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.
Are You Sure Love Is The Name Of This Game
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
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Playing with my heart
Just like it was a toy
And I've been playing along
And letting you treat me wrong
Because it seems to give you joy
Are you sure love is the name of this game
For days on end you just stay away
Waitin' for my heart to weaken
It's like we're playing hide and seek
And I'm the one who's always seeking
Are you sure love is the name of this game
I wanna know
Are you sure L-O-V-E love is the name of this game
Well if everything's right
And uptight
How come the heartaches keep repeating
With every beat my heart is beating
Now can it be that you've been cheating
Cheating on me
Now how come you keep on
Telling me lies
Filling my life with sorrow
Don't know what to expect
From your affection
It's here today and gone tomorrow
Are you sure love, love, love is the name of this game
I wanna know
Are you sure L-O-V-E love is the name of this game
In "Are You Sure Love Is The Name Of This Game," Stevie Wonder sings about a relationship that is not built on love, but rather on the manipulation and deceit of one partner by another. The singer reflects on how his lover has been playing with his heart like it's a toy, while he's been letting her treat him poorly because it seems to bring her joy. He questions whether the relationship is really founded on love, given the lies and sorrow that she's filled his life with.
The song is a commentary on the fragility and complexity of love relationships. It highlights the doubts and anxieties that can creep into a partnership, particularly when one partner is not honest and forthcoming. There is an underlying sense of loneliness and vulnerability, as the singer wonders if he's alone in his doubts or if his lover is feeling the same way.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll admit that you've been Playing with my heart
I acknowledge that you have been toying with my emotions
Just like it was a toy And I've been playing along
You have been treating my heart like a plaything, and I have gone along with it
And letting you treat me wrong Because it seems to give you joy
I have allowed you to mistreat me because it appears to bring you happiness
Are you sure love is the name of this game Are you sure love is the name of this game
I'm questioning if love is really the intention behind our relationship
For days on end you just stay away Waitin' for my heart to weaken
You have been absent for long periods, seemingly waiting for me to become vulnerable
It's like we're playing hide and seek And I'm the one who's always seeking
Our dynamic feels like a game of hide-and-seek, with me constantly searching for you
Well if everything's right And uptight How come the heartaches keep repeating
Despite things seeming fine on the surface, the pain and heartache persist
With every beat my heart is beating Now can it be that you've been cheating Cheating on me
My heart is telling me that you may be unfaithful and deceiving me
Now how come you keep on Telling me lies Filling my life with sorrow
You persist in lying to me, causing me great pain and sadness
Don't know what to expect From your affection It's here today and gone tomorrow
Your love seems unreliable and unpredictable, leaving me unsure of what to expect
Are you sure love, love, love is the name of this game I wanna know Are you sure L-O-V-E love is the name of this game
I'm still questioning if love is genuinely at the center of our relationship
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
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!