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.
Something Out Of The Blue
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Peace I could not find
Then something out of the blue
Said I needed you
Time swept me away
Merged me into pain
Then something out of the blue
Oh what joy it bring to me
To know that heavens round
Oh what gladness in my heart
To know my loves been found
Now where hope was lost
Loves paid the cost
And something out of the blue
Said my love is you
Something out of the blue
Said I needed you
Something out of the blue
Stevie Wonder's song Something Out Of The Blue is a romantic ballad about a person who had been struggling to find peace and had been swept into pain by time. Suddenly, out of the blue, they realize that what they had been missing was love and the person they needed was the one they were singing to. The lyrics are simple and direct, but the melody is rich and emotional.
The song starts with the singer opening up their mind but still being unable to find peace. They're lost and searching for something, until something unexpected happens out of the blue. They are told that they need someone, and that person is the one they end up falling in love with. The joy that comes with realizing that love has been found is immense and fills the singer's heart with gladness. Where hope was once lost, love has now paid the cost, and they know that the love they've found is everything they ever needed.
Something Out Of The Blue is a testament to the power of love to heal and to bring happiness. The lyrics are simple, but the message is powerful and universal. The song is a reminder that it's often the unexpected moments that bring the greatest joy, and that love can come from the most unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
I opened up my mind
I tried to find inner peace and clarity of thought
Peace I could not find
Despite searching, I failed to find the serenity I was looking for
Then something out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly,
Said I needed you
I realized that I needed you in my life to find true happiness
Time swept me away
The passage of time took its toll on me
Merged me into pain
This was compounded by the suffering I experienced
Then something out of the blue
Once more, out of nowhere,
Said you need me too
I discovered that you needed me in your life as well
Oh what joy it bring to me
This realization filled me with immense pleasure and delight
To know that heavens round
I felt enveloped by a sense of divine presence and guidance
Oh what gladness in my heart
The happiness I felt in my heart was boundless
To know my loves been found
I finally found the love and companionship I had always longed for
Now where hope was lost
Despite having given up on finding love
Loves paid the cost
I was rewarded for my perseverance and determination to find love
And something out of the blue
Once again, something completely unexpected happened
Said my love is you
I realized that the love I had been searching for all along was you
Something out of the blue
This unexpected and magical turn of events brought me to you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SYREETA WRIGHT, 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!