For my youngest son - we sing the chorus together on long car rides. A beautiful song. The song seems to be about some drawn-out trial, but musically it has a child-like sweetness. Love the banjo. And kazoo.
As sure as clocks are bleeding time We'll show up early just to wait in line
For my oldest son - the winning performance prevents this song from becoming overly sentimental. An odd build-up, with the first verses being sung by others before Stevie enters. This song reminds me of my son, because of an episode of Taxi. Jim's father leaves him a recording of this song. A great gift from father to son.
In 1970, Stevie Wonder came up with a chord progression on the electric piano that appealed to him. It was a peculiar riff that revolved around the A flat/B flat scales. Shaping it into the classic ballad "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," the singer/songwriter/producer saved it until he began recording tracks that would become his Talking Book LP. It's unusual in that the first vocals heard are not those of Wonder, but those of singers Jim Gilstrap ("Swing Your Daddy") and Gloria Barley. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" went to number one pop, number three R&B, and number one adult contemporary in the spring of 1973. Nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, it won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The Talking Book album stayed at number one R&B for three weeks, going to number one pop, and also yielded "Superstition," "Maybe Your Baby," and "You and I." [allmusic]
Dedications
