Part-Time Lover

Not to be confused with Night Time Lover or Part-Time Love.

"Part-Time Lover"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album In Square Circle
Released	September 1985
Recorded	Summer 1985
Genre	Pop, R&B, soul, synthpop
Length	Album version: 4:12 7" version: 3:43 12" version: 8:20
Label	Tamla
Writer(s)	Stevie Wonder
Producer	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Don't Drive Drunk" (1984) "Part-Time Lover" (1985) "That's What Friends Are For" (1985)
In Square Circle track listing "Part-Time Lover" (1) "I Love You Too Much" (2)

"Part-Time Lover" is a 1985 single by Stevie Wonder, from his album In Square Circle. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, dance and adult contemporary charts. The song's simultaneous chart success made him the first artist to score a number-one hit on four different Billboard charts. The song also reached number three on the UK singles chart. The song also featured R&B crooner Luther Vandross humming at the end of Stevie's verses and on backing vocals. Stevie Wonder earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1986, for the song. Wonder is noted in the liner notes of the 4-CD set "Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection Volume 2 1972-1992" as describing the music for the song as an ode to "You Can't Hurry Love" and "My World Is Empty Without You," both by The Supremes, former Motown label mates of Wonder.

Sampling

The bassline and humming was sampled for Tupac Shakur's "Part-time Mutha".

Cover versions

• Les brunettes, a Montréal Canada female trio, came with a Jazz (swing) version on their 2012 album "Les brunettes - EP"
• Montreal acoustic cover band The Lost Fingers recorded a cover of the song for their 2008 album Lost in the 80s.
• Reggae artist Tanya Stephens on her 1998 album Ruff Rider.
• The band, Copeland, covered the song on their album, Know Nothing Stays the Same
• Korean boy band JTL used the rhythm and melody of the song in the chorus of their song "One Night Lover" in their album "Enter the Dragon".
• Melissa M recorded a cover of this song in French, called "Elle", in her album "Avec Tout Mon Amour" (2007).
• René Simard recorded a cover of this song in French, called "Mon amour d'un soir", in 1985.
• An instrumental arrangement of the song is used for the closing credits of Korean comedy program Gag Concert.
• Puerto Rican salsa musician Bobby Valentin cover the song in 1986 which peaked at #23 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.
• Fausto Papetti made an instrumental cover of this song.
• ND, Kaizer Kaiz and Lil NeO from Sri Lanka made a Sinhala cover of this song (2012)

Personnel

• Backing vocals - Billy Durham, Darryl Phinnessee, Keith John, Melody McCully, Peter Byrne, Philip Bailey, Renee Hardaway, Syreeta Wright
• Backing vocals, additional lead vocals - Luther Vandross

See also

• List of RPM number-one singles of 1985
• List of number-one singles of 1985 (Ireland)
• List of number-one singles in 1985 (New Zealand)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1985 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B singles of 1985 (U.S.)
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1985 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance singles of 1985 (U.S.)

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics