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.
With A Child's Heart
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a child's heart
Go face the worries of the day
With a child's heart
Turn each problem into play
No need to worry
No need to fear
Makes it all so very clear
That with a child's heart
Nothing can ever get you down
With a child's heart
You've got no reason to frown
Love is as welcome
As a sunny, sunny day
No grown-up thoughts
To lead our hearts astray
Take life easy, easy, so easy
Like a child so gay and so carefree
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Love is as welcome
As a sunny, sunny day
The whole world smiles with you
As you go your merry way
'Cause with a child's heart
Nothing can ever get you down
With a child's heart
You got no reason to frown
The lyrics of Stevie Wonder's song With A Child's Heart resonate with hope and positivity, urging the listener to approach life's challenges with the carefree spirit of a child. The opening lines of the song reinforce this message, calling on the listener to "face the worries of the day" and "turn each problem into play." The lyrics suggest that by adopting a childlike perspective, we can remain unburdened by fear and anxiety.
The chorus of the song highlights the resilience and joy that come with a child's heart, proclaiming that "nothing can ever get you down" and "you've got no reason to frown" when you approach life this way. The lyrics equate the innocence and wonder of childhood with the ability to accept love and goodness without cynicism or doubt. The song encourages us to "take life easy, easy, so easy, like a child so gay and so carefree," reminding us that it's possible to find joy and peace in even the most challenging circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
With a child's heart
Approaching life with the innocence and wonder of a child.
Go face the worries of the day
Confronting problems head on, despite their potential to cause distress.
Turn each problem into play
Finding joy and exploration in difficult situations, rather than becoming bogged down by them.
No need to worry
Confidence in the moment and trust that everything will work out.
No need to fear
Unafraid of the unknown or uncertain future, with faith in oneself and one's ability to figure things out.
Just being alive
Simply existing and experiencing life is fulfilling and meaningful.
Makes it all so very clear
Life's purpose and beauty are self-evident and do not need to be sought out or analyzed.
Nothing can ever get you down
Maintaining a positive attitude and outlook, no matter what challenges may arise.
You've got no reason to frown
Genuine happiness and contentment come naturally when one approaches life with a childlike wonder and optimism.
Love is as welcome as a sunny, sunny day
Embracing love and joy wherever they are found, with the same enthusiasm as one would enjoy a beautiful day.
No grown-up thoughts to lead our hearts astray
Avoiding the cynicism, skepticism, and negativity that can come with age and experience, in order to preserve innocence and purity of heart.
Take life easy, easy, so easy
Approaching life with a relaxed and carefree demeanor, and eschewing unnecessary stress and tension.
Like a child so gay and so carefree
Living life with the same sense of freedom, lightness, and joy that characterize childhood playfulness.
The whole world smiles with you
Spreading joy and goodwill to others by radiating positivity and happiness.
'Cause with a child's heart
The previous lines are all examples of what it means to live with a childlike perspective on life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Victoria Basemore-Mccue
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
zarekwilliams 89
My mother favorite song she passed last year. She was 74 . She always Said, I love this song when I was young. Miss you Mama 💞🙏🙏
Jessie Lawrence
I'm 68 years young and this song still fills my heart with love and peace just like it did when I was 16 years young. I heard it when I first had a real child's crush on a girl and THOUGHT I was in love
Jessie Lawrence
This comment was from Billy Mitchell not Jessie Lawrence.
Nancy In the garden
Jessie Lawrence
I’m 63 and I would love to sing this out in the open for stressed out people as we are these days
That’s why I adore little ones
It shows me all I am inside
Love the harmonica played for my dying brother while he laughed and we were silly to all the songs we lived from the oldies station
Denise Page
No words. Tears of hope, joy, lives well lived and lost, dreams fulfilled and forgotten. I was a little girl when this was released and it moves me now as it did then
drumsport
Absolutely loved the instrumental version by The Bar-Kays. Ben Cauley's sweet blow on the solo section breaks my heart to this day. RIP Brother Ben.
2k Demiks
I’m 16 years old right now🙏🏽Blessings to you sir
auturo caesar
THIS song represents my first unadulterated "LOVE"...it's a wonderful place in my heart to this day! 🥰
JoAnne Sibley
This song has always been in my heart since I was a very young girl, I'm 74 years young.😆 and will love it still when I'm blessed to reach my 80 adolescents years.😆 ❤ .love you ,stevie !!!!
T. Jackson
Love Stevie!!🎙🎧🎶💞🎵💛