Lately (Stevie Wonder song)

"Lately" is a song by American singer Stevie Wonder recorded for his album Hotter than July (1980). The song reached number three in the United Kingdom, and was later covered by 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 R&B charts and the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Lately"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Hotter than July
B-side"If It's Magic"
Released1981
Recorded1980
GenreR&B • Soul • Ballad
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)

Critical reception

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."[1]

Jodeci version
"Lately"
Single by Jodeci
from the album Uptown MTV Unplugged
Released1993
RecordedFebruary 1993
GenreR&B • Soul
Length5:49 (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)

"Lately" was notably covered by 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.[2] The group's version of the song was released as a promotional single, claiming the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts as the group's fourth R&B number one hit. It was also Jodeci's highest peaking pop hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1993.[3] It sold 900,000 copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[4][5] 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. 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 himself making a guest appearance and performing the song with Jodeci.

Jodeci also notably performed the song on Martin during the Season 2 episode "Hollywood Swinging (Part 2)", in which Martin interrupts their performance on the Varnel Hill talk show, much to the dismay of the group members.

Other covers and samples

A reggae version by Rudy Grant reached no. 58 in the UK Singles Chart in 1981, prior to the original entering the same chart.

A jazz version of "Lately" as done by George Benson appeared on his 2000 album, Absolute Benson.

The song was also covered by English pop group S Club 7 and released as a bonus track on their album 7, released in 2000,[6] as well as by Will Martin on his album Inspirations, 2010.[7] South Korean ballad singers Kim Yeon-woo and Sung Si Kyung have covered "Lately" at several of their concerts. The cover is also featured in his special album "Try to Remember." On American Idol, the song was performed by Season 1's finalist RJ Helton (Semi-finals - Wildcard Round), Season 3's John Stevens (Motown Week), Season 5's Melissa McGhee (Stevie Wonder Week), Season 10's Stefano Langone (Motown Week), Season 11's Colton Dixon (Stevie Wonder/Whitney Houston Week), and by Season 12's Amber Holcomb (Music of Detroit Week).

This song was also sampled in Rick Ross' song "Here I Am".

In May 2020, an unheard acoustic rendition of the song surfaced on YouTube by the late British singer Amy Winehouse. It was recorded when Winehouse was 17 years-old in 2001.

Chart performance
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See also

References
  1. Elias, Jason. ""Lately" Song review at Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  2. Vanity Fair 56 (1993), 240.
  3. "allmusic ((( Jodeci > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  4. "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. BPI Communications. 106 (3): 73. January 15, 1994. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. "American certifications – Jodeci – Lately". Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. Phares, Heather. "allmusic ((( 7 (Bonus Tracks) > Overview )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  7. "Inspirations". willmartin.co.nz. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  8. "allmusic ((( Hotter Than July > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  9. "STEVIE WONDER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  10. "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
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