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.

Travelin' Man
Stevie Wonder Lyrics

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Something deep inside of me
Keeps me moving aimlessly
I've always been I'll always be
A lonely travelin' man
Something that I can't explain
Holding me from wind and rain
Wild and free and hard to tame
A lonely travelin' man

Travelin' man
Travelin' man
Got no goal, got no plan
Just an old worn out heart in my hand

Travelin' man
Travelin' man
I'll get there any way I can
I'm just an uninspired tired out travelin' man

Please don't ask me where I've been
I've been alone through thick and thin
On the outside looking in
A lonely travelin' man

Something that I haven't found
Keeps me seeking green around
Moving on from town to town
A lonely travelin' man

Travelin' man
Travelin' man
Got no goal, got no plan
Just an old worn out heart in my hand

Travelin' man
Travelin' man
I'll get there any way I can
I'm just an uninspired tired out travelin' man

Sing it with me
Travelin' man
Travelin' man
Got no goal, got no plan
Just an old worn out heart in my hand

Yeah
Travelin' man
Travelin' man

I'll get there anyway I can
I'm just an uninspired tired out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stevie Wonder's Travelin' Man describe the life of a man who feels lost and restless. He is consumed by a desire to keep moving, without any clear direction or goal in mind. He recognizes that this desire is something that he cannot fully comprehend or explain, yet it drives him to keep moving forward. This has always been a part of his character and will continue to be so, making him a "lonely" traveler. The phrase "wild and free and hard to tame" suggests that he is a free spirit who cannot be tied down by the constraints of a conventional life.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Travelin' Man" multiple times, emphasizing the singer's continuous movement. He admits that he does not have a plan or goal, but instead carries an "old worn out heart" in his hand. The lyrics imply that this heart may be weary from his travels and the emotional toll of loneliness and uncertainty. Despite this, the travelin' man remains persistent, declaring that he will get wherever he needs to be "any way [he] can," even if he is "uninspired" and "tired."

Overall, the song captures the restless spirit of a man who is never content with staying in one place for too long. He is always seeking something, even if he cannot explain what that is. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is both determined and yet vulnerable, suggesting that his travels have taken a toll on his heart and spirit.

Travelin' ManStevie Wonder Lyrics

Cheryl Rowland Hall

on Isn't She Lovely

Travelin' Man
Stevie Wonder Lyrics