I Wish (Stevie Wonder song)

"I Wish" is a song by American singer Stevie Wonder. It was released in late 1976 as the lead single from his eighteenth album, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). Written and produced by Wonder, the song focuses on his childhood from the 1950s into the early 1960s about how he wished he could go back and relive it. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and soul singles chart.^[6] At the 19th Grammy Awards, Stevie Wonder won the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for this song.

"I Wish"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Songs in the Key of Life
B-side	"You and I"
Released	November 1976
Genre	Funk[1][2] soul[3][4] pop[5]
Length	4:12 (single version) 4:35 (album version)
Label	Tamla
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Boogie On Reggae Woman" (1974) "I Wish" (1976) "Sir Duke" (1977)
Official audio
"I Wish" on YouTube

Composition

Wonder recollected how the music for "I Wish" came to him:

The day I wrote it was a Saturday, the day of a Motown picnic in the summer of '76. God, I remember that because I was having this really bad toothache. It was ridiculous... I had such a good time at the picnic that I went to Crystal Recording Studio right afterward and the vibe came right to my mind – running at the picnic, the contests, we all participated. It was a lot of fun ... and from that came the 'I Wish' vibe."^[7]

The lyrics came with more difficulty.^[7] The lyrics that wound up in the song deal with childhood and teenage experiences.^[8] But originally Wonder wanted to address broader topics.^[7] Wonder said he originally tried to incorporate "a lot of cosmic type stuff, spiritual stuff. But I couldn't do that 'cause the music was too much fun — the words didn't have the fun of the track," and that he "couldn't come up with anything stronger than the chorus, 'I wish those days [claps] would [claps] come back once more.' Thank goodness we didn't change that."^[7]

For the television series Classic Albums, Wonder recreated a small section from the song to demonstrate how he composed and arranged it. He played the keyboards and drums himself, and used most of the musicians that recorded the original.^[9]

Reception

Cash Box said that the song was chosen as the lead single from Songs in the Key of Life after "radio stations spent weeks determining which... cut the public wanted most" and "'I Wish' came out on top in terms of popularity and editability."^[10] Record World said that "this popular and much requested track should be a major hit."^[11]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1976–1977) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 51 Belgium (Ultratop) 10 Canada (RPM) 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 29 Ireland (IRMA) 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 4 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 19 UK Singles (OCC) 5 US Billboard Hot 100 1 US Soul Singles (Billboard) 1 US Cash Box Top 100 [14] 1 West Germany (Official German Charts) 30

Year-end charts Chart (1977) Rank Canada (RPM)[15] 25 US Billboard Hot 100[16] 51 US Cash Box Top 100[17] 51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• Stevie Wonder discography

References

1. Arnold, Chuck (September 28, 2016). "Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life: Ranking the songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
2. Charles, Craig (November 4, 2014). "The 1970s: Stevie Wonder - "I Wish". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
3. Segretto, Mike (2022). "1976". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 328. ISBN 9781493064601.
4. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (July 17, 2000). "The Wonder Years: Soul". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
5. McFerrin, John. "Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life". Retrieved September 22, 2018.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 636.
7. DeRiso, Nick (January 22, 2022). "How Stevie Wonder's 'I Wish' Rode Funky Nostalgia to No. 1". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
8. Hogan, Ed. "I Wish". Allmusic. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
9. Wonder, Stevie; Beus de Jung; Nick de Grunwald (1977). "Documentary: The Making of Songs in the Key of Life pt. 8". Video documentary of the making of Songs in the Key of Life. Isis Production. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
10. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 11, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
11. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 4, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
12. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Stevie Wonder". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 284. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
13. "Stevie Wonder - I Wish - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
14. "Top 100 1977-01-29". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-10-03. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
15. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
16. "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
17. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1977". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
18. "British single certifications – Stevie Wonder – I Wish". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 8, 2021.