled garden
Michael vom Dorp
Utterly beautiful ! Always been my fave on the album !
Sir Swiftus W. Funkellwerk
My mom went to this concert in 79'.
I was pissed cuz I couldn't go.
She said tha crowd wanted him to play his hits but he still rocked it.
This album is a MASTERPIECE!!!
Per A.J. Andersson
A great little tune from a marvellous and oh so gentle album! :-)
D Me
The kids got a little ahead of the music, and it's brilliant that Stevie kept it that way.
Milowfan321
Stevie at his best :)
n00se
There is a garden
Where every heart can
Share in the joy of giving
It like no other
Has love to cover
Bearing no price on living
Quietty listen and you might hear them singing their lullaby
Calling for you to join in their love filled garden
Kibo-ni afure
Ikiru yorokobi
Shiawase ni michi te
Ai no rakuen
Subete no kokoro ga
Ai o wakachiau
Shizuka ni mimi katamuke yo
Ai no komori uta
Kimi sasoi yobikakenu
Ai no sono
HAL01 SKZ
So heavenly !
Kimie Renshaw
I was one of the kids singing. What a nice man he is!
Chamonix
And you all sang beautifully!
Takako Nagumo
I was, too! Did you also go to Asahi?