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Biography
OtherusesInfobox single| Name = Fingertips| Cover = Fingertips2.jpg| Artist = Stevie Wonder|Little Stevie Wonder | Album = Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius|The 12 Year Old Genius | A-side = "Fingertips - Part 1"| B-side = "Fingertips - Part 2"| Released = May 21, 1963| Format = 7" single| Recorded = Regal Theater, Chicago ; June 1962| Genre = R& B , Soul music|Soul | Length = 2:49 (part 1), 3:09 (part 2)| Label = Motown|Tamla T 54080| Writer = Clarence Paul Henry Cosby| Producer = Berry Gordy, Jr.| Chronology = Stevie Wonder | Last single = "Contract On Love" (1962)| This single = " Fingertips " (1963)| Next single = "Workout, Stevie, Workout" (1963)" Fingertips " is a 1963 number one hit single recorded live by Stevie Wonder|"Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown 's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States since Johnny Standley's 1952 comic monologue " It's in the Book ".
Overview
Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby , "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental recorded for Wonder's first studio album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder . The live version of the song was recorded in June 1962 during a Motortown Revue performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Containing only a few stanzas of lyrics, "Fingertips" is essentially an instrumental piece, meant to showcase Wonder's talents on the Bongo drum|bongos and the harmonica .
The false stop
The edit point that begins "Part 2" of "Fingertips" comes as Wonder transforms what had been an instrumental performance till now with "Everybody say 'yeah!'" initiating a call and response exchange with the audience. After a couple of sung verses, each followed by a bit of Stevie's harmonica wizardry (solos accompanied only by the audience's rhythmic clapping), Wonder brings things to a conclusion with a sly quote from "Mary Had a Little Lamb." At this point, he leaves the stage and the band goes into its exit music. This turns out to be a false ending however, as Wonder appears back onstage for an encore, returning to his harmonica, bongos, and the vocal microphone. The other musicians were not aware Wonder would stage an encore, and bassist Larry Moses (who was not part of Wonder's band) had actually walked out on the stage to prepare for his song with the next act on the bill, Mary Wells . As the song is about to resume, Moses can be heard on the recording, yelling out, "What key? What key? " (The song's key is C minor .)
Release
The live version of "Fingertips" was released in May 1963 as a two-part single, with Part 2 (with the encore) as the B-side. By August, the single B-side had reached the top of both the Hot 100|Billboard Pop Singles and Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|R& B Singles charts.cite book |title= Top R& B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=803 "Fingertips" was Motown's second number-one pop hit (following The Marvelettes ' " Please Mr. Postman "), and launched the 13-year-old Wonder into the pop music stratosphere. The single's success helped Wonder's live album, Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius , reach number-one on the Billboard 200|Billboard Pop Albums chart, making him the youngest artist to accomplish that feat.
Both the studio and live versions of the song featured drums|drumming by Freddie Waits , who had been playing drums for Wonder and other Motown artists in 1960.
Cover versions and samples
This song is sampled in " I Feel For You " by Chaka Khan .Citation needed|date=August 2009
Art-rock band Sparks (band)|Sparks included a synthesiser-based cover of "Fingertips" on their fourteenth album Music That You Can Dance To
Samples of this song can be heard in Le Juan Love's single "Everybody Say Yeah"Citation needed|date=August 2009
The song is featured in the opening scene of the Quantum Leap (TV series)|Quantum Leap episode " One Strobe Over the Line "Citation needed|date=August 2009
The song was performed by Sounds Incorporated when they opened for The Beatles at their famous 1965 concert at Shea Stadium in New York City.Citation needed|date=August 2009
Personnel
Vocals, bongos, and harmonica by Stevie Wonder|Little Stevie Wonder
start boxsuccession box| before = " So Much in Love " by The Tymes | title = Billboard Hot 100 List of number-one hits (United States)|number one single (by Little Stevie Wonder) | years = August 10, 1963 (three weeks) | after = " My Boyfriend's Back (song)|My Boyfriend's Back " by The Angels (American group)|The Angels succession box| before = " Easier Said Than Done " by The Essex | title = Billboard Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot R& B Singles R& B number-one hits of 1963 (USA)|number-one single | years = August 3, 1963 – September 7, 1963 (six weeks) | after = " (Love Is Like A) Heatwave " by Martha and The Vandellas end box Stevie Wonder Category:1963 singles Category:Stevie Wonder songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles Category:Songs written by Henry Cosby Category:Songs written by Clarence Paul Category:Motown singles Category:Sparks songs
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