Stevie Wonder's Top 20 Songs of All Time, Ranked (2023)

FAQs

How many top 10 songs did Stevie Wonder have? ›

Wonder has had ten US number-one hits on the pop charts, as well as 20 R&B number one hits, and has sold over 100 million records, 19.5 million of which are albums; he is one of the top 60 best-selling music artists with combined sales of singles and albums.

“All Day Sucker” is one of the funkiest songs Wonder has ever recorded. He opens the song with “Play it as funky as you can” before the ace session musicians let it rip.

Wonder's single "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart.

With 40 top 10 hits in the Hot 100 over her career, Swift surpassed Madonna as the woman with the most top 10s in the chart's history. (Madonna has 38 top 10 singles.) Swift is only surpassed by Drake, who counts 59 top 10 hits.

According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.

#1: "The Twist" by Chubby Checker

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What was Stevie Wonder most known for? ›

Stevie Wonder gained prominence in the early 1960s as a musical prodigy, and his dance hits and love songs have segued over the years into thoughtful commentaries on the joy and injustice in our world.

"Hey Love (Can I Have a Word)" is a song by American R&B singer R. Kelly and Public Announcement featuring Mr. Lee, on their debut album Born into the 90's. The song incorporates the melody and lyrics of Stevie Wonder's "Hey Love" from his 1966 album Down to Earth.

c CBS Records. Today in 1963, Stevie Wonder first entered the U.S. singles chart as Little Stevie Wonder with "Fingertips Parts One and Two"; Wonder was only 13 years old, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart.

Stevie Wonder's Artistic Freedom and the 1970s Music Industry. Without question, Stevie Wonder is one of the most prolific artists in popular music history. While his career spans six decades, he is most known and lauded for his 1970s period.

“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.”

Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.

Mariah Carey Confirmed As The First Artist To Top The Billboard Hot 100 Chart Across Four Decades.

The most successful songwriters in terms of number one singles are John Lennon (1940-80) and Paul McCartney (b. 18 Jun 1942). McCartney is credited as the writer on 32 number one hits in the US to Lennons 26 (with 23 co-written), whereas Lennon authored 29 UK number ones to McCartney's 28 (25 co-written).

Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”

What is the most famous song in the world? ›

For some people, it's “God Save The Queen,” while for others it's “The Star-Spangled Banner.” There are also those who would say that the song “Happy Birthday to You” is the most famous of all time (not without reason as it netted its creator the most money ever in the history of humankind). Drumbeat please!

Kelly has had 38 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while Stevie Wonder has had 37. R. Kelly also has more number one hits than Stevie Wonder, with 11 to Stevie's 10. So, there you have it.

Like many Motown artists, Stevie Wonder was a Beatles fan—of sorts. “Stevie loved the Beatles, mostly Lennon and McCartney for their writing,” Wonder's childhood best friend John Glover says in Mark Ribowsky's Stevie biography Signed, Sealed, and Delivered.

Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest musical geniuses of the latter part of the 20th Century, going into the 21st Century. His style encompasses pop, rock, blues, soul, jazz, funk, gospel and reggae.

Wonder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and received a Lifetime Grammy in 1996. He is a musical genius whose life is an inspiration to others.

Stevie Wonder, at forty-four, is revered as the composer of a thick catalogue of pop songs, many of them hits; as the blind former child prodigy who became an international star; as one of the most gifted and influential vocalists of his generation; as a pianist both fluid and intricately rhythmical; as a virtuoso ...

It was rumoured that the star had been diagnosed with kidney failure and was having dialysis.

Stevie Wonder Gives Heartfelt Performance At Michael Jackson Memorial. Wonder performs medley of 'Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer' and 'They Won't Go When I Go. '

Jackson worked with Wonder again for the song "I Can't Help It" for Jackson's 1979 breakthrough album Off the Wall, which was written by Wonder and former Supremes member Susaye Greene. Within a year, Jackson also did background vocal work on "All I Do" from Wonder's platinum-selling Hotter than July album.

The youngest person ever to top the US charts is Stevie Wonder, who was 13 when he hit Number One with 'Fingertips Pt 2' in 1963.

How old is Stevie Wonder and what is his net worth? ›

GRAMMY Rewind: Stevie Wonder Shares His First GRAMMY Win With His Mom. In the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, GRAMMY.com takes a journey back to the 1974 GRAMMY Awards when a then-23-year-old Stevie Wonder took home his first four GRAMMY wins for music for his classic albums Talking Book (1972) and Innervisions (1973) ...

1. Stevie Wonder. Born on the 13th of May 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, Stevland Hardaway Morris, professionally known as Stevie Wonder is known worldwide as a singer, songwriter and musician.

Other Facts

Nominated for one Academy Award with one win. Born prematurely; doctors believe he was blinded when he was accidentally given too much oxygen in his incubator. Learned to play piano, drums and harmonica by age 9. His first stage name was Little Stevie Wonder.

Stevie Wonder has penned countless hits for himself – 'Isn't She Lovely', 'Superstition', 'Sir Duke' – the list goes on and on, AND ON! But throughout his career, he also wrote for many other artists including The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross, to name just a few.

“When you realize nothing really belongs to you, you begin to appreciate having an understanding of just where your head is at, and you feel so much better.”

In the hardscrabble housing projects of Detroit, Stevie taught himself to play a neighbor's out-of-tune piano. By 10 he had mastered the harmonica, piano, organ, and drums without taking a lesson.

Lata Mangeshkar started her career in the year 1942 and over the years, she recorded as many as 50,000 songs in 14 languages. During the 1960s, she recorded 30,000 songs and won the Guinness World Record. Following the same, she became the most recorded voice in history.

Mariah Carey (USA) has topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 19 different occasions.

Who is the biggest selling one hit Wonder? ›

#1 “Let's Stay Together” by Al Green

Originating from his 1972 album of the same name, this song has gone down in history as one of the best R&B songs of all time.

Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022. Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.

1. Michael Jackson. A dynamic force as the pre-teen frontman of chart-topping family group The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson moonwalked his way into solo superstardom.

But it's Mariah Carey who takes the prize for the largest vocal range of all. She can reach a low F2 and hit an unbelievable G7, a note that dolphins would envy, and that only some dogs can hear.

Johnny Cash. To date, the Man in Black has released a jaw-dropping 167 albums, although 104 of those albums are compilations (making him the official compilation heavyweight champion of the world).

"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.

Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Who, James Brown.

Who wrote most #1 hits? ›

The most successful songwriters in terms of number one singles are John Lennon (1940-80) and Paul McCartney (b. 18 Jun 1942). McCartney is credited as the writer on 32 number one hits in the US to Lennons 26 (with 23 co-written), whereas Lennon authored 29 UK number ones to McCartney's 28 (25 co-written).

According to Pierre Bradshaw, who worked 6 years at MCA/Universal Music, a band with a hit song can bring in anywhere from $10 thousand to $50 thousand per performance. And the actual members of the band get to keep around 85% to 90% of that. (Their manager usually gets a 10% to 15% cut.)