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
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone I've needed so long
For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me
Somehow I know I'll be strong
For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Oh, someone warm like you
Yeah, yeah, yeah (for once in my life)
For once in my life, I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before (not like it's hurt before)
For once, I have something I know won't desert me
I'm not alone anymore (I'm not alone anymore)
For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it
Long as I know I have love, I can make it
For once in my life, I have someone who needs me
(Someone who needs me)
Ayy, ha-ha, ayy, yeah
(Someone who needs me)
Oh, baby, oh, baby
(For once in my life)
(Make your dreams come true)
For once in my life, I won't let sorrow hurt me (for once in my life)
Not like it's hurt me before (not like it's hurt before)
For once, I have something I know won't desert me
I'm not alone anymore (I'm not alone anymore)
For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it
Long as I know I have love, I can make it
For once in my life, I have someone who need me (someone who needs me, yeah)
Whoa, for once in my life
(Someone who needs me, yeah)
Yeah, somebody that needs me
(Someone who needs me, yeah)
Ooh, baby
For once in my life
In "For Once in My Life," Stevie Wonder sings about finding true love and how it has changed his life. He begins by expressing his newfound sense of security and direction, which he attributes to having someone who needs him. This person has been a long-awaited dream of his heart, and he can finally touch that dream. Moreover, he is no longer afraid of life because he knows he'll be strong with this person by his side. The chorus repeats the phrase “For once in my life,” emphasizing how remarkable this experience is for him.
He goes on to explain that he has been hurt by sorrow before, but now that he has love, he won't let it hurt him again. He has something he knows won't leave him, and he's no longer alone. This newfound sense of belonging and ownership is so powerful, he proclaims that this love is something no one can take away. The song ends on a triumphant note, with Stevie Wonder reveling in the fact that he has finally found someone who needs him.
The song is a celebration of finding true love, revealing the immense joy and sense of purpose it can bring to one's life. It is also about the power of love to transform a person, to make them stronger, to bring them hope and to make their dreams come true.
Line by Line Meaning
For once in my life, I have someone who needs me
Finally, in my life, I have found someone who truly needs and depends on me.
Someone I've needed so long
This person is someone I have yearned for and wanted for a very long time.
For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me
With this person by my side, I am finally free from fear and can confidently follow wherever life takes me.
Somehow I know I'll be strong
I have newfound strength because of the love and support of this person.
For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
The person I have found has brought me to a place where I can finally live out the dreams I had in my heart all along.
Long before I knew
These dreams were always there, even before I was consciously aware of them.
Oh, someone warm like you
The love and warmth I have found in this person is what has made my dreams come true.
Would make my dream come true
The love and warmth of this person is what has given me the ability to bring my biggest dreams to reality.
(for once in my life)
This is a momentous occasion that truly marks a big change in my life.
For once in my life, I won't let sorrow hurt me
With this newfound love, I am empowered to overcome past sorrows and not let them continue to affect me.
Not like it's hurt me before (not like it's hurt before)
I have been hurt before, but with this new love, things are different; it won't hurt me in the same way again.
For once, I have something I know won't desert me
This love is something I can count on and won't abandon me like others have in the past.
I'm not alone anymore (I'm not alone anymore)
Thanks to this love, I am no longer alone and have someone to lean on and be there for me.
For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it
This love is truly mine, and no one can take it away from me.
Long as I know I have love, I can make it
As long as I have this love, I feel like I can survive anything life throws at me.
Someone who needs me
The most significant thing about this love is that someone truly needs and wants me in their life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ronald N. Miller, Orlando Murden
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!