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.
I'm More Than Happy
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cursed my pride
Smashed my dreams
Then threw me aside oh baby yeah
Holy only blessed me when she put me down
Heaven smiled on me when you I found
You gave this life of mine a bright new chance
For each tear that she may cry
It's too late now
(To late now)
For each sweet little lullaby
It's too late now
(Too late now)
'Cause I'm more than happy girl I'm satisfied
And I more than love you girl I idolise you
She can beg and plead swear up what she needs
But I'll leave you never, I love you forever
You pick me up from by the wayside
Wiped the dust from my walked on pride
You are the one that patched up all my dreams
Showed me what a true heart really means
For that baby talk, she talks
It's too late now
(Too late now)
For that wiggly walk she walks
It's too late now
(Too late now)
'Cause I'm more than happy girl I'm satisfied
And I'll never never never leave my baby's side
With you I remain
She can't break the chains
That binds us together
I'll love you forever
I love you, I love you, I love you love baby
Beverly might as well go on her away
Her magic touch faded with yesterday
You're the sweetest thing under the sun
And now that I found you
I'm sure holding on
'Cause I love you baby
Really need you baby
Really want you baby
Sure ain't gonna leave you baby
And I'm more than happy girl I'm satisfied
And I more than love you girl I idolise you
('Cause I'm more than happy, girl, I'm satisfied)
'Cause I love you baby, and I need you baby
(And I never, never, never leave your side)
Ooh, don't go and I love you, sure ain't gonna leave you baby
('Cause I'm more than happy girl, I'm satisfied)
And I more than love you, said I need you baby
(And I more than love you girl, I idolize you)
Ooh, have mercy I love you
The lyrics of "I'm More Than Happy" by Stevie Wonder express the artist's gratitude towards his partner for having mended his life and dreams, which were shattered by an ex-lover, Beverly. The first verse describes the pain and heartache caused by Beverly's actions, with her having cursed his pride, smashed his dreams, and then discarded him. However, the chorus presents a contrasting picture with Wonder stating that he is more than happy and satisfied with his current partner, and he idolizes her.
The second verse brings in the idea of fate or destiny, with Wonder believing that heaven smiled on him when he found his current partner. Meanwhile, Beverly's attempts to return to their lives no longer hold any power over them. He commends his current partner for uplifting him and providing a new chance in life. The lyrics convey a sense of confidence and assurance that his current partner is the one he intends to be with forever, as he pledges to never leave her side.
Overall, the song is a love letter to Wonder's partner, with the lyrics expressing gratitude for the transformative effect of being in a loving relationship. The chorus is the most striking part, as its repetition emphasizes the extent of his love for his partner, and his appreciation for the happiness she brings.
Line by Line Meaning
She wrecked my life
She caused destruction in my life
Cursed my pride
She cursed my sense of self-worth
Smashed my dreams
She destroyed my aspirations
Then threw me aside oh baby yeah
She discarded me after causing so much harm
Holy only blessed me when she put me down
Divine intervention only occurred when I was brought down by her
Heaven smiled on me when you I found
I felt blessed when I met you
You gave this life of mine a bright new chance
You gave me a new opportunity to live a better life
Now Beverly's is back to upset our plans
Beverly's return is causing complications in our plans
For each tear that she may cry
It's too late now
(To late now)
It's too late for Beverly to regret her actions and try to make up for them with tears
For each sweet little lullaby
It's too late now
(Too late now)
Beverly's attempts to comfort and soothe are too late now
'Cause I'm more than happy girl I'm satisfied
And I more than love you girl I idolise you
I'm very content and happy with you, and I adore you more than just loving you
She can beg and plead swear up what she needs
But I'll leave you never, I love you forever
Beverly can beg and plead all she wants, but it won't make me leave you because I'll love you forever
You pick me up from by the wayside
Wiped the dust from my walked on pride
You are the one that patched up all my dreams
Showed me what a true heart really means
You helped me when I was at my lowest, mended my self-esteem, fixed my shattered dreams, and showed me what true love is
For that baby talk, she talks
It's too late now
(Too late now)
Beverly's attempts to sweet-talk are too late now
For that wiggly walk she walks
It's too late now
(Too late now)
Beverly's attempts to charm her way back are too late now
'Cause I'm more than happy girl I'm satisfied
And I'll never never never leave my baby's side
I'm very content and happy with you, and I'll never leave your side
With you I remain
She can't break the chains
That binds us together
I'll love you forever
I'll remain with you, and Beverly cannot break the strong bond that we have, and I'll love you forever
I love you, I love you, I love you love baby
I love you so much
Beverly might as well go on her away
Her magic touch faded with yesterday
Beverly can go away, as her charm has worn off
You're the sweetest thing under the sun
And now that I found you
I'm sure holding on
You are the most wonderful thing in this world, and I will never let go of you now that I've found you
'Cause I love you baby
Really need you baby
Really want you baby
Sure ain't gonna leave you baby
I love you so much, I really need you, I really want you, and I'm never gonna leave you
And I'm more than happy girl I'm satisfied
And I more than love you girl I idolise you
('Cause I'm more than happy, girl, I'm satisfied)
'Cause I love you baby, and I need you baby
(And I never, never, never leave your side)
Ooh, don't go and I love you, sure ain't gonna leave you baby
('Cause I'm more than happy girl, I'm satisfied)
And I more than love you, said I need you baby
(And I more than love you girl, I idolize you)
Ooh, have mercy I love you
I'm very content and happy with you, and I adore you more than just loving you - I love you so much, really need you, really want you, and I'm never gonna leave you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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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!