I Just Called to Say I Love You explained

I Just Called to Say I Love You
Cover:StevieWonderIJustCalledToSayILoveYou7InchFrenchSingleCover.jpg
Caption:French release sleeve
Type:single
Artist:Stevie Wonder
Album:The Woman in Red
B-Side:Instrumental
Released:August 1, 1984[1]
Studio:Wonderland (Los Angeles, California)
Genre:R&B[2]
Length:6:17 (album version)
4:25 (single version)
6:44 (12" version)
Label:Motown – MOT-684
Producer:Stevie Wonder
Prev Title:Front Line
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:Love Light in Flight
Next Year:1984

"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a ballad written, produced, and performed by American R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder.[3] It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to date, having topped a record 19 charts.

The song was the lead single from the 1984 soundtrack album The Woman in Red,[3] along with two other songs by Wonder, and scored number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks from October 13 to 27, 1984. It also became his tenth number-one on the R&B chart, and his fourth on the adult contemporary chart; it spent three weeks at the top of both charts, and for the same weeks as on the Hot 100.[4] The song also became Wonder's only solo UK number-one success, staying at the top for six weeks, in the process also becoming Motown Records' biggest-selling single in the UK, a distinction it still held .[3] In addition, the song won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[3] The song also received three nominations at the 27th Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Composition

The song's lyrics have Wonder surprising someone in his life with an unexpected telephone call. Throughout the song, Wonder lists various events in a yearly calendar that might prompt someone to call a loved one. Yet he explains no special annual event such as New Year's Day or Halloween spurred the call. He simply wants to say that he loves them from the bottom of his heart. Cash Box described the song as "a tender and romantic love letter which captures the ever-present and Wonderous feeling of love and optimism."[5]

There was a dispute among Wonder, his former writing partner Lee Garrett, and Lloyd Chiate as to who actually wrote the song. Chiate claimed in a lawsuit that he and Garrett wrote the song years before its 1984 release. However, a jury ultimately sided with Wonder.[6]

Personnel

Music video

A music video of the song has Wonder, during a concert, singing into a telephone receiver while seated at a piano.[7] By the end of the song, he and the audience are standing and swaying to the music. The video features concert footage recorded in Rotterdam Ahoy, in the Netherlands, on August 10, 1984.[8]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984–1985)!Peak
position
Argentina (CAPIF)[9] 2
Australia (Kent Music Report) [10] 1
Denmark (Hitlisten)[11] 1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[12] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 1
France (IFOP)[14] 1
Greece (Pop & Rock)[15] 1
Iceland (RÚV)[16] 2
Israel (IBA)[17] 2
Japan (Oricon)[18] 35
Portugal (AFP)[19] 1
South Africa (Springbok)[20] 1
Spain (AFYVE)[21] 1
Uruguay (CUD)[22] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[23] 1
Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[24] 1
Chart (2019–20)!Peak
position
Slovenia (SloTop50)[25] 43

Year-end charts

1984 year-end chart performance for "I Just Called to Say I Love You"! Chart (1984) !! Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[26] [27] 6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 9
Belgium (Ultratop)[29] 1
Brazil (Brazilian Top 100)[30] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[31] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[35] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[36] 25
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[37] 23
West Germany (Official German Charts)[38] 6

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for "I Just Called to Say I Love You"!Chart (1980–1989)!Position
Australian Singles Chart5
UK Singles Chart3
US Billboard Hot 10073

All-time charts

Chart!scope="col"
Position
UK Singles (OCC)[40] 13
US Billboard Hot 100 (1958-2018)[41] 370

