Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
Encyclopedia
"Superwoman" is a 1972 soul track by Stevie Wonder
. Released as a single, it was the second track on Wonder's Music of My Mind
album. In essence a two-part song, there is a coherence in that it tells a story of the singer's relationship with "Mary". The first part covers her desire to be a star, and to leave behind her old life to become a movie star. The second part covers the narrator's wondering why she hadn't come back as soon as he had hoped. The second part of the song is also a reworking of the song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" off of the 1971 album Where I'm Coming From
.
The song, both in its sound and length, was a change of pace for Wonder, who was trying to establish his own identity outside of the Motown sound. Besides its floaty ambience, it featured the singer as a virtual one-man band.
The song reached a peak of #33 on the Billboard Pop
charts.
"Superwoman" chronicles the relationship Stevie had with his first wife, Syreeta Wright
, a Motown secretary turned singer. The lyric "trying to boss the bull around" references the woman trying to control Stevie who is a Taurus
.
In 1976, jazz saxophonist Phil Woods
covered the song on his album "Live From The Showboat".
In 1990, urban jazz
saxophonist Najee
covered the song on his album "Tokyo Blue".
In 2007 4hero covered the song on their album "Play with the Changes
"
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. Released as a single, it was the second track on Wonder's Music of My Mind
Music of My Mind
- Side One :# "Love Having You Around" – 7:21#* Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, talk box, drums, Moog bass#* Art Baron – trombone#* Background Singers – uncredited...
album. In essence a two-part song, there is a coherence in that it tells a story of the singer's relationship with "Mary". The first part covers her desire to be a star, and to leave behind her old life to become a movie star. The second part covers the narrator's wondering why she hadn't come back as soon as he had hoped. The second part of the song is also a reworking of the song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" off of the 1971 album Where I'm Coming From
Where I'm Coming From
Where I'm Coming From is the thirteenth studio album released by Grammy Award-winning American singer Stevie Wonder on the Motown label on April 12, 1971....
.
The song, both in its sound and length, was a change of pace for Wonder, who was trying to establish his own identity outside of the Motown sound. Besides its floaty ambience, it featured the singer as a virtual one-man band.
The song reached a peak of #33 on the Billboard Pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts.
"Superwoman" chronicles the relationship Stevie had with his first wife, Syreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright , who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston.-Early life and career:...
, a Motown secretary turned singer. The lyric "trying to boss the bull around" references the woman trying to control Stevie who is a Taurus
Taurus
Taurus is Latin for "Bull" and may refer to:* Taurus , one of the constellations of the zodiac* Bull , the mythological references around Taurus* Taurus , the astrological sign* Bos taurus, a species of cattle...
.
In 1976, jazz saxophonist Phil Woods
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer.-Biography:...
covered the song on his album "Live From The Showboat".
In 1990, urban jazz
Urban jazz
Urban jazz is the fusion of smooth jazz and R&B/hip-hop music. Urban jazz usually contains strong R&B percussion and bass lines. A few of the better known urban jazz artists are Boney James, Ronny Jordan, Nick Colionne, Wayman Tisdale, Najee, and Paul Jackson, Jr.Some of the more successful...
saxophonist Najee
Najee
Jerome Najee Rasheed , known professionally as Najee, is an urban jazz saxophonist and flautist.He attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with George Russell and Jaki Byard....
covered the song on his album "Tokyo Blue".
In 2007 4hero covered the song on their album "Play with the Changes
Play with the Changes
Play with the Changes is the fifth studio album by the British drum and bass group 4hero.-Track listing:# "Morning Child" – 4:36# "Take My Time" – 4:07# "Look Inside" – 4:06# "Sink or Swim " – 3:50# "Give In" – 4:52...
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