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.
Front Line
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I up and joined the army back in nineteen-sixty-four
At sixteen, I just had to be a man at any cost
I volunteered for Vietnam, where I got my leg shot off
I recall a quote form a movie that said "who's more a man
Than a man with a reason that's worth dyin' for?"
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They gave me a uniform and a tiny salty pill
To stop the big urge I might have for the wrong kind of thrill
They put a gun in my hand and said "shoot until he's dead"
But it's hard to kill when "please, I'm your friend" echoes through your head
Brought up in church taught no man should take another's life
But then put in the jungle where life has no price, no
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Back in the world, the paper reads today
Another war is in the brewing
But what about the lives of yesterday?
And the many happy families that have been ruined?
My niece is a hooker and my nephew's a junkie, too
But they say I have no right to tell them how they should do
They laugh and say quit "braggin' 'bout the war you should have never been in"
But my mind is so brainwashed I'd probably go back and do it again
I walk the neighborhood, parading my purple heart
With a fear of agent orange that no one will stop, no
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Would you believe I do?
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Stevie Wonder's "Front Line" is a powerful song about the devastating effects of war and its impact on soldiers. In the first verse, the singer describes himself as a young man who joined the army in 1964 at the age of 16, hoping to prove his manhood. He volunteered for Vietnam and lost his leg in the conflict. The quote from the movie emphasizes the idea of standing up for one's beliefs and one's country, even in the face of danger and possible death.
The second verse reveals the brutality of war and the challenges faced by soldiers. The singer is forced to take a tiny pill to suppress his natural urges and is given a gun and ordered to kill. Though he was raised in a church where it was taught that no one should take another's life, he was sent to the jungles of Vietnam, where human life had no value. The repetition of the line "they had me standing on the front line" emphasizes the singer's feeling of being used as a tool of war.
In the final verse, the singer has returned home from the war to a world that no longer values or respects him. His family is broken, and he struggles to cope with the psychological damage of his experiences in Vietnam. Despite everything, he still feels a sense of loyalty to the military, parading his purple heart around the neighborhood. The lyrics suggest that war not only destroys lives overseas, but it also has long-lasting effects on the soldiers who fight them.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a veteran of the war
I served in the military during a war
I up and joined the army back in nineteen-sixty-four
I enlisted in the army in 1964 without hesitation
At sixteen, I just had to be a man at any cost
At 16, I felt the need to prove my manhood at any cost
I volunteered for Vietnam, where I got my leg shot off
I chose to go fight in Vietnam and ended up getting shot in the leg
I recall a quote form a movie that said "who's more a man
Than a man with a reason that's worth dyin' for?"
I remember a movie quote that said a man is truly a man when he has a reason worth dying for.
They had me standing on the front line
I was placed in the most dangerous position during battle
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
In civilian life, I feel like I'm not progressing or achieving as much as I should be.
They gave me a uniform and a tiny salty pill
To stop the big urge I might have for the wrong kind of thrill
They gave me medication to suppress my natural instincts to do things that could endanger myself or others.
They put a gun in my hand and said "shoot until he's dead"
But it's hard to kill when "please, I'm your friend" echoes through your head
I was trained to kill, but it's difficult when I can hear the voice of my potential victim pleading for my mercy.
Brought up in church taught no man should take another's life
But then put in the jungle where life has no price, no
I was brought up with the belief that taking someone's life is wrong, but in the jungle of war, life has no value.
Back in the world, the paper reads today
Another war is in the brewing
But what about the lives of yesterday?
And the many happy families that have been ruined?
Now that I'm back home, I read about yet another war brewing, but what about the families affected by past wars?
My niece is a hooker and my nephew's a junkie, too
But they say I have no right to tell them how they should do
They laugh and say quit "braggin' 'bout the war you should have never been in"
My own family members have fallen into negative lifestyles, but they don't think I have the right to give them advice because of my experiences in the war.
But my mind is so brainwashed I'd probably go back and do it again
Despite the negative experiences, I've been conditioned to think that going back to war is the right thing to do.
I walk the neighborhood, parading my purple heart
With a fear of agent orange that no one will stop, no
I show off my military honors in my neighborhood, but I'm also scared of the effects of the toxic herbicide Agent Orange, which nobody seems to be addressing.
Would you believe I do?
Do you believe my story and understand the struggles that war veterans face?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVIE WONDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joao Arminio
I am a veteran of the war
I up and joined the army back in nineteen-sixty-four
At sixteen, I just had to be a man at any cost
I volunteered for Vietnam, where I got my leg shot off
I recall a quote form a movie that said "who's more a man
Than a man with a reason that's worth dyin' for?"
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They gave me a uniform and a tiny salty pill
To stop the big urge I might have for the wrong kind of thrill
They put a gun in my hand and said "shoot until he's dead"
But it's hard to kill when "please, I'm your friend" echoes through your head
Brought up in church taught no man should take another's life
But then put in the jungle where life has no price, no
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Back in the world, the paper reads today
Another war is in the brewing
But what about the lives of yesterday?
And the many happy families that have been ruined?
My niece is a hooker and my nephew's a junkie, too
But they say I have no right to tell them how they should do
They laugh and say quit "braggin' 'bout the war you should have never been in"
But my mind is so brainwashed I'd probably go back and do it again
I walk the neighborhood, parading my purple heart
With a fear of agent orange that no one will stop, no
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Would you believe I do?
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
BigBlueBeast
This is one of Stevie's good songs that does not get a lot of attention.
Daniel trujillo
Just another masterpiece by a true American music legend
Cessaly D Hutchinson
Yep! Now my war cry to SHUT DOWN THE CIA WAR MACHINE!
Carson CA Summer 1982.
Paul Manweller1
“Brought up in church not to take a life. Got put in a jungle we’re life as no price”. Pure genius
Joao Arminio
I am a veteran of the war
I up and joined the army back in nineteen-sixty-four
At sixteen, I just had to be a man at any cost
I volunteered for Vietnam, where I got my leg shot off
I recall a quote form a movie that said "who's more a man
Than a man with a reason that's worth dyin' for?"
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They gave me a uniform and a tiny salty pill
To stop the big urge I might have for the wrong kind of thrill
They put a gun in my hand and said "shoot until he's dead"
But it's hard to kill when "please, I'm your friend" echoes through your head
Brought up in church taught no man should take another's life
But then put in the jungle where life has no price, no
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Back in the world, the paper reads today
Another war is in the brewing
But what about the lives of yesterday?
And the many happy families that have been ruined?
My niece is a hooker and my nephew's a junkie, too
But they say I have no right to tell them how they should do
They laugh and say quit "braggin' 'bout the war you should have never been in"
But my mind is so brainwashed I'd probably go back and do it again
I walk the neighborhood, parading my purple heart
With a fear of agent orange that no one will stop, no
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Would you believe I do?
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Jeff Bunn
<3
Sandra Carter
Thank you for talking the time to write down the lyrics to thís Awesome Powerful Song of the Genius Mr. Stevie Wonder ❤️💛💚🖤🇨🇬🇦🇪🇧🇯🇨🇴🇩🇪🇦🇴🇧🇴🇨🇬🎶💦🎶❤️💛💚🖤🙏🏿🙏🏿
Dwight Baker
That's good as it gets
Emily M
Love the riff ....wanna get lost in the rocknroll and drift away ! Thank God for Stevie Wonder ♡
Trent Davis
A seriously underrated cut from 1982....lyrically strong and funky!!