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RIAA Gold and Platinum Database . Riaa.org . December 27, 2013 .
  2. Web site: David Andrew . Wiebe. Music Genres List - 67 Top Music Styles With Examples. Music Industry How To. March 30, 2022 . May 20, 2023.
  3. Book: Roberts, David . 2006 . British Hit Singles & Albums . 19th . Guinness World Records Limited . London . 1-904994-10-5 . 136.
  4. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" topped the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and R&B charts simultaneously from October 13 to 27, 1984:
  5. Reviews. Cash Box. August 11, 1984. July 25, 2022. 7.
  6. News: Wonder Wins Suit Over Song . February 23, 1990 . Weinstein, Henry . . October 3, 2012.
  7. Web site: Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You. November 21, 2023. YouTube.
  8. NPO Radio 5: Clip van 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'
  9. News: Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica. La Opinión (Los Angeles). es. October 19, 2023. April 29, 1985. 10.
  10. Web site: Grant. Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1984. July 25, 2020.
  11. Web site: Danish Chart Archive - Singles 1979 - ____ (B.T./IFPI DK). www.ukmix.org. November 30, 2018. July 25, 2020.
  12. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 27. October 1, 1984. July 25, 2020.
  13. Web site: Timo. August 13, 2015. Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit WIL - WOY. July 25, 2020. Sisältää hitin.
  14. Web site: InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par W. Infodisc.fr . July 25, 2020.
  15. Web site: Greece Single Charts - Number Ones. July 25, 2020. UKMIX Forums. June 29, 2017 . en.
  16. News: Topp 10 vinsælustu lögin. DV. is. 37. August 31, 1984. July 25, 2020. 1021-8254. Timarit.is.
  17. Web site: Israel Singles Charts 1987-1995. www.ukmix.org. July 25, 2020.
  18. Web site: Chartsventes. September 8, 2015. World singles charts and sales TOP 50 in 58 countries: Stevie WONDER. July 25, 2020. World singles charts and sales TOP 50 in 58 countries.
  19. Web site: TOP 20 TMP Portugal - number one in the 80's airplay charts. July 25, 2020. www.laurentpons.com.
  20. Web site: SA Charts 1965–March 1989. September 5, 2018.
  21. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
  22. News: Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica. La Opinión (Los Angeles). es. October 19, 2023. February 4, 1985. 12.
  23. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 13, 1984. Cash Box magazine. July 25, 2020.
  24. Web site: Number one hits in Zimbabwe. July 25, 2020. UKMIX Forums. October 29, 2016 . en.
  25. Web site: SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart. slotop50.si. June 25, 2020. October 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201023084429/https://www.slotop50.si/Glasbene-lestvice/Tedenske-lestvice/?year=2020&week=25. dead.
  26. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W . 1993. 0-646-11917-6. Kent Music Report.
  27. Web site: Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984. Kent Music Report. Imgur.com. January 23, 2023.
  28. Web site: Jahreshitparade Singles 1984 . May 2, 2022 . . de.
  29. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1984: Singles. nl. Ultratop. May 2, 2022 .
  30. Web site: Top 100 Músicas Mais Tocadas em 1984 . March 24, 2018 . Top 100 Most Played Songs of 1984 . June 18, 2022.
  31. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984 . . May 2, 2022 . nl.
  32. Web site: Jaaroverzichten - Single 1984. MegaCharts. nl. May 2, 2022.
  33. Web site: End of Year Charts 1984 . . May 2, 2022 .
  34. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1984: Singles. de. Swiss Charts Portal. May 2, 2022.
  35. Top 100 Singles . . Morgan-Grampian plc . London, England . 37 . January 26, 1985. May 2, 2022.
  36. December 22, 1984 . Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles . TA-19 . Billboard . 96 . 51 .
  37. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1984. Billboard. January 2, 2013. May 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20210113171240/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1984/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs. January 13, 2021.
  38. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1984. de. Offiziellecharts.de. May 2, 2022.
  39. Web site: Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985. Kent Music Report. Imgur. January 23, 2023.
  40. Web site: The UK's biggest selling singles of all time. Official Charts Company. July 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180624234820/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-biggest-selling-singles-of-all-time__21298/. June 24, 2018. live.
  41. Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart. Billboard. December 10, 2018.