The 20th of February 1972
Official U.K. Singles Chart results from Sunday the 20th to Saturday the 26th of February 1972
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 19th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 20th,
announced on Tuesday the 22nd,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 27th of February 1972.
Stevie Wonder
If You Really Love Me
At No.20, on the the U.K. Top 50 Singles Chart the day I am born, is Stevie Wonder with “If You Really Love Me”.
As we breach the U.K. Top 20 Singles,..
…we arrive at a modest hit for Mr. Stevie Wonder, who gets some vocal assistance, as well as songwriting support, from Syreeta Wright.
Stevie not only sang, but also played the piano, Moog synth bass and drums on this track too.
Now, for some, they may not know who Syreeta is.
For me, I recognise her as the lady who sings the duet with Billy Preston on “With You I’m Born Again”. A song which will be released at the close of the 1970’s.
Syreeta,..
…who first began at Motown in the mid 1960’s as a receptionist for songwriter and producer Mickey Stevenson (a role once occupied by Martha Reeves), was initially suggested to be the singer to record demos for Diana Ross and the Supremes. However, when they realised that these were being handled by songwriters Ashford and Simpson, with supervision from other established producers, the decision was instead made to try Syreeta with her own song.
Under Motown’s decision to change her name to Rita Wright, they released the single ‘I Can’t Give Back the Song I Feel for You’, but it unfortunately failed to get noticed.
So instead,..
…she concentrated singing demos and providing backing vocals for the Supremes and Martha & the Vandellas.
It was around this time that she met Stevie Wonder,..
…and they began dating a short while after.
They also began writing songs together, with their first effort “It’s A Shame” becoming a hit for the Spinners.
She also sang backing vocals…
…to some of Stevie’s tracks, including “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, and it wasn’t long after that they decided to get married in Detroit.
Although their latest songwriting collaboration…
…was pulled from his latest album of original material “Where I’m Coming From” (with Stevie writing the music, while his new wife wrote the lyrics), the predominant thought on Stevie’s mind would probably have been where he was planning on going to.
With the trust fund which Motown had put in place, for all of Stevie’s royalties, from all of his successful records, which had been accumulating since he’d signed with them since the age of 11, now at maturity, and with his contract expiring at the same time, it was now time to negotiate a new contract which would allow him more independent artistic freedom.
Until then, this will be the highest position he achieves with this single, his last recorded from the heart of Motown in Hitsville, at this time of his life.
It has spent 2 weeks at No.20,..
…this being the second of them.
Stevie will then spend another week after this in the chart before completing his 7 week run from mid-January to the beginning of March 1972.
With Stevie and Syreeta now relocated to New York City, a new musical chapter has already begun.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
Stevie Wonder – If You Really Love Me (TV Performance)
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