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I Wish (Stevie Wonder song)
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Wikipedia article
"'I Wish'" is a song by American singer Stevie Wonder. It was released in late 1976 as the lead single from his eighteenth album, 'Songs in the Key of Life' (1976). Written and produced by Wonder, the song focuses on his childhood from the 1950s into the early 1960s about how he wished he could go back and relive it. The single hit number one on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and soul singles chart. At the 19th Grammy Awards, Stevie Wonder won the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for this song.
Composition
Wonder recollected how the music for "I Wish" came to him:
The day I wrote it was a Saturday, the day of a Motown picnic in the summer of '76. God, I remember that because I was having this really bad toothache. It was ridiculous...I had such a good time at the picnic that I went to Crystal Recording Studio right afterward and the vibe came right to my mind running at the picnic, the contests, we all participated. It was a lot of fun ... and from that came the 'I Wish' vibe."
The lyrics came with more difficulty. The lyrics that wound up in the song deal with childhood and teenage experiences. But originally Wonder wanted to address broader topics. Wonder said he originally tried to incorporate "a lot of cosmic type stuff, spiritual stuff. But I couldnt do that 'cause the music was too much fun the words didnt have the fun of the track," and that he "couldn't come up with anything stronger than the chorus, 'I wish those days [claps] would [claps] come back once more.' Thank goodness we didn't change that."
For the television series 'Classic Albums', Wonder recreated a small section from the song to demonstrate how he composed and arranged it. He played the keyboards and drums himself, and used most of the musicians that recorded the original.
Reception
'Cash Box' said that the song was chosen as the lead single from 'Songs in the Key of Life' after "radio stations spent weeks determining which... cut the public wanted most" and "'I Wish' came out on top in terms of popularity and editability."
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
*Stevie Wonder discography
References
Category:1976 singles
Category:1976 songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Stevie Wonder songs
Category:Songs written by Stevie Wonder
Category:Motown singles
Category:Tamla Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder
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