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"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Music of My Mind
B-side"I Love Every Little Thing About You"
ReleasedApril 25, 1972
Recorded1972
GenreProgressive soul
Length
  • 8:08 (album version)
  • 3:29 (single version)
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"If You Really Love Me"
(1971) 		"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"
(1972) 		"Keep on Running"
(1972)

"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" is a 1972 soul track by Stevie Wonder. It was the second track on Wonder's Music of My Mind album, and was also released as the first single. The song reached a peak of number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Background

In essence a two-part song, there is a coherence in that it tells a story of the singer's relationship with "Mary". The first part covers her desire to be a star, and to leave behind her old life to become a movie star. The second part covers the narrator's wondering why she had not come back as soon as he had hoped. The second part of the song is also a reworking of the song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" from the 1971 album Where I'm Coming From.

The song, both in its sound and length, was a change of pace for Wonder, who was trying to establish his own identity outside of the Motown sound. Besides its floaty ambience, it featured the singer as a virtual one-man band.[1]

Cash Box said of the song "Superwoman, superproduction, supersong, superhit: AM and FM, pop/soul and MOR."[2]

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1972) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 33
US Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles[4] 13

Notable covers

References

  1. ^ Hogan, Ed at allmusic.com
  2. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 13, 1972. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 925.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 635.
  5. ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
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