I Just Called to Say I Love You

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“I Just Called to Say I Love You”
“I Just Called to Say I Love You” cover
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(s) Stevie Wonder
Producer Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Frontline"
(1983)
"I Just Called to Say I Love You"
(1984)
"Love Light in Flight"
(1984)
Alternate cover
French 7" single cover
French 7" single cover

"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] 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] In other media

  • The song was sung by Stevie Wonder and Phylicia Rashad in The Cosby Show episode "A Touch of Wonder" in which 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] Charts

Chart Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] 1 (3)
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Comtemporary Tracks[1] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs[1] 1
U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 1
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 1
Austrian Singles Chart[2] 1 (3)
Danish Singles Chart 6
Dutch Singles Chart[3] 1
French Singles Chart[4] 1 (1)
German Singles Chart[5] 1
Irish Singles Chart[6] 1
Italian Singles Chart[7] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[8] 1 (10)
New Zealand Singles Chart 1
Swedish Singles Chart[9] 1 (5)
Swiss Singles Chart[10] 1 (4)
UK Singles Chart[11] 1 (6)
Preceded by
"Careless Whisper" by George Michael
UK number one single
September 8, 1984 - October 13, 1984
Succeeded by
"Freedom" by Wham!
Preceded by
"Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by Wham!
Norwegian (VG-Lista) number-one single
37th week, 1984 - 47th week, 1984
Succeeded by
"The Never Ending Story" by Limahl
Preceded by
"Drive" by The Cars
ARC Weekly Top 40 number one single
October 13, 1984 - October 20, 1984
Succeeded by
"Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" by Billy Ocean
Preceded by
"Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and the Revolution
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
October 13, 1984 - October 27, 1984
Succeeded by
"Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" by Billy Ocean
Preceded by
"Sounds Like a Melody" by Alphaville
Swedish number-one single
October 28, 1984 - November 18, 1984
Succeeded by
"The Never Ending Story" by Limahl
Preceded by
"Careless Whisper" by George Michael
Swiss number-one single
October 28, 1984 - November 18, 1984
Succeeded by
"When the Rain Begins to Fall"
by Pia Zadora & Jermaine Jackson
Preceded by
"Besoin de rien, envie de toi" by Peter & Sloane
French (SNEP) number one single
December 22, 1984
Succeeded by
"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr
Preceded by
"Flashdance... What a Feeling" from Flashdance
Academy Award for Best Original Song
1984
Succeeded by
"Say You, Say Me" from White Nights

[edit] References




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