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Uptight (Everything's Alright)

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Wikipedia article




"'Uptight (Everything's Alright)'" is a 1965 hit single recorded by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder for the Tamla (Motown) label. One of his most popular early singles, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" was the first hit single Wonder co-wrote.

A notable success, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" peaked at number 3 on the 'Billboard' Pop Singles chart in early 1966, at the same time reaching the top of the 'Billboard' R&B Singles chart for five weeks. 'Billboard' ranked it as the 59th biggest American hit of 1966. An accompanying album, 'Up-Tight' (1966), was rushed into production to capitalize on the single's success. It also garnered Wonder his first two career Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.

Background



The single was a watershed in Wonder's career for several reasons. Aside from the US number-one "Fingertips" (1963), only two of Wonder's singles, "Workout, Stevie, Workout" (1963) and "Hey Harmonica Man" (1964) had both peaked inside of the top forty of the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart, peaking at #33 and #29 on that chart respectively. And despite receiving a modicum of chart success, the then 15-year-old Wonder was in danger of being let go. In addition, Wonder's voice had begun to change, and Motown CEO Berry Gordy was worried that he would no longer be a commercially viable artist.

As it turned out, however, producer Clarence Paul found it easier to work with Wonder's now-mature tenor voice, and Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby set about writing a new song for the artist, based upon an instrumental riff Wonder had devised. Nelson George, in 'Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound',George, Nelson. 'Where Did Our Love Go?: the rise & fall of the Motown sound By Nelson George'. Omnibus Press, 2003. recorded that Wonder had also sought something based on the driving beat of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", after playing several dates with the Stones on tour and being impressed with the British band. As Wonder presented his ideas, finished or not, "he went through everything," remembered Moy. "I asked, 'Are you sure you don't have anything else?' He started singing and playing 'Everything is alright, uptight.' That was as much as he had. I said, 'That's it. Let's work with that.'"Mojo Magazine, January 1996, pg. 32 The resulting song, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", features lyrics which depict a poor young man's appreciation for a rich girl's seeing beyond his poverty to his true worth.

On the day of the recording, Moy had completed the lyrics, but didn't have them in Braille for Wonder to read, and so sang the song to him as he was recording it. She sang a line ahead of him, and he simply repeated the lines as he heard them. In 2008, Moy commented that "he never missed a beat" during the recording.'Martin Freeman Goes to Motown', BBC television, January 6, 2009

'Cash Box' described it as a "rhythmic, fast-moving, chorus backed pop-r&b ditty all about a lucky fella whos got the world on a string."

Personnel



*Stevie Wonder vocals, keyboards

*James Jamerson bass

*Benny Benjamin drums

*The Funk Brothers additional instrumentation

*Johnny Allen - horn arrangement

*The Andantes background vocals

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



Little Ole Man



A note-for-note re-recording of Wonder's version was used as the backing track for Bill Cosby's 1967 musical comedy single, "Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright)" which was a US#4 hit. Bill Cosby is not related to the song's co-writer Henry Cosby.

In popular culture



*A version by Nancy Wilson reached No. 84 later in 1966.

*The song also appears in the 1995 film 'Mr. Holland's Opus' and is featured on the soundtrack.

*The song appeared in the 2013 'Glee' tribute episode "Wonder-ful" as performed by Cassandra July (Kate Hudson).

*The song also appears in D-TV set to 'Donald's Double Trouble' and one bit of 'Woodland Caf'.

*Wonder's version appears in a 2019 TV commercial for Bank of America.

References



Category:1965 singles

Category:1966 singles

Category:2007 singles

Category:Stevie Wonder songs

Category:Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs

Category:The Supremes songs

Category:C. J. Lewis songs

Category:Songs written by Stevie Wonder

Category:Songs written by Sylvia Moy

Category:Songs written by Henry Cosby

Category:Tamla Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson

Category:Song recordings produced by Henry Cosby

Category:1965 songs

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