I Was Made to Love Her cover art

  Studio Album · No. 9

I Was Made to Love Her Songwriting Credits by Stevie Wonder

1968 Tamla 12 tracks 32 min

Produced by Hank Cosby

Tamla SoulR&BMotown
33%
Authorship
Co-Performer

Holds writing credit on 4 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 4 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Stevie Wonder carries a lyricist or composer credit.

33%
4 trackswritten by Stevie Wonder 8 tracksoutside writers
Stevie Wonder's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist33%
Composer33%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
17
Lyricists
1
Producers
1
No.1 Single
1968
Released
Data Insight

The title track is the album's clear centerpiece, written by Wonder with producer Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, and Wonder's mother Lula Mae Hardaway, and it rides one of James Jamerson's most celebrated bass lines from the Funk Brothers. Beyond a handful of Wonder-Moy-Cosby originals, the record leans heavily on contemporary soul covers, reworking Otis Redding's "Respect," the Temptations' "My Girl," Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Can I Get a Witness," and James Brown's "Please, Please, Please." That mix reflects Motown's late-1960s habit of padding LPs with familiar material around a hit single rather than building a unified statement. The result showcases the 17-year-old Wonder as a vocalist and interpreter more than as the auteur he would soon become.

I Was Made to Love Her is Stevie Wonder's ninth studio album, released in 1968 on Tamla Records. The title track, co-written by Wonder with Hank Cosby, Sylvia Moy, and his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, was a massive #2 pop hit and one of the most soulful performances of Stevie's early career. The album marked an increasing co-writing presence for Wonder, even if the majority of the material still came from Motown's writing staff. 'Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day,' also co-written by Wonder with Cosby and Moy, became another charting single. The record demonstrates a teenager growing more confident in his own creative voice, the co-writes with his mother Lula Mae Hardaway are particularly notable as early examples of Wonder writing directly from personal experience and family relationships.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
I Was Made to Love Her #2
Stevie WonderHenry CosbySylvia MoyLula Mae Hardaway Stevie WonderHenry CosbySylvia MoyLula Mae Hardaway Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
2
Send Me Some Lovin'
Lloyd PriceJohn Marascalco Lloyd PriceJohn Marascalco Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
3
I'd Cry
Stevie WonderSylvia Moy Stevie WonderSylvia Moy Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
4
Everybody Needs Somebody (I Need You)
Stevie WonderClarence Paul Stevie WonderClarence Paul Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
5
Respect
Otis Redding Otis Redding Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
6
My Girl
Smokey RobinsonRonald White Smokey RobinsonRonald White Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
7
Baby Don't You Do It
Brian HollandLamont DozierEddie Holland Brian HollandLamont DozierEddie Holland Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
8
A Fool for You
Ray Charles Ray Charles Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
9
Can I Get a Witness
Brian HollandLamont DozierEddie Holland Brian HollandLamont DozierEddie Holland Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
10
I Pity the Fool
Deadric Malone Deadric Malone Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
11
Please, Please, Please
James BrownJohnny Terry James BrownJohnny Terry Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)
12
Every Time I See You I Go Wild
Stevie WonderHenry CosbySylvia Moy Stevie WonderHenry CosbySylvia Moy Hank Cosby Stevie Wonder (Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 18 contributors

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 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
1981 100%
Hotter Than July
Tamla/Motown
10 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 I Was Made to Love Her

Who wrote Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her"?
The title track was co-written by Stevie Wonder, producer Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, and Wonder's mother Lula Mae Hardaway.
How high did the single "I Was Made to Love Her" chart?
It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, held off the top spot by the Doors' "Light My Fire," and went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. It also peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.
When was the album I Was Made to Love Her released and on what label?
It was released on August 28, 1967, on Tamla, a Motown subsidiary.
Is I Was Made to Love Her mostly original songs by Stevie Wonder?
No. Aside from a few Wonder-Moy-Cosby originals such as the title track and "Every Time I See You I Go Wild," the album is filled out with covers of well-known soul hits.
Which famous soul songs does Stevie Wonder cover on the album?
He covers Otis Redding's "Respect," the Temptations' "My Girl" (written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White), Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Can I Get a Witness," Ray Charles' "A Fool for You," and James Brown's "Please, Please, Please."
Who played the bass on "I Was Made to Love Her"?
Motown session legend James Jamerson of the Funk Brothers played the prominent bass line on the title track, with Benny Benjamin on drums and Eddie Willis on guitar.
How old was Stevie Wonder when I Was Made to Love Her was released?
Wonder was 17 years old when the album came out in August 1967.
Who sang backing vocals on I Was Made to Love Her?
The Andantes provided backing vocals, with the Funk Brothers handling the instrumental backing.
Data note: Covers are credited to their original composers.

Sources