How Stevie Wonder’s ‘Sunshine of My Life’ Found Joy in Pain

Talking Book grew to become a showcase for Stevie Wonder’s burgeoning genius, which frequently revealed itself through the day’s darkest moments. The LP-opening “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” could not have emerged from a spot much less like its title.

“Because he does not have sight, he’s not controlled by daylight,” Talking Book bassist Scott Edwards instructed Songfacts in 2013. “So he may begin his night at midnight – which is bad, because if they want you to come do an overdub or something, he may call you at 4 a.m. and say, ‘Come on in.'”

In retaining with this juxtaposition of mild and shadow, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” is a track of lovestruck ardor sung after a crushing divorce. You’d by no means know from the track, which started as an impromptu jam at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

“He would block out months of recording time, so he had time blocked out,” Edwards famous. “I believe he already had his synthesizer set up in the studio, so he could always go in.” Even if Wonder had a blueprint in thoughts, he remained terribly giving to others. For occasion, he handed over the primary strains of “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” to his backup singers.

“He had a basic groove and he might say, ‘Scott, do something on the bass’ – a basic structure,” Edwards added. “But then after that, because he respects you, he wants you to start embellishing and doing other things. So he’s not very controlling.”

With key assists from producers and synth whizzes Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, they ended up with one of Wonder’s most exuberant, light-filled tracks. “‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’ was such an up tune,” Margouleff instructed The Atlantic in 2012. “People would call it the ‘Stevie Wonder song.'”

Could anybody else have wrung such pleasure from ache?

Listen to Stevie Wonder’s ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’

Wonder had been married to Syreeta Wright for under 18 months after they cut up in 1972, however their relationship – and the career-turning work they did collectively – stretched additional again. They met in 1968 after Wright took a job as a receptionist at Motown Records. By 1969, the 20-somethings have been relationship and dealing collectively. The duo co-wrote Wonder’s No. 3 smash “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” in addition to the Spinners’ No. 14 hit “It’s a Shame.”

They’d already damaged up when he produced Syreeta, Wright’s deeply underrated 1972 debut, in between Music of My Mind and Talking Book – each of which additionally arrived in 1972. Yet Wonder’s love for Wright, as conveyed once more in the totally enraptured “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” endured even in heartbreak. The single arrived in March 1973 and shot to the highest of the charts as a timeless expression of love that would apply to everybody, all over the place.

“‘Sunshine’ gave me this inclination of how romantic he could be in expressing his feelings,” R&B nice Dionne Warwick instructed The New York Times in 2022. “It could be applied to a young lady, it could be applied to a child, it could be applied to his mother – who he happened to have adored – and friendships.”

This was simply as Wonder needed it. He turned down an award from the National Association of Record Merchandisers as a result of they needed to honor “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” because the 12 months’s “best soul song.” “The song wasn’t one that should be played for a special kind of people,” Wonder mentioned at a UCLA symposium sponsored by Billboard. “All of us can feel love. When music is categorized, yet all of us can relate to it, I wouldn’t be thankful for accepting it.”

Wonder’s Fender Rhodes served a foundational function through the early jams – and it was largely left alone in the ultimate recording. “He had been working with the structure by himself, but once he had all of us together, he just started playing it,” Edwards instructed Songfacts. “And then we all joined in and we all could feel that the vibe and the way the tune was going – it was a hit. He was so excited, he said, ‘Tonight, we’re going to the studio and record it.’ And that’s what we did. As usual, Wonder made it all sound so easy.”

Listen to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Sunshine of My Life’ in Concert

The session that adopted was notably sparse, with muttering congas as an alternative of drums. “There isn’t a lot of echo and reverb on it,” Margouleff instructed The Atlantic. “The reason is because we always felt that echo and reverb commentate distance — something being farther away.” The first phrases have been sung by Jim Gilstrap, who’d turn into higher identified for his 1975 solo hit “Swing Your Daddy,” earlier than Lani Groves lastly handed the mic to Wonder.

His potential to recollect the phrases felt all of the extra spectacular, contemplating how shortly issues have been coming collectively. The fact, nevertheless, was that Wonder did not. “Malcolm would sit there at the console, at the microphone, saying, ‘You are the sunshine of my life’ – and Stevie would sing it,” Margouleff instructed The New York Times. “While he was finishing the line, Malcolm was reading the next line of the song.”

Worried that his clipped British accent is perhaps heard on the principle vocal tracks, Margouleff mentioned they improvised. “We took white Styrofoam coffee cups, and I stuffed them with the foam liner from the inside of a tape box,” he added, “and we put them on the earphones so the audio wouldn’t leak from the headphones. It looked ludicrous.”

“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was slotted because the lead single from Talking Book, however that was earlier than one other jam session – this time with Jeff Beck – ended up producing “Superstition.” Wonder gave it to Beck to be used on the subsequent album from Beck, Bogert & Appice – earlier than officers from Motown stepped in. “They said, ‘No, no, no, no. The first single should be ‘Superstition,'” Wonder later instructed the Detroit Free Press. “So I went back to Jeff and had that discussion.”

Wonder’s model of “Superstition” went to No. 1 earlier than “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” did. Born of loss and sparked by a placing generosity of spirit, it will definitely grew to become greater than a signature track; it grew to become one of Stevie Wonder’s catchphrases.

He re-used the title numerous occasions through the years, although maybe by no means extra memorably than in 2016 when Wonder returned for a ceremony in which his hometown road was renamed Stevie Wonder Avenue. “You are the sunshine of my life,” Wonder instructed a whole lot of huddled followers who’d waited hours in 25-degree temps to witness the second. “You are the apple of my eye, Detroit. Forever you’ll stay in my heart.”