Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally a… Read Full Bio ↴Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.

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.

For Once In My Life / Thank You Love
Stevie Wonder Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone I’ve needed so long
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I’ll be strong

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Someone warm like you
Who have my dreams come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before

For once I have someone I know won't desert me
I’m not alone anymore

For once I can say
This is mine you can’t take it
As long as I know I have love I can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

For once I can say
This is mine you can’t take it

As long as I know I have love we can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stevie Wonder's song, "For Once In My Life/Thank You Love," depict a profound sense of happiness and gratitude for finally finding someone who truly loves and needs the singer. The song is about the joy of being loved and the power of that love to help someone overcome their fears and face life with confidence. After so many years of loneliness and heartache, the singer is finally unafraid to live life to its fullest, knowing that they have someone beside them who will always be there.

The first verse of the song describes how for the first time in the singer's life, they have found someone who needs them as much as they need them. The singer feels an intense connection with this person, one that has been missing for so long. They are no longer afraid to face the challenges of life because they have found someone who will be there with them every step of the way.

The second verse describes the singer's dream of finding someone warm and loving, who would make their dreams come true. They have finally found that person in the present, and the singer feels blessed to have them in their life. The chorus reinforces the idea of the singer's newfound confidence, a confidence that comes from knowing that they are loved and needed.

Overall, "For Once In My Life/Thank You Love" is a song that expresses a sense of joy and fulfillment that comes from finding true love. It is a tribute to the power of love to heal, to inspire, and to give us the strength we need to face life's greatest challenges.

Line by Line Meaning

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I finally have someone in my life who depends on me and cares for me.

Someone I’ve needed so long
I've been longing for this person for a long time, and now they're finally with me.

For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I’ll be strong
Now that I have this person with me, I feel like I can face any challenge that comes my way with confidence and strength.

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
My deepest desires and hopes are now a reality, thanks to this person in my life.

Long before I knew Someone warm like you
Even before I met this person, I had hoped and dreamed for someone like them to come into my life.

Who have my dreams come true
This person has made my dreams a reality and fulfilled my greatest wishes.

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
This person has given me the strength to overcome sadness and pain that has affected me deeply in the past.

Not like it's hurt me before
I am no longer susceptible to the same sorrows that I have experienced in the past.

For once I have someone I know won't desert me
This person is trustworthy and dependable, and will always be by my side.

I’m not alone anymore
I have this person in my life now, and I no longer feel lonely or isolated.

This is mine you can’t take it
The love and connection I have with this person is something that cannot be taken away or replaced by anyone else.

As long as I know I have love I can make it
This person's love is enough to help me through any tough situation, and I am confident that I can get through anything with them by my side.

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
This person has given me a newfound sense of purpose and meaning in my life, and I am grateful to have them with me.

As long as I know I have love we can make it
Our love and connection will help us get through anything, together, and we are stronger because of it.

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
This person is truly special to me and I feel lucky to have them in my life. They depend on me, and I depend on them.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ORLANDO MURDEN, RONALD MILLER, RONALD N. MILLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS