Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally a… Read Full Bio ↴Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.

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.

Teach Me Tonight
Stevie Wonder Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Did you say I've got a lot to learn?
Well don't think I'm trying not to learn
Since this is the perfect spot to learn
Come on and teach me tonight

Starting with the abc of it
Right down to the xyz of it
Help me solve the mystery of it

I wanna be taught tonight

Because the sky's a blackboard
High above me
If a shooting star goes by
I'll use that star
To write I love you
A thousand times across the sky

One thing isn't very clear, my love yeah
Should that teacher stand so near, my love?
Graduation's almost here, my love
Come on and teach me tonight (oh yeah)

Hey, come on
Oh yeah, teach me tonight
Ahh, yeah yeah yeah
(Yeah yeah yeah)
Come on and teach me tonight, yeah

'Cause the sky's a blackboard
High above me
And if a shooting star goes by
I'll use that star
To write I love you
A thousand times across the sky

One thing isn't very clear, Stevie
Should the teacher stand so near? (Oh no)
Graduation's almost here
And I wanna be taught to tonight

Ah come on baby, yeah yeah yeah yeah
Come on and teach me tonight
Yes I will
Baby, baby, baby, yeah
Come on and teach me tonight
Yeah, I want you to teach me
Hey teach me
Hey teach me

Teach me
Teach me
Teach me
Teach me
Teach me baby

Yeah yeah
Yeah

Overall Meaning

In "Teach Me Tonight," Stevie Wonder speaks directly to a teacher or a lover, asking to be instructed in the ways of love. The song starts off with Stevie accepting that he still has much to learn when it comes to love and relationships. He sounds eager to learn, given that he's in the right place at the perfect time: tonight. He wants to start learning right from the basics, ABCs and from there, progressing upwards to XYZs. He wants to get into the very depths of the concepts of love, the mysteries that keep on puzzling everyone. In the second verse, Stevie takes the metaphor to a new level. "Because the sky's a blackboard high above me," he sings, using the sky above as an analogy for blank slate waiting to be filled. If a shooting star goes by, he vows to use it to write 'I love you' a thousand times across the sky, highlighting his eagerness to learn and express his love.

In the third verse, Stevie starts questioning whether the teacher/lover is really worth it. He worries about the grade, of what happens after he graduates. But ultimately, he decides to go with the flow and give it his all tonight. He sings, "Hey, come on. Oh yeah, teach me tonight. Ahh, yeah yeah yeah. (Yeah yeah yeah). Come on and teach me tonight, yeah" showing his willingness to let loose and try anything to learn.

Line by Line Meaning

Did you say I've got a lot to learn?
Am I lacking knowledge? Please do not assume that I do not want to learn.

Well don't think I'm trying not to learn
I want to learn, so please do not believe otherwise.

Since this is the perfect spot to learn
This current location is the most fitting one to acquire knowledge.

Come on and teach me tonight
Please impart knowledge upon me this evening.

Starting with the abc of it
Please instruct me starting with the basics.

Right down to the xyz of it
Please continue teaching me until the very end.

Help me solve the mystery of it
Assist me in comprehending the enigmatic aspects of the subject.

I wanna be taught tonight
Please teach me during this time frame.

Because the sky's a blackboard
The atmosphere above us provides a suitable background for learning.

High above me
The sky is situated in a superior location in relation to me.

If a shooting star goes by
If a comet-like celestial body passes by.

I'll use that star
I will employ the astronomical body to assist with my studies.

To write I love you
To scribe the affectionate expression.

A thousand times across the sky
Repeatedly throughout the expanse of the heavens.

One thing isn't very clear, my love yeah
There is still one aspect that remains uncertain, my beloved.

Should that teacher stand so near, my love?
Is it appropriate for the instructor to be in such close proximity, my dear?

Graduation's almost here, my love
The graduation ceremony is quickly approaching, my love.

Come on and teach me tonight (oh yeah)
Please instruct me at this time, oh yes.

Hey, come on
Hey, please initiate.

Oh yeah, teach me tonight
Oh yes, please teach me during this time frame.

Ahh, yeah yeah yeah
Interjection used to express excitement.

(Yeah yeah yeah)
Interjection used to express excitement.

Come on and teach me tonight, yeah
Please instruct me during this time, yeah.

'Cause the sky's a blackboard
The atmosphere above us serves as a suitable surface for learning.

And if a shooting star goes by
In the event that a comet-like celestial body passes by.

I'll use that star
I will utilize the astronomical body to assist with my studies.

To write I love you
To inscribe the expression of affection.

A thousand times across the sky
Repeatedly throughout the expanse of the heavens.

One thing isn't very clear, Stevie
There remains one point that is uncertain, Stevie.

Should the teacher stand so near? (Oh no)
Is it appropriate for the instructor to be in such close proximity? (Oh no)

Graduation's almost here
The graduation ceremony is nearly upon us.

And I wanna be taught to tonight
I desire to be instructed during this particular evening.

Ah come on baby, yeah yeah yeah yeah
Please initiate, my beloved, with enthusiasm expressed through interjections.

Come on and teach me tonight
Please impart knowledge upon me during this time.

Yes I will
Agreement to be taught.

Baby, baby, baby, yeah
Affectionate address to the beloved.

Come on and teach me tonight
Please instruct me during this time frame.

Yeah, I want you to teach me
Yes, I desire for you to impart knowledge upon me.

Hey teach me
Hey, please instruct me.

Teach me
Please impart knowledge upon me.

Teach me baby
Please impart knowledge upon me, my beloved.

Yeah yeah
Interjection expressing agreement.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sammy Cahn, Gene De Paul

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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