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Superstition (song)

"Superstition"
Stevie wonder-superstition single.jpg
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Talking Book
B-side "You've Got It Bad Girl"
Released October 24, 1972
Format 7" 45 rpm
Recorded New York City, 1972
Genre Funk
Length 4:26 (Album version)
4:07 (7" version)
Label Tamla T 54226F
Writer(s) Stevie Wonder
Producer(s) Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Keep on Running"
(1972)
"Superstition"
(1972)
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
(1973)
Music sample

"Superstition" is a popular song composed, produced, arranged, and performed by Stevie Wonder for Motown Records in 1972. It was the lead single for Wonder's Talking Book album, and released in many countries. It reached number one in the U.S., and number one on the soul singles chart. The song was Wonder's first number-one single since "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Overseas, it peaked at number eleven in the UK during February 1973. In November 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song at No. 74 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song's lyrics are chiefly concerned with superstitions, mentioning several popular superstitious fables throughout the song, and deal with the negative effects superstitious beliefs can bring.

Jeff Beck was an admirer of Wonder's music, and Wonder was informed of this prior to the Talking Book album sessions. Though at this point he was virtually playing all of the instruments on his songs by himself, Wonder still preferred to let other guitarists play on his records, and he liked the idea of a collaboration with Beck, a star guitarist. An agreement was quickly made for Beck to become involved in the sessions that became the Talking Book album, in return for Wonder writing him a song. In between sessions, Beck came up with the opening drum beat, which eventually led to Wonder's creation of "Superstition". In addition to the opening drum beat, Beck, together with Wonder, created the first demo for the song. Originally, the plan was for Beck to release his version of this song first, with his newly formed power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice. However, due to a combination of the delayed release of that trio's debut album and Motown CEO Berry Gordy's prediction that "Superstition" would be a huge hit (which would subsequently greatly increase the sales of Talking Book), Wonder ended up releasing the song as the lead single off Talking Book ahead of Beck's version.


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