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Overjoyed (Stevie Wonder song)

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"Overjoyed"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album In Square Circle
B-side"Instrumental"
Released1985[1]
Recorded1985
Genre
Length3:41
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Part-Time Lover"
(1985) 		"Overjoyed"
(1985) 		"Land of La La"
(1986)

"Overjoyed" is a hit single written and performed by American R&B singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder on the Tamla (Motown) label from his 1985 album In Square Circle. The single peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1986, remaining in the Top 40 for six weeks. In addition, "Overjoyed" was a No. 1 hit on the adult contemporary chart, the eighth (and, to date, last) of his career.[3] An alternate single release featured an instrumental version on the B-side.[4]

The song was written for the 1979 album Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants", but was left off the album and re-recorded for the 1985 album In Square Circle. In the liner notes for the song, "crickets, nightingale & additional bird sounds, ocean, pebbles in pond, stone dropped, crushing leaves" are listed under "environmental percussion". The song was first performed live on the May 7, 1983, episode of Saturday Night Live, where Wonder was the host and musical guest.

Billboard said that it "dresses Wonder's usual wordplay in unusual audio effects."[5]

Personnel

[edit]
  • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, acoustic piano, environmental percussion (incl.: crickets, bird sounds, ocean, pebbles in pond, stone dropped, crushing leaves), Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer
  • Earl Klugh – guitar
  • Paul Riser – string arrangement

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Belgium Music chart 33
Canada (RPM) 55
Ireland music Chart 10
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[6] 17
US Billboard Hot 100 24
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 1
US Billboard R&B Singles 8

Cover versions

[edit]
  • Bassist Stanley Clarke recorded a cover for his 1986 album Hideaway.[7]
  • Diana Ross covered it for her 1994 Christmas album, A Very Special Season.
  • Mary J. Blige recorded a cover of the song in the late 1990's, produced and arranged by Wonder himself.[8] It debuted in a 1999 Air Jordan XV commercial,[9] and Blige subsequently performed it during the 2000 NBA All-Star Game halftime show[10] in February 2000 as well as during The BET 20th Anniversary Celebration in May 2000.[11] It was first released in 2000 on a Japan-exclusive compilation, Ballads, and later released worldwide in 2003 on the Stevie Wonder tribute album, Conception: An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs.[12]
  • Jane Monheit included a cover of the song in her 2007 album Surrender.
  • Grover Washington Jr. included the song in his 1994 album All My Tomorrows.
  • Bass virtuoso Victor Wooten included an instrumental cover of the song on his 1996 album A Show of Hands.
  • R&B group Profyle covered the song on their 1999 debut album, Whispers in the Dark.
  • Guitarist Blake Aaron covered the song on his 2002 album With Every Touch.[13]
  • Belgian-French singer Viktor Lazlo recorded the song for her 2002 album Amour(s).[14]
  • In 2009, jazz artist Esperanza Spalding covered the song at the White House at an event to commemorate Stevie Wonder's music.[15]
  • Progressive metal guitarist Drewsif Stalin recorded a cover of the song for his 2011 EP, Excursion.
  • A version of the song by British pop group Steps appears on their 2012 festive-themed album, Light Up the World.
  • In 2011-2014 Canadian singer Celine Dion performed a cover of the song on select dates of her residency show in Las Vegas, Celine as a virtual duet with Stevie Wonder. Wonder appeared alongside Celine Dion singing a new duet cover version on her 2013 studio album Loved Me Back to Life. This version was produced by Tricky Stewart.[16] Jon Maranica of the New York Times called the cover "the most decadent move on the album (Loved Me Back to Life.) Mr. Wonder, lush and flexible, is the exact opposite of Ms. Dion as a singer. On paper, it's a severe mismatch. But Ms. Dion isn't out of tricks — when Mr. Wonder shimmies, she shimmies back, dodging her own shadow."[17] Stephen Erlewine of AllMusic noted in his review on the corresponding album that Dion was "expanding to something a little more modern and something with a subtle but palpable R&B undercurrent. This soulful streak surfaces on the duets ('Overjoyed' and 'Incredible.')"[18]
  • Bassist Nathan East covered the song in 2014 on his self entitled album, Nathan East, with Stevie Wonder himself playing the harmonica.
  • Evan McKeel performed a cover of this song during the second night of the live shows of The Voice (USA) season 9, aired November 10, 2015.
  • Victory Boyd released album 'It's A New Dawn' in November 2017, containing cover version of this song.
  • In 2019, musician Ben Platt covered the song at his one-night-only concert at Radio City Music Hall.[citation needed]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Greatest Stevie Wonder Songs". Rollingstone.com. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  2. ^ Harvey, Eric (May 19, 2012). "The Quiet Storm". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 263.
  4. ^ "Discogs: Stevie Wonder – Overjoyed". Discogs.com/. February 1986. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. February 15, 1986. p. 71. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  6. ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "Hideaway overview". Allmusic.com.
  8. ^ "Various – Conception (An Interpretation Of Stevie Wonder's Songs)". Discogs. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Jordan Brand Commercial - Overjoyed (Full Version)". YouTube. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  10. ^ "NBA 2000 All Star Halftime Show". YouTube. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Overjoyed / Living for the city (with Stevie Wonder) [BET 20th Anniversary]". YouTube.
  12. ^ "Various – Conception (An Interpretation Of Stevie Wonder's Songs)". Discogs. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  13. ^ "With Every Touch overview". Allmusic.com.
  14. ^ "AllMusic: Viktor Lazlo - Amour(s)". AllMusic.com/. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  15. ^ Baram, Marcus (February 25, 2009). "Obamas Honor Stevie Wonder During White House Concert (SLIDESHOW)". Huffington Post.
  16. ^ "Celine Dion's New Album Features Stevie Wonder, Ne-Yo, Adele Producers « Radio.com News". Archived from the original on 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  17. ^ Caramanica, Jon; Chinen, Nate (November 4, 2013). "CDs From Celine Dion and Midlake". The New York Times.
  18. ^ "Loved Me Back to Life - Céline Dion | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
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