Studio Album · No. 10
For Once in My Life Songwriting Credits by Stevie Wonder
Produced by Hank Cosby
Holds writing credit on 8 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 8 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Stevie Wonder carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Released in December 1968, this was the first Stevie Wonder album to credit him as a co-producer, and it pairs his own writing with pop and standards material in the Motown house style. The title track is a reworked Motown standard, written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden, that Wonder turned into an uptempo hit after it had circulated as a ballad. His co-writes anchor the set: "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day," written with Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby, was one of his early successful collaborations and the first record to feature his clavinet, while "You Met Your Match," co-written with Lula Mae Hardaway and Don Hunter, leaned harder into funk. Those originals sit alongside covers of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and the Billie Holiday standard "God Bless the Child."
For Once in My Life is the ninth studio album by Stevie Wonder, released in November 1968 on Tamla and produced by Hank Cosby. The album captured Wonder during a transitional moment in his career, moving from his early teen-idol sound toward the more sophisticated soul he would fully realize in the 1970s. The title track, originally written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden, became one of the most successful recordings of Wonder's career and one of the most covered songs in the history of popular music. 'Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day,' 'I'd Be a Fool Right Now,' and 'You Met Your Match' demonstrated Wonder's growing vocal authority and his deepening command of emotion in performance. For Once in My Life is an important transitional work that shows the young artist absorbing the influences that would produce his extraordinary creative flowering of the following decade.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
For Once in My Life
#2
|
Ron MillerOrlando Murden | Ron MillerOrlando Murden | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 2 |
Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
#9
|
Henry CosbySylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Henry CosbySylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 3 |
You Met Your Match
#35
|
Lula Mae HardawayDon HunterStevie Wonder | Lula Mae HardawayDon HunterStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 4 |
I Wanna Make Her Love Me
|
Henry CosbyLula Mae HardawaySylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Henry CosbyLula Mae HardawaySylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 5 |
I'm More Than Happy (I'm Satisfied)
|
Henry CosbyCameron GrantSylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Henry CosbyCameron GrantSylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 6 |
I Don't Know Why
|
Lula Mae HardawayDon HunterPaul RiserStevie Wonder | Lula Mae HardawayDon HunterPaul RiserStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 7 |
Sunny
|
Bobby Hebb | Bobby Hebb | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 8 |
I'd Be a Fool Right Now
|
Henry CosbySylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Henry CosbySylvia MoyStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 9 |
Ain't No Lovin'
|
Lula Mae HardawayDon HunterPaul RiserStevie Wonder | Lula Mae HardawayDon HunterPaul RiserStevie Wonder | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 10 |
God Bless the Child
|
Arthur Herzog Jr.Billie Holiday | Arthur Herzog Jr.Billie Holiday | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 11 |
Do I Love Her
|
Stevie WonderSylvia Moy | Stevie WonderSylvia Moy | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |
| 12 |
The House on the Hill
|
Lawrence BrownBerry GordyAllen Story | Lawrence BrownBerry GordyAllen Story | Hank Cosby | Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) |