I Ain't Gonna Stand for It

"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" is the second single from Stevie Wonder's 1980 album, Hotter Than July. It reached number four on the Billboard R&B singles chart and number 11 on the Hot 100.^[3] It also hit number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is famous for Wonder's imitation of a seasoned country-and-western crooner and his inspiring drumming. Charlie and Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band provide backing vocals on the song. It was covered by Eric Clapton in 2001.

"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Hotter than July
B-side	"Knocks Me Off My Feet"
Released	November 1980
Genre	R&B soul country[1][2]
Length	4:39
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Master Blaster (Jammin')" (1980) "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (1980) "Lately" (1981)

Record World called it a "beautifully constructed song" and praised the "warm, universal lyrics" as well as the "irresistible chorus hook."^[4]

Personnel

• Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, piano, clavinet, cabasa, drums, background vocals
• Nathan Watts – bass
• Ben Bridges – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Isaiah Sanders – Fender Rhodes
• Hank Devito – steel guitar
• Charlie Wilson – background vocals
• Ronnie Wilson – background vocals

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1980–1981) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 61 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 9 Germany (GfK)[7] 50 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 31 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 29 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 2 UK Singles (OCC)[12] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[13] 11 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 20 US Cash Box Top 100[16] 13

Year-end charts Chart (1981) Rank Canada (RPM)[17] 72 US Cash Box [18] 86 US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[19] 73

Eric Clapton's version

"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Reptile
Released	April 3, 2001 (2001-04-03)
Genre	Pop rock · rock
Length	4:50
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)	Clapton · Climie
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"Help the Poor" (2000) "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (2001) "Every Little Thing" (2013)

On April 3, 2001, the British rock musician Eric Clapton released the track with 4 minutes and 50 seconds duration along with the two B-sides "Losing Hand" and "Johnny Guitar" as a cover version on a compact disc single and maxi single release under Reprise Records.^[20] The recording was produced by Clapton himself along with his long-time collaborator Simon Climie.^[21] The title was also released as part of his 2001 studio album Reptile, just a month before Clapton's interpretation of the song was released compact disc single format.^[22] Besides being released as a single and on the Reptile studio album, the song was released to several compilation albums and B-side single releases.^[23] AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann notes that by "remaking [the] song by Wonder means competing with [him] vocally, and as a singer Clapton isn't up to the challenge. He is assisted by the current five-man version of the Impressions, who do much to shore up his vocal weaknesses, but he still isn't a disciplined or thoughtful singer. Of course, when that distinctive electric guitar sound kicks in, all is forgiven".^[24]

Although the song was well received in digital media,^{[citation needed]} it did not make a big splash on the international music charts, reaching only position 63 in Switzerland and peaking at number six on the Polish LP3 single chart.

Music video

A music video to accompany the single release was shot on February 14, 2001 during the Reptile World Tour rehearsal.^[25] The official music video starts with a rehearsal photo session and later features Eric Clapton and his band – namely Andy Fairweather Low, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, Paulinho da Costa, David Sancious and The Impressions – performing the song, while early biographical pictures of Clapton can be seen. During other passages of the video, early childhood memories of the band members are shown. While performing the song in the rehearsal situation, sounds of Clapton and his band talking, laughing and playing table football can be seen and heard. The video to "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" fades out to another rehearsal section, as the music does also, to the end. It was published under license of the Warner Music Group originally in 2001 for TV broadcasting and was made available legally via various Internet platforms in 2007.^[26]

Weekly charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Hungary Airplay (Music and Media)[27]	15
Poland Airplay (Music and Media)[28]	1
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[29]	87
Spain Airplay (Music and Media)[30]	4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31]	63

References

1. Stevie Wonder: "Hotter Than July". Vol. 46. 1981. p. 104. 'Ain't Gonna Stand for It', a witty surprise, is one of two songs on the album that venture into totally new territory for Stevie Wonder. It is a wonderful take-off on country music, with a naughty double-entendre lyric that plays havoc with the rigid musical structure typical of the form [...] {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
2. Abdurraqib, Hanif (September 24, 2020). "In 1980, Stevie Wonder was due for a comeback. Then his 'Hotter Than July' hit big". KCRW. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 636.
4. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 13, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0315." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
7. "Stevie Wonder – I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Ain't Gonna Stand for It". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Stevie Wonder" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
10. "Stevie Wonder – I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
11. "Stevie Wonder – I Ain't Gonna Stand for It". Top 40 Singles.
12. "Stevie Wonder: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
13. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
14. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
15. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
16. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending February 28, 1981". Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
17. The 1981 Top 100 Singles chart is identified by the RPM Year-End article "Top 100 Singles (1981)". RPM. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
18. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981". Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
19. "Number One Awards – Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. December 26, 1981. p. YE-9. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
20. "Eric Clapton – I Ain't Gonna Stand For It (CD) at Discogs". Discogs. Kevin Lewandowski. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
21. "Eric Clapton – I Ain't Gonna Stand For It – austriancharts.at". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Steffen Hung – Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
22. "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It – Eric Clapton | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
23. "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It – Eric Clapton | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
24. Ruhlmann, William. "Reptile – Eric Clapton | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
25. "(1/2) Eric Clapton Studio Interview 14/02/2001 – YouTube". AOL Music. YouTube. 9 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
26. "Eric Clapton – I Ain't Gonna Stand For It (Video)". Eric Clapton. Warner Bros. Records. 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
27. "Major Market Airplay – Hungary" (PDF). Music and Media. 8 April 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
28. "Major Market Airplay – Poland" (PDF). Music and Media. 8 April 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
29. "Romanian Top 100" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on December 9, 2004. Retrieved July 6, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
30. "Major Market Airplay – Spain" (PDF). Music and Media. 28 April 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
31. "Eric Clapton – I Ain't Gonna Stand For It". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 30, 2015.