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.
Cryin' Through the Night
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
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I got the blues and I don't know why
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues and so dissatisfied
'Cause I've been cryin' through the night
Tears on my pillow
And I have been cryin' through the night
Weeping like a weeping willow
Hear me cryin' through the night
I am lonely, downhearted and sad
'Cause I've lost the best woman that I ever had
To a fiend of mine
Just can't figure out how it could be
That somebody like him could take her away from me
And it's on my mind
Nearly all the time, oh
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues and I don't know why
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues and so dissatisfied
'Cause I've been cryin' through the night
Tears on my pillow
And I have been cryin' through the night
Weeping like a weeping willow
From cryin' through the night
Hear me cryin' through the night
Now I know just how best friends can be
'Cause he made sure you knew your best friend was with me
And that's on my mind
Here's a lesson much greater than wealth
Keep your business to you, yourself and no one else
And your smiling eyes
Won't be cryin' like mine
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues and I don't know why, no
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues, I'm so dissatisfied
'Cause I've been cryin' through the night
Tears on my pillow
And I have been cryin' through the night
Weeping like a weeping willow
From cryin' through the night
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm weeping like a weeping willow
From cryin' through the night
Oh, oh, yeah
Hear me cryin', cryin', I'm cryin', cryin'
I'm cryin', baby, cryin' baby, yeah
Even a fool can tell
That so many tears sho' enough done fell
And pretty soon before you know
I'll have enough tears to fill a water well
Hear me cryin' through the night
Oh yeah, cryin' through the night
And it's on my mind
Nearly all the time
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues and I don't know why
Yes, I am cryin'
I got the blues, I'm so dissatisfied
'Cause I've been cryin' through the night
Tears on my pillow
And I have been cryin' through the night
Weeping like a weeping willow
From cryin' through the night
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm weeping like a weeping willow
Oh, oh, cryin' tears, cryin' tears
Through the night
The song Cryin' Through The Night by Stevie Wonder is a classic blues song about heartbreak and loss. The lyrics depict a man who is crying through the night because he has lost the best woman he ever had to a fiend of his. The song is a reflection of how he is feeling, downhearted, and sad, and the loss is weighing heavily on his mind. The lyrics also suggest that he is lamenting the fact that someone like his friend could take her away from him. He is crying through the night, and his tears are falling on his pillow, weeping like a weeping pillow. He is lonely, and he doesn't know why he has the blues, but he is dissatisfied with his life.
The song also contains a moral lesson, which is to keep your business to yourself and not share it with anyone else. He suggests that if he had kept his business to himself, he would not be crying like he is now. The song is a profound reflection on the fragility of human relationships and how easily they can be broken.
The song was released in 1962 and is one of the earliest recordings by Stevie Wonder. It was included on his first album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder, which was recorded when he was just 12 years old. He wrote the song with the help of Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax, who also produced it. The song was an instant hit and is considered a classic of the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes I am cryin'
I am currently in a state of sadness and crying
I got the blues and I don't know why
I am feeling down and restless without knowing the reason
I got the blues and I'm so dissatisfied
I am unhappy and discontent with my current state of being
Cause I've been cryin' through the night
I have been crying all night long
Tears on my pillow
I have shed tears while lying on my pillow
And I have been cryin' through the night
I have been inconsolably crying through the entire night
Weeping like a weeping pillow
I have cried so much that my tears have drenched my pillow
From cryin' through the night
My constant crying has resulted in me feeling exhausted
Hear me cryin' through the night
My crying is audible and can be heard throughout the night
I am lonely, downhearted and sad
I am feeling isolated, dejected and upset
Cause I've lost the best woman that I ever had
I am grieving the loss of the woman I truly loved and cherished
To a fiend of mine
She left me for someone I considered a close friend
Just can't figure out how it could be
I am feeling confused and unable to understand how she could leave me for him
That somebody like him could take her away from me
I cannot come to terms with the fact that he, of all people, managed to win her love over me
And it's on my mind
I can't stop thinking about this situation
Nearly all the time
It occupies my thoughts almost constantly
Now I know just how best friends can be
The incident has taught me the true nature of friendship
Cause he made sure you knew your best was with me
He made it a point to tell her how compatible she was with me
Here's a lesson much greater than wealth
This experience has imparted on me a valuable lesson worth more than riches
Keep your business to you, yourself and no one else
It is best to keep your personal matters private and not share them with others
And your smiling eyes
Your happy countenance
Won't be cryin' like mine
You won't shed as many tears as I have
Even a fool can tell
It's obvious even to a person of less intelligence
That so many tears sho' enough done fell
I have cried an excessive amount of tears
And pretty soon before you know
If things continue this way
I'll have enough tears to fill a water well
I will cry so much that I would fill up a well with my tears
Through the night
I continue crying inconsolably through the night
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I vocalize my sadness in a way that is difficult to convey using words
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder
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!