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.
Free
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
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Flowing freely through infinity
Free to be sure of
What I am and who I need not be
Free from all worries
Worries prey on oneself's troubled mind
Freer than the clock's hands
Tickin' way the times
Life running through me
Till I feel my father God has called
Me having nothin'
But possessing riches more than all
And I'm free
To be nowhere
But in every place I need to be
Freer than a sunbeam
Shining through my soul
Free from feelin' heat or knowing bitter cold
Free from conceiving the beginning
For that's the infinite start
I'm gone, gone but still living
Life goes on without a beating heart
Free like a vision
That the mind of only you can see
Freer than a raindrop
Falling from the sky
Freer than a smile in a baby's sleepin' eyes
I'm free like a river
Flowin' freely through infinity
I'm free to be sure of what
I am and who I need not to be
I'm much freer, like the meaning of the word free that crazy man defines
Free, free like the vision that
The mind of only you are ever gonna see
Free like the river my life
Goes on and on through infinity
Stevie Wonder's "Free" is a song that celebrates the freedom of one's consciousness from the boundaries imposed by society. It speaks of the emotional liberation that comes from not caring about what others think and being who you really are - without any apologies. The song uses metaphors like a river flowing freely through infinity, a sunbeam shining through one's soul, and raindrops falling from the sky. All of which represent the beauty and unpredictability of life that can be experienced when we are free from our personal worries and anxieties. The lyrics repeatedly emphasize the idea of freedom by describing the different aspects of life that one can transcend upon being free; worries, time, and the beginning of the universe.
The song starts with the comparison to being free like a river that flows freely through infinity, highlighting the idea that life is not bound by time or space. The following lines then highlight the struggles of living in modern society, such as worrying about physical and material possessions and trying to live up to society's expectations. The central idea of freedom is underpinned by the notion that one needs to be "free from all worries" to fully experience life's beauty.
The second verse delves into the idea of being rich in the world which is often seen as a necessary factor for personal freedom, but the song acknowledges that freedom requires an individual to let go of worldly possessions and not be attached to those things. Steve emphasizes being "free to be nowhere but in every place I need to be," which is a powerful realization that emphasizes the freedom to be present, wherever one may be, without feeling trapped or constrained by it.
Line by Line Meaning
Free like the river
I am free to move and flow like a river.
Flowing freely through infinity
I am unrestricted by time or space, free to move indefinitely.
Free to be sure of
I have the freedom to be confident in myself.
What I am and who I need not be
I am free to be myself and not feel pressured to be anyone else.
Free from all worries
I am liberated from concerns that burden my mind.
Worries prey on oneself's troubled mind
Worries take advantage of a person's troubled mind and can cause distress.
Freer than the clock's hands
I am unbound by the limitations of time and can move freely.
Tickin' way the times
Time passes by quickly, but I am not confined by its constraints.
Freer than the meaning of free that man defines
I am truly free beyond any definition that is created by humanity.
Life running through me
I feel alive and empowered by the energy of life that flows within me.
Till I feel my father God has called
I feel alive and empowered until I believe that God has called me.
Me having nothin'
I possess nothing materialistic or tangible.
But possessing riches more than all
I possess a wealth of experiences and emotions that are more valuable than any material possession.
And I'm free
I am truly liberated.
To be nowhere
I am free from the constraints of geographical location or physical space.
But in every place I need to be
I am able to be wherever I need to be in order to have a meaningful experience.
Freer than a sunbeam
I am more liberated than a sunbeam.
Shining through my soul
I radiate my true self from within my soul.
Free from feelin' heat or knowing bitter cold
I am free from experiencing suffering or pain.
Free from conceiving the beginning
I am liberated from attempting to comprehend the beginning of everything.
For that's the infinite start
The concept of infinity represents the beginning and end of everything, and I accept this limitless possibility.
I'm gone, gone but still living
I may not be physically present, but I am still here in spirit.
Life goes on without a beating heart
Even without a physical heart, life can continue through the lasting impact that we leave behind.
Free like a vision
I am free to have a unique vision that is truly my own.
That the mind of only you can see
My vision is something that only I can perceive and understand.
Freer than a raindrop
I am more liberated than a single drop of rain in its natural cycle.
Falling from the sky
Raindrops fall naturally from the sky, but I have the freedom to move and act differently.
Freer than a smile in a baby's sleepin' eyes
I am even more liberated than the pure joy found in the smile of a sleeping baby.
I'm free like a river
I am liberated like the movement of a river.
I'm free to be sure of what
I am free to have confidence in my beliefs.
I am and who I need not to be
I am free to be true to myself and not feel pressured by societal expectations.
I'm much freer, like the meaning of the word free that crazy man defines
I am even more liberated than the wildest interpretation of freedom.
Free, free like the vision that
My freedom is as limitless as my own visionary perceptions.
The mind of only you are ever gonna see
My unique vision is something that only I can truly experience.
Free like the river my life
I am as liberated as the flowing movement of a river, in every aspect of my life.
Goes on and on through infinity
My journey towards liberation is a never-ending flow through an infinite expanse of possibilities.
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!