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 Don't Know Why I Love You
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know why I love you
I don't know why I love you
But I love you
Always treat me like a fool
Kick me when I'm down that's your rule
I don't know why I love you
Oh you never stop your
Cheatin ways with another guy
You laugh in my face
Lord how long must I be disgraced
Cause I love you
Oh baby, baby, baby
I don't know why I love you
I don't know
You and me baby, oh
I don't know why I love you baby
But I love you baby
Oh darlin, darlin, darlin
You throw my heart down in the dirt
You made me crawl on
This cold black earth, baby
No I never, I never knew
How much love could hurt
Until I loved you baby
Till I loved you baby, baby
Oh baby, I can't stop
I can't stop crying can't you see
Here I'm pleadin on my knees
I'm on my knees
Won't you help me, help me please
Cause I love you, I love you baby
Sure enough, baby, yeah
I don't know, you don't know
We don't know none of us
Can't do nothing about it
I don't know, I don't know
Oh baby, I don't know, I don't know
Nobody can do nothing about it
The lyrics to Stevie Wonder’s “I Don’t Know Why” explore the perplexing nature of love, particularly in situations where someone is treated poorly by their partner. Wonder laments about how despite his lover treating him like a fool and cheating on him with another guy, he still loves her deeply. He expresses his pain and heartbreak when she throws his heart down in the dirt and makes him crawl on the cold black earth, feelings which he never knew could exist before he fell in love with her.
Throughout the song, Wonder grapples with the question of why he loves this person who mistreats him, admitting that he simply doesn’t know why. Despite his confusion, he can’t help but plead for her help and love, singing, “Won't you help me, help me please? Cause I love you, I love you baby.” The song speaks to the intense emotional rollercoaster that love can be and the struggle to navigate our feelings when they don’t always make sense.
Overall, “I Don’t Know Why” is a poignant love song that explores the messy, complex nature of falling in love and how it can be incredibly confusing yet simultaneously irresistible.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why I love you
The singer is unsure why they feel such strong affection towards the subject of the song.
But I love you
Despite their uncertainty, the singer is certain of one thing - they love the person they are singing about.
Always treat me like a fool
The subject of the song does not treat the singer well; they feel disrespected and foolish in their presence.
Kick me when I'm down that's your rule
The subject of the song takes advantage of the artist's vulnerability and enjoys making them feel worse when they are already struggling.
Oh you never stop your
The subject of the song continuously engages in negative behavior towards the artist.
Cheatin ways with another guy
The subject of the song is unfaithful and engages in romantic relationships with other people outside of their relationship with the singer.
You laugh in my face
The subject of the song takes pleasure in the singer's pain and openly ridicules them.
Lord how long must I be disgraced
The artist feels humiliated by the subject of the song's actions and wonders how much longer they will have to endure such treatment.
You throw my heart down in the dirt
The subject of the song is emotionally abusive and disregards the artist's feelings, causing them great pain.
You made me crawl on
The negative behavior of the subject of the song has reduced the artist to a lower status or has caused them to act in a way that is beneath them.
This cold black earth, baby
The situation between the singer and the subject of the song is portrayed as a harsh, desolate environment where the singer feels alone and abandoned.
No I never, I never knew
The artist was not aware of how much pain love could bring them before experiencing a relationship with the subject of the song.
How much love could hurt
The intensity of the singer's love for the subject of the song has caused them great emotional pain.
Until I loved you baby
The source of the singer's pain is their love for the subject of the song.
Oh baby, I can't stop
The singer feels powerless to stop their love for the subject of the song, even though that love causes them pain.
I can't stop crying can't you see
The artist is visibly and audibly distressed by their love for the subject of the song.
Here I'm pleadin on my knees
The artist is desperate for the subject of the song to change their behavior and treat them better.
Won't you help me, help me please
The singer is asking for the subject of the song to intervene and provide assistance with ending the toxic and painful nature of their relationship.
Nobody can do nothing about it
Despite the singer's distress, they feel helpless and powerless to change the situation between themselves and the subject of the song.
Writer(s): Don Powell Hunter, Paul Riser, Lula Mae Hardaway, Stevie Wonder
Contributed by Charlotte F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@brittanygarrison8030
Stevie never cared for this song but it's my favorite of all his masterpieces. Prettiest voice I've ever heard. He is a gift from God.
@abraxaseyes87
The peak is amazing
@anthonyaustin2166
I grew up listening to stevie ..saw him in concert aged 18 and only heard this track just a few days ago at the ripe old age of 54 and it was worth the wait x
@richarddutchholland4780
I heard this on the radio for the first time ever today and I now do believe it’s my favourite Stevie Wonder song and probably my favourite Motown track of all time, all in the space of a couple of hours......
@eradeziel
Is that right? I didn't know that, this is one of my favourite songs.
@stillspooky
@@eradeziel You should hear the Rollings Stones cover of it
@esperwarlord
I love at the end how he just starts to lose his breath and gasp for air but still keeps on singing because HE HAS TO LET THIS GIRL KNOW HOW HE FEELS. Truly amazing. I love singing this song out loud to myself.
@majordan1000
Never really thought of it that way I always believed it was part of the message, either way work of art. Glad you noticed and mentioned. The reason I say this is because it's noticeable in the early stage also, not as much in the latter.
@alexhunter-meier
a real doormat guy he was if it is true
@9999bigb
And he was like 17 when he wrote this. No big deal