Hotter Than July cover art

  Studio Album · No. 19

Hotter Than July Songwriting Credits by Stevie Wonder

1981 Tamla/Motown 10 tracks 46 min

Produced by Stevie Wonder

Tamla/Motown SoulReggaeFunkPop
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 10 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 10 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Stevie Wonder carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
10 trackswritten by Stevie Wonder 0 tracksoutside writers
Stevie Wonder's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
3
Lyricists
1
Producers
Over 3 million copies worldwide
Worldwide Copies Sold
1981
Released
Data Insight

Hotter Than July is a self-contained Stevie Wonder production, written, arranged, and largely performed by Wonder himself, with "All I Do" the lone co-write (carried over from a mid-1960s session with Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax). The album doubles as a statement record: "Happy Birthday" was written to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and became the anthem of Wonder's campaign to make King's birthday a national holiday, a goal realized in 1983. "Master Blaster (Jammin')" is an explicit reggae tribute to Bob Marley, whom Wonder had met in 1979, folding Caribbean rhythm into his usual soul and funk palette.

Hotter Than July is the twenty-first studio album by Stevie Wonder, released in September 1981 on Tamla/Motown and produced entirely by Stevie Wonder. The album followed the disappointments of the Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants soundtrack and represented a joyful return to accessible funk and soul, with 'Master Blaster (Jammin')', a reggae-influenced tribute to Bob Marley, reaching number one on the R&B chart and becoming one of Wonder's biggest hits of the decade. 'Happy Birthday,' a campaigning anthem for making Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday, became an important piece of civil rights advocacy embedded in a pop hit. 'That Girl' and 'I Ain't Gonna Stand for It' were additional hit singles that demonstrated Wonder's continued command of mainstream R&B. Hotter Than July is the final great album of Stevie Wonder's classic era.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Did I Hear You Say You Love Me
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
2
All I Do
Stevie WonderClarence PaulMorris Broadnax Stevie WonderClarence PaulMorris Broadnax Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
3
Rocket Love
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
4
I Ain't Gonna Stand for It #11
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
5
As If You Read My Mind
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
6
Master Blaster (Jammin') #5
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
7
Do Like You
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
8
Cash in Your Face
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
9
Lately #64
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)
10
Happy Birthday #2
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Multi-Instrumentalist)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 3 contributors

SW
Stevie Wonder
Writer · Producer · Vocals
On this album10 written
CP
Clarence Paul
Writer
On this album1 written
MB
Morris Broadnax
Writer
On this album1 written

More from Stevie Wonder

1962 22%
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie
Tamla
9 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1962 10%
Tribute to Uncle Ray
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1963 0%
With a Song in My Heart
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1963 0%
Workout Stevie, Workout
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1964 0%
Stevie at the Beach
Tamla
11 tracksProd. Clarence Paul
1966 42%
Up-Tight (Everything's Alright)
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1966 33%
Down to Earth
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1967 0%
Someday at Christmas
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1968 33%
I Was Made to Love Her
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1968 67%
For Once in My Life
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1969 42%
My Cherie Amour
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Hank Cosby
1970 58%
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
Tamla
12 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1971 100%
Where I'm Coming From
Tamla
9 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1972 100%
Talking Book
Tamla/Motown
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1972 100%
Music of My Mind
Tamla
9 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1973 100%
Innervisions
Tamla/Motown
9 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1974 100%
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1976 100%
Songs in the Key of Life
Tamla/Motown
17 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1979 100%
Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants
Tamla
20 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1985 100%
In Square Circle
Tamla
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1987 100%
Characters
Motown
10 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
1995 100%
Conversation Peace
Motown
13 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder
2005 100%
A Time to Love
Motown
15 tracksProd. Stevie Wonder

Frequently Asked Questions Hotter Than July

Why did Stevie Wonder write "Happy Birthday" on Hotter Than July?
Wonder wrote "Happy Birthday" to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and to rally support for making King's birthday a national holiday. The song anchored his campaign for the cause, which succeeded when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983 and first observed nationally in 1986.
What is "Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder about?
"Master Blaster (Jammin')" is Wonder's reggae tribute to Bob Marley, inspired by Marley's music after the two met in 1979. It became the album's biggest hit, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the R&B chart.
Did Stevie Wonder write all the songs on Hotter Than July?
Wonder wrote, arranged, and produced the album almost entirely by himself. The one exception is "All I Do," which he co-wrote with Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax from a session dating back to the mid-1960s.
What singles were released from Hotter Than July?
The main singles were "Master Blaster (Jammin')" (number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100), "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (number 11), "Lately" (number 64), and "Happy Birthday," which became a major hit in the UK where it reached number 2.
How high did Hotter Than July chart?
The album peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming one of Wonder's most successful releases of the early 1980s.
Is Hotter Than July certified platinum?
Yes. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in February 1981 for one million copies shipped in the United States, and it has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
What label released Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July?
Hotter Than July was released on September 29, 1980, on Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. Wonder recorded it at his own Wonderland Studios in Los Angeles.
Why does "Lately" stand out on Hotter Than July?
"Lately" is the album's stripped-down piano ballad, a slow meditation on a failing relationship that contrasts with the record's upbeat funk and reggae tracks. Though it only reached number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100, it became one of Wonder's most enduring ballads and a frequent cover choice for other singers.

Sources

Wikipedia: Hotter Than July MusicBrainz: Hotter Than July (release group) Cover Art Archive: Hotter Than July front cover Cover Art Archive: Hotter Than July by Stevie Wonder