He's Misstra Know-It-All
| "He's Misstra Know-It-All" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Stevie Wonder | ||||
| from the album Innervisions | ||||
| B-side | "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" | |||
| Released | April 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Soul, pop [1] | |||
| Length | 3:25 (single version) 5:38 (album version) | |||
| Label | Tamla | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Stevie Wonder | |||
| Stevie Wonder singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"He's Misstra Know-It-All" is a single by Stevie Wonder for the Tamla (Motown) label, from his Innervisions album, which reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1974.[2] The song takes the form of a mellow ballad with a steady beat, principally a solo performance with Wonder providing lead vocal, background vocal, piano, drums, handclaps and congas. Ethereal flute-like sounds are provided by his TONTO modular synthesiser. Willie Weeks, on electric bass, is the only other musician. Towards the end of the song the mood changes to a stronger feel, more strident singing and with hand-claps emphasising the beat, half-beat and quarter-beat.
The song was released again in 1977 in both the UK and US as the B-side to "Sir Duke".
The song is essentially a long description of a know-it-all confidence trickster character who is a "man with a plan", who has a slick answer to all his critics and who has "a counterfeit dollar in his hand." It has been alleged that this is a reference to United States' President Richard Nixon.[3]
Track list
A. "He's Misstra Know-It-All" – 3:25 (Stevie Wonder)
B. "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover" (Wonder, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy)[4]
Personnel
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, piano, drums, handclaps, TONTO synthesizer, congas
- Willie Weeks – electric bass
Covers
- Danny Grant, from his album The Light Of Day
- Moxy Früvous, from their album Fruvous Live
- Heleen van den Hombergh, from her album Here, There & Everywhere[5]
- Eric van Aro, from her album Friends
- The Synthesizer Rock Orchestra, from their album The Synthesizer Rock Orchestra Plays Phil Collins And Stevie Wonder[6]
References
- ^ John McFerrin. "Stevie Wonder- Innervisions". Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- ^ "ChartArchive - Stevie Wonder". 23 July 2012. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Arthur Chappell, The Story In The Song - Stevie Wonder - He's Misstra Know It All, Bubblews
- ^ "Stevie Wonder – He's Misstra Know It All" at Discogs.
- ^ "Covers of Stevie Wonder Songs". www.steviewonder.org.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ^ "The Synthesizer Rock Orchestra* - The Synthesizer Rock Orchestra Plays Phil Collins And Stevie Wonder". Discogs. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
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