Summary
"I Was Made to Love Her" is a soul music song recorded by American musician Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label in 1967. The song was written by Wonder, his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby and included on Wonder's 1967 album I Was Made to Love Her.
| "I Was Made to Love Her" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Stevie Wonder | ||||
| from the album I Was Made to Love Her | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | May 18, 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:37 | |||
| Label | Tamla | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Henry Cosby | |||
| Stevie Wonder singles chronology | ||||
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Released as a single, "I Was Made to Love Her" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in July 1967. The song was held out of the top spot by "Light My Fire" by the Doors and spent four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.[1] The song reached No. 5 in the UK, Wonder's first top ten hit in that country.[2]
Cash Box called it a "driving, wailing, pulsing R&B workout."[3]
When asked in a 1968 interview which of his songs stood out in his mind, Wonder answered "'I Was Made to Love Her' because it's a true song".[4] The last lyric line "You know Stevie ain't gonna leave her" was ad libbed by Wonder.
Personnel edit
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, clavinet, harmonica
- The Andantes – backing vocals
- Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers[5]
- James Jamerson – bass
- Benny Benjamin – drums
- Eddie Willis – guitar[6]
Charts edit
Weekly charts
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set) [7] | 40 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[8] | 5 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[9] | 16 |
| UK Singles Chart[2] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 2 |
| US Billboard R&B Singles[1] | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1967) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada[10] | 56 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 14 |
References edit
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 635.
- ^ a b "– Singles". Official Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 3, 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ Stevie Wonder interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1970)
- ^ The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 7: 1967 [liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records
- ^ "Eddie Willis, Original Motown Funk Brother, Dies at 82". Billboard.
- ^ Go-Set National Top 40, 20 September 1967
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 22 September 1967
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
External links edit
- Stevie Wonder - I Was Made to Love Her on YouTube