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.
Until You Come Back
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sit and wait in vain
I guess I'll rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
want to tell you Baby
The changes I've been going through
Missing you.
'Til you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Why did you have to decide
You had to set me free
I'm gonna swallow my pride
I'm gonna beg you to (please baby please) see me
I'm gonna walk by myself
Just to prove that my love is true
Oh, for you baby
'Til you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Living for you my dear
Is like living in a world of constant fear
In my plea, I've got to make you see
That our love is dying
Although your phone you ignore
Somehow I must explain
I'm gonna rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I'm gonna camp on your step
Until I get through to you
I've got to change your view baby
'Til you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
The lyrics to Stevie Wonder's 'Until You Come Back To Me' are a lamentation over a relationship that has ended, and the singer is desperate for his lover to return. Although the lover has stopped calling, the singer says he will wait for her by rapping on the door and tapping on the window pane. He wants to express how much he’s been missing her and the changes he’s been undergoing during their separation. He sings about how he will continue to wait for her until she comes back to him. He admits that he may have caused the break up by swallowing his pride, but he pleads with her to give him another chance, because his love for her is constant.
The chorus of the song is a representation of the singer's devotion to his lover as he repeats the phrase "Until You Come Back To Me" multiple times. To emphasize his willingness to wait for her, the lyrics contain the metaphor that he will "camp on your step", as a symbol of how he’ll remain persistent and determined to have her back.
The song contains complex lyrics conveying the pain and desperation of the singer’s feelings of abandonment and fear of never seeing his lover again. Stevie Wonder is famous for his creative songwriting skills, and this song is no exception. It depicts a feeling that many people have felt after a break-up, a combination of yearning and fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Though you don't call anymore
Even though you no longer call me on the phone
I sit and wait in vain
I spend my time waiting for your call, even though I know it's unlikely
I guess I'll rap on your door
I might as well knock on your door to try to see you
Tap on your window pane
I could also tap on your window to get your attention
want to tell you Baby
I want to communicate with you, my love
The changes I've been going through
I want to update you on the recent developments in my life
Missing you.
I've realized how much I miss you since you left
Listen you
Please listen to me
'Til you come back to me
I'll continue to wait for you to return
That's what I'm gonna do
That's my plan
Why did you have to decide
I'm wondering why you made the decision you did
You had to set me free
You felt you had to end our relationship
I'm gonna swallow my pride
I'm going to put aside my ego in order to try to reconcile with you
I'm gonna beg you to (please baby please) see me
I will plead with you to give me a chance, begging you to see me
I'm gonna walk by myself
I'll try to move on, even though it's hard
Just to prove that my love is true
I want to demonstrate that my feelings for you are genuine, even if we're not together
Oh, for you baby
I'm doing all of this for you, my love
'Til you come back to me
I'll continue to wait for you to return
That's what I'm gonna do
That's my plan
Living for you my dear
My whole life is centered around you, my love
Is like living in a world of constant fear
It's a scary thought to live without you, my love
In my plea, I've got to make you see
I need you to understand how important you are to me
That our love is dying
Our relationship is at risk of ending completely
Although your phone you ignore
Even if you continue to ignore my calls
Somehow I must explain
I need to find a way to make you understand
I'm gonna rap on your door
I'll knock on your door, hoping you'll answer
Tap on your window pane
Or I could try tapping on your window to get your attention
I'm gonna camp on your step
I'll wait outside your home, determined to see you
Until I get through to you
I won't leave until we've talked and resolved our issues
I've got to change your view baby
I need to change your perception of our relationship, my love
'Til you come back to me
I'll continue to wait for you to return
That's what I'm gonna do
That's my plan
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VICTOR REDWOOD-SAWYERR, HILARY MWELWA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dal Santos
STEVIE WONDER lyrics : "Until You Come Back To Me"
Though you don't call anymore
I sit and wait in vain
I guess I'll rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I want to tell you Baby
The changes I've been going through
Missing you.
Listen you
'till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Why did you have to decide
You had to set me free
I'm gonna swallow my pride
I'm gonna beg you to (please baby please) see me
I'm gonna walk by meself
Just to prove that my love is true
Oh, for you baby
'till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Living for you my dear
Is like living in a world of constant fear
In my plea, I've got to make you see
That our love is dying
Although your phone you ignore
Somehow I must explain
I'm gonna rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I'm gonna camp on your step
Until I get through to you
I've got to change your view baby
'till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Thomas Rodrigues
Though you don't call anymore
I sit and wait in vain
I guess I'll rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I want to tell you Baby
The changes I've been going through
Missing you.
Until you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Why did you have to decide
You had to set me free
I'm gonna swallow my pride
I'm gonna beg you to please see me
I'm gonna walk by myself
Just to prove that my love is true
Oh, for you baby
Until you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Living for you my dear
Is like living in a world of constant fear
In my plea, I've got to make you see
That our love is dying
Although your phone you ignore
Somehow I must explain
I'm gonna rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I'm gonna camp on your steps
Until I get through to you
I've got to change your view baby
Until you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Brian Ross
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"
Aretha Franklin CB.jpg
Single by Aretha Franklin
from the album Let Me in Your Life
B-side "If You Don't Think"
Released November 1973
Genre Soul
Length 3:28
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s) Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, Stevie Wonder
Producer(s) Jerry Wexler
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The most well-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling, top 10 hit, on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard's R&B chart. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974.[1] It became an RIAA gold record.[2]
Bizz
Oh my....
A young Stevie's voice. For a 15 year old to compose these lyrics? Pure creative genius!
Kurt Adams
Totally agree
Mark Dickinson
It’s beyond genius - he is a gift from god - I’m not religious at all
DrChicago
Two other guys co-wrote it with him.
Andrea Scott
Lol in an interview with Letterman he says it was written when he was 13😳... Released later 😳
Ruthie M Spangenberg
Yes, he was born with incredible talent! A beautiful soul with musical talent! A true gift from Heaven if you will. ✨**•.✨♪♫¸¸💖¸♪♫.¸✨•**✨
DeshaunX
Why do people have to pit Stevie's version against Aretha's? They were great friends, and Stevie was honored for her to have recorded it. The two versions are quite different. Stevie's sounds like a teenage boy who wants the girl who dumped him to take him back. Aretha's version sounds like a grown woman who met the love of her life, acted selfishly, lost him, and may not ever love again. Both are great.
ohioplayer
@Sir Swiftus W. Funkellwerk stevies version vs o'bryans verson...no comparison
Leigh Burton
Because Stevie Wonder's version was better!
Inner Visions
Nobody puts Aretha in the corner!