Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Signed, Sealed & Delivered
B-side "I'm More Than Happy (I'm Satisfied)"
Released June 3, 1970
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded 1970
Genre Soul
Length 2:41
Label Tamla 54196
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Never Had a Dream Come True"
(1970)		 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(1970)		 "Heaven Help Us All"
(1970)

"Never Had a Dream Come True"
(1970)		 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(1970)		 "Heaven Help Us All"
(1970)

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" is a soul single by American musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for Motown's Tamla label. Released in June 1970, the song spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S. Pop chart.[1] In the same year, the song was also released on the album Signed, Sealed & Delivered.

The song was arranged by Paul Riser and featured a distinctive "sitar-guitar" in the introduction.[2]

The song was a series of firsts for the 20-year-old Wonder: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was the first single Wonder produced on his own, and was also the first to feature his female backup singing group composed of Lynda Tucker Laurence (who went on to become a member of The Supremes), Syreeta Wright (who also co-wrote the song), and Venetta Fields.

During a 2008 appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Wonder credited the song title and chorus "signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours" to his mother Lula, who exclaimed the words after listening to her son experiment with the melody. This song also marked Wonder's sixth Grammy nomination. The award went to Ronald Dunbar and General Johnson for writing the Clarence Carter song "Patches".

Chart performance

Awards

In 2009 Stevie Wonder was welcomed by President Barack Obama to receive the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress.

Peter Frampton cover

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
Single by Peter Frampton
from the album I'm in You
B-side "Rocky's Hot Club"
Released August 1977
Format 7"
Genre Pop
Label A&M
Songwriter(s)
Peter Frampton singles chronology
"I'm in You"
(1977)		 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(1977)		 "Tried to Love"
(1977)

"I'm in You"
(1977)		 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(1977)		 "Tried to Love"
(1977)

In 1977, Peter Frampton recorded the song on his album I'm in You. His version also contains instrumental elements from Wonder's hit "For Once in My Life". Mick Jagger is featured on backing vocals. Frampton's version was released as a single, reaching number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Cashbox Top 100.[6] His cover also reached number 13 in Canada.

Chart performance

Other covers

Shortly before being signed by Uni Records, Elton John (then performing under his birth name, Reg Dwight) recorded a cover of it for a collection of top hits of the day that were released as discount LP "sound-alike" versions. It was later released on several CD compilations, perhaps the most notable of which was Reg Dwight's Piano Goes Pop! Elton's (or rather Reg's) version was later included under the end titles of the 2004 romantic comedy film Laws of Attraction starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore.

In the early 1970s, Bobby Byrd performed an up-tempo cover of this song on a single with other songs performed by James Brown and Lyn Collins.[12]

In 1975, The Osmonds covered the song, and it appears on their album Around the World, Live in Concert.

In 1976, Marcia Hines covered the song on her album, Shining.

In 1980, co-writer Syreeta Wright released her own version of the song on her second self-titled album.

In 1982, the Boys Town Gang covered "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." It became a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands.[13]

In 1988, Chaka Khan released her album CK of which the song was the first track. Wonder played harmonica on Khan's version.

Released in 1988, the TV special Meet the California Raisins! featured the song covered by fictional band "The California Raisins".

During the mid-1990s, Mazda released a series of TV commercials that used a re-recorded version of the song, with the lyrics "Here it is/Signed, sealed, delivered/It's yours!" including a Mazda 626 commercial from 1995.[14]

Jamiroquai covered this song live on several occasions during the 1990s.

In 1995, Kim Wilde performed the track during the last episode of Don't Forget Your Toothbrush on UK television.[15]

Jazz fusion and contemporary jazz group Pieces of a Dream presented their version from the band's album Pieces.[16]

In 2000, Irish pop princess Samantha Mumba covered and performed it for a televised ITV tribute to Motown. The track later appeared on the UK and Japanese re-issue of her debut album Gotta Tell You. It also went on to feature in her 2006 compilation album, The Collection.

In 2003, for his first in a two-volume collection of Motown cover songs, Michael McDonald recorded his own version of the song. Later that same year, Wonder recorded a similar remake with British boy band Blue. The song hit number 11 in the UK charts.

Human Nature successfully remade the song to feature in their Motown album released in 2006.

Lead singer for the band Train, Pat Monahan, covered the hit in 2003.

A mostly instrumental version of the song has been released by the James Taylor Quartet.

Former adult film star Colton Ford and dance diva Pepper Mashay recorded a club version of this song. This version went to number 9 on the Hot Dance Club Play and number 25 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales charts.[17]

English singer Craig David has covered the song on his fifth studio album, inspired by the same name Signed Sealed Delivered.

The television reality show The Glee Project featured the song as a homework assignment, in the first episode of season one. Also, Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde covered the song in the season 4 episode of Glee "Wonder-ful".

British singer Olly Murs covered the song as part of a medley of Stevie Wonder hits in his 2011 theatre tour of the UK.

