Lately (Stevie Wonder song)

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"Lately"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Hotter than July
B-side"If It's Magic"
Released1981 (1981)
Genre
Length4:05
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"
(1980) 		"Lately"
(1981) 		"Happy Birthday"
(1981)

"Lately" is a song by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for his nineteenth studio album, Hotter than July (1980). The song was released in 1981 by Tamla, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart and number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was later covered by American R&B group Jodeci and released as a promotional single for the live album Uptown MTV Unplugged in June 1993, which reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart and the top-5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception[edit]

Record World called it a "touching ballad [that] is perhaps his most beautiful, revealing work yet."[1]

Jason Elias at AllMusic retrospectively praised the song, believing that unlike some of Wonder's similar material, "Lately" in particular hit all the perfect emotional and musical notes. Of the song's emotional power itself Elias stated, "it's enough to make a listener fall prey to an old-fashioned cry."[2]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 17
Ireland (IRMA)[4] 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 36
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 15
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 64
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] 33
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] 29
West Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 64

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel[edit]

  • Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, bass synthesizer, piano

Jodeci version[edit]

"Lately"
Single by Jodeci
from the album Uptown MTV Unplugged
Released1993 (1993)
Recorded1993
Genre
Length
  • 5:49 (MTV Unplugged version)
  • 6:24 (studio version)
LabelUptown/MCA
Songwriter(s)
  • Stevie Wonder
  • DeVante Swing
Producer(s)DeVante Swing
Jodeci singles chronology
"Let's Go Through the Motions"
(1993) 		"Lately"
(1993) 		"Cry For You"
(1993)
Music video
"Lately" on YouTube

"Lately" was notably covered by American R&B group Jodeci for the Uptown MTV Unplugged release in 1993. Executive producer Andre Harrell referred to it as their "End of the Road", analogous to the chart-topping single for Boyz II Men.[13] The group's version of the song was released as a promotional single, claiming the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart as the group's fourth number one R&B hit. It was also Jodeci's highest peaking pop hit, reaching numbers four and seven on the Billboard Hot 100[14] and Cash Box Top 100 in August 1993. It sold 900,000 copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[15][16] This version also appears on Back to the Future: The Very Best of Jodeci, a greatest hits album from the group, released by Universal Records in 2005.

The group also recorded an alternate studio version of the song, produced by group leader DeVante Swing.[citation needed] It is slightly longer than the Uptown MTV Unplugged version and features an additional outro. They performed this version on The Arsenio Hall Show, with Stevie Wonder making a guest appearance and performing the song with Jodeci.[citation needed]

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1993) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 50
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 4
US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[19] 12
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[21] 17
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[22] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[23] 7

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (1993) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 15

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 28, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  2. ^ Elias, Jason. ""Lately" Song review at Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 342-343. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Stevie Wonder". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  5. ^ "Stevie Wonder – Lately" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  6. ^ "Stevie Wonder – Lately". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  7. ^ "Stevie Wonder: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  8. ^ "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  9. ^ "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  10. ^ "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Stevie Wonder – Lately" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  12. ^ "British single certifications – Stevie Wonder – Lately". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Vanity Fair 56 (1993), 240.
  14. ^ "allmusic ((( Jodeci > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  15. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 3. BPI Communications. January 15, 1994. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  16. ^ "American certifications – Jodeci – Lately". Recording Industry Association of America.
  17. ^ "Jodeci – Lately". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  18. ^ "Jodeci Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  19. ^ "Jodeci Chart History (Hot Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  20. ^ "Jodeci Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  21. ^ "Jodeci Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  22. ^ "Jodeci Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVI, no. 49. 1993-08-14. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  24. ^ "The Year In Music 1993 - Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 25, 1993. p. YE-20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2024-06-02.

External links[edit]

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