STEVIE WONDER - I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU

Publicació: 1 d’agost de 1984

Classificació: Regne Unit #1 (6 setmanes), Estats Units #1 (3 setmanes)

“I Just Called to Say I Love You” és una de les cançons més exitoses —i també més divisives