Michael Bolton released a cover of the song in early 2013 on his album Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Tribute to Hitsville.[18]

In 2004, Arkells released a version of the song as the A-side to their Record Store Day release entitled Arkells Sing Motown.

In movie Valentine's Day (2010) soundtrack, there is a version sung by Anju Ramapriyam.

The song was part of a medley of songs in the 2012 film Joyful Noise, starring Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah.

In 2013, Delvin Choice vs. Josh Kaufman love this song in the Battles, round 2 covered as a duet on sixth season of The Voice.

In 2013, Straight No Chaser covered the song with Wonder on their Under the Influence album.[19]

In 2015, Ariana Grande and Babyface covered the song as part of the "Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life — An All-Star Grammy Salute" at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on February 16, 2015.

In 2015, Mark Hood covered the song through the instant save he has eliminated Ninth Season of The Voice.

Political significance

During the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama's presidential campaign frequently played the song immediately after Obama's speeches at campaign events. Wonder performed the song live on the final night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado. During the campaign, Obama's chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod, used the song as the special ring tone on his cellular phone whenever he received a call from Obama.[20]

At Obama's election night rally at Grant Park in Chicago, the song was one of the first of three songs played to warm up the audience for Obama's victory speech upon winning the election. The song was used in the same fashion the Clinton-Gore campaign used Fleetwood Mac's hit, "Don't Stop." The Obama family came out to the song again on Election Night in 2012 for Obama's victory speech.

At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the song played after Barack Obama's speech, at which point Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton came out on stage.

Blue, Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone version

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
Single by Blue featuring Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone
from the album Guilty
B-side
  • "One Love"
  • "4-Play"
Released December 15, 2003
Format CD single
Recorded 2002
Genre
Length 3:33
Label Innocent
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stevie Wonder
Blue singles chronology
"Guilty"
(2003)		 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(2003)		 "Breathe Easy"
(2004)

"Guilty"
(2003)		 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(2003)		 "Breathe Easy"
(2004)

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was covered in 2003 by English boy band Blue. Their version included vocals from Angie Stone and Wonder. This was the second single from Blue's third album, Guilty (2003), and it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. In Japan, the song was issued as a double A-side with Japanese exclusive track "The Gift". Janet Jackson was originally approached to cover the song with the group, but could not proceed due to scheduling conflicts.[21]

Track listing

UK CD1
  1. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered... I'm Yours" – 3:39
  2. "One Love" – 3:25
UK CD2
  1. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered... I'm Yours" (Radio Edit) – 3:33
  2. "4 Play" – 3:22
  3. "Guilty" (Original Demo) – 3:25
  4. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered... I'm Yours" (Video) – 3:33
Japanese double A-side single
  1. "The Gift" – 4:58
  2. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered... I'm Yours" (Radio Edit) – 3:33
  3. "4 Play" – 3:22
  4. "Guilty" (Original Demo) – 3:25

Chart positions

Chart (2003–04) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[22] 31
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] 35
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 38
Denmark (Tracklisten)[25] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 29
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[27] 12
Ireland (IRMA) 17
Italy (FIMI)[28] 11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[29] 16
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 22
Romania (Romanian Top 100) 37
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[31] 11
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[32] 12
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 36
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 53
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[35] 11

Ronan Keating version

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
Single by Ronan Keating
from the album Postman Pat: The Movie
Released 2014
Recorded 2014
Label Polydor
Songwriter(s) Ronan Keating
Producer(s) Ronan Keating

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was covered in 2014 by Ronan Keating for the film Postman Pat: The Movie.

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 635.
  2. ↑ Perone, James E. (January 1, 2006). "The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music". Greenwood Publishing Group. Retrieved January 29, 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  4. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  6. ↑ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2000), 239.
  7. ↑ Flavour of New Zealand, 18 December 1977
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  9. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 15, 1977
  10. ↑ "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 11, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  11. ↑ "1977 Year End". Bullfrogspond.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  12. ↑ "Dusty Groove review". Dusty Groove. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  13. ↑ 40, Stichting Nederlandse Top. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982". Top40.nl. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Mazda 626 TV ad (USA) - "Signed, sealed, delivered"". YouTube. 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  15. ↑ "Wilde Life TV 1995". Wilde-life.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Piecesoverview". Allmusic.com.
  17. ↑ "Colton Ford Billboard singles". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
  18. ↑ "Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Tribute to Hitsville".
  19. ↑ Collar, Matt. "Under the Influence - Straight No Chaser". Allmusic. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  20. ↑ Zeleny, Jeff (October 26, 2008). "Long by Obama's Side, an Adviser Fills a Role That Exceeds His Title". New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Janet Love". Janet Love. October 28, 2003. Archived from the original on November 23, 2003. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Musicline.de – Blue & Stevie Wonder Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  28. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered". Top Digital Download. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Blue & Stevie Wonder" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Charts.nz – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  32. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Blue feat. Stevie Wonder & Angie Stone – Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" Canciones Top 50.
  33. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Blue & Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  35. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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