Sir Duke

"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles charts,^[4] and reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, his joint biggest hit there at the time. Billboard ranked it as the No. 18 song of 1977.

"Sir Duke"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Songs in the Key of Life
B-side	"He's Misstra Know-It-All"
Released	March 22, 1977
Genre	Pop[1] R&B[2] jazz[2] soul[3]
Length	3:52
Label	Tamla
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"I Wish" (1976) "Sir Duke" (1977) "Another Star" (1977)

The song was written in tribute to Duke Ellington, the influential jazz legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

Wonder re-recorded the song for the 1995 live album Natural Wonder.

Background

Wonder wrote the song as a tribute to Duke Ellington, the jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist who had influenced him as a musician.^[5] Wonder had already experienced the death of two of his idols (Dinah Washington and Wes Montgomery) after attempting to collaborate with them.

After Ellington died in 1974, Wonder wanted to write a song acknowledging musicians he felt were important. He later said, "I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for me. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation."

Wonder pays tribute to "some of music's pioneers" in the song: "There's Basie, Miller, Satchmo, and the king of all, Sir Duke / And with a voice like Ella's ringing out / There's no way the band can lose".

Wonder recorded other tributes to people he admired, including the 1980 songs "Master Blaster", dedicated to Bob Marley, and "Happy Birthday", which pleaded for what would eventually become the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the United States.

Reception

Cash Box said that "it's a tribute to jazz and roots, with a beat that lies somewhere between jazz and funk, and a horn section that dances on winged feet."^[6] Record World said upon its single release: "Already familiar from its radio play and already on The Singles Chart, it is shaping up as a major hit."^[7] New York Times critic John Rockwell said that it's "not Wonder's most compelling song, but nice that it should be so popular."^[8]

Personnel

• Produced, written, arranged and composed by Stevie Wonder
• Vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and percussion by Stevie Wonder
• Trumpets by Raymond Maldonado and Steve Madaio
• Drums by Raymond Pounds
• Bass guitar by Nathan Watts
• Lead guitar by Michael Sembello
• Rhythm guitar by Ben Bridges
• Alto saxophone by Hank Redd
• Tenor saxophone by Trevor Lawrence

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Sir Duke" Chart (1977–1978) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 69 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 10 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 22 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 24 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 1 Germany (GfK)[14] 10 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 19 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 24 Norway (VG-lista)[17] 8 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 4 UK Singles (OCC)[19] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[21] 1 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[22] 3 Chart (2014) Peak position South Korea International (Circle)[23] 72

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Sir Duke" Chart (1977) Rank Canada[24] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 18 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[26] 43

Certifications

Certifications for "Sir Duke"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27]	Gold	75,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28]	Platinum	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Platinum	600,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.