I Just Called to Say I Love You
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| "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | |||||||||||
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| Image:StevieWonderIJustCalledToSayILoveYou7InchSingleCover.jpg | |||||||||||
| Single by Stevie Wonder from the album The Woman in Red soundtrack | |||||||||||
| Released | 1984 | ||||||||||
| Genre | Soul | ||||||||||
| Length | 6:16 (LP version) 4:16 (single version) | ||||||||||
| Label | Motown | ||||||||||
| Writer | Stevie Wonder | ||||||||||
| Producer | Stevie Wonder | ||||||||||
| Stevie Wonder singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a song written, produced, and performed by Stevie Wonder as part of the soundtrack to the 1984 film The Woman in Red. The midtempo ballad expresses how simply calling someone to tell them you love them can make even the most unremarkable day of your life magical. It is one of Wonder's most simplistic, jingly and sentimental songs, and, with its quintessentially mid-80s synthesizers and drum machines, is a far cry from his more organic and experimental 1970s material. For those reasons it was savaged by critics upon its release. However, the public were seduced by its simple charms, making it one of Wonder's most successful singles to date.
The song was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks from October 13, 1984 and also became Wonder's first solo UK number-one hit, staying at the top for six weeks. It also became his tenth number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
There is a dispute between Stevie Wonder and his former writing partner Lee Garrett over authorship rights. Garrett claims to have written the song years prior to its 1984 release. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Lyrics
No new years's day
To celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring
No song to sing
In fact heres just another ordinary day
No april rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding saturday within the month of june
But what it is
Is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart
No summers high
No warm july
No harvest moon to light one tender august night
No autumn breeze
No falling leaves
No even time for birds to fly to southern skies
No libra sun
No halloween
No giving thanks to all the christmas joy you bring
But what it is
Though old so new
To fill your heart like no three words could ever do.
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart
Of my heart
Of my heart
[edit] Song structure
The song has two verses and a chorus, with each of the verses divided further into two half-verses. Each half-verse and the chorus have sixteen measures. The protagonist of the song reinforces the message of the song's title (and chorus) by negating all major special times of the year. The song concludes with a triple-chord, or cha-cha-cha, ending.
[edit] Trivia
The song was sung by in The Cosby Show episode "A Touch of Wonder" in which Stevie Wonder guest starred as himself. In the episode Denise and Theo get into an auto crash with Stevie and he later invites them to a recording session as a gesture of goodwill.
The song was ridiculed in the major motion picture High Fidelity by Jack Black's character, Barry. When a middle-aged customer requests the song, Barry calls it "sentimental tacky crap". He then goes on to ask the main character, played by John Cusack, "Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?"
[edit] Track listing
[edit] 12" Maxi Motown
- "I Just Called To Say I Love You" (Extended) (6:44)
- "I Just Called To Say I Love You (Instrumental)" (6:45)
[edit] 7" Single Motown
- "I Just Called To Say I Love You" (4:16)
- "I Just Called To Say I Love You (Instrumental)" (4:16)
[edit] Charts
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[edit] References
- ^ http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Stevie+Wonder&titel=I+Just+Called+To+Say+I+Love+You&cat=s
- ^ http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Stevie+Wonder&titel=I+Just+Called+To+Say+I+Love+You&cat=s
- ^ http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Stevie+Wonder&titel=I+Just+Called+To+Say+I+Love+You&cat=s
- ^ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Stevie+Wonder&titel=I+Just+Called+To+Say+I+Love+You&cat=s
- ^ http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Stevie+Wonder&titel=I+Just+Called+To+Say+I+Love+You&cat=s
Categories: Single articles with infobox field chart position | R&B song stubs | 1984 singles | Stevie Wonder songs | Best Original Song Golden Globe winners | Best Song Academy Award winning songs | Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles | Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles | Number-one singles in Australia | Number-one singles in France | Number-one singles in Germany | Number-one singles in Ireland | Number-one singles in New Zealand | Number-one singles in Norway | Number-one singles in Sweden | Number-one singles in Switzerland | Number-one singles in the United Kingdom | Songs from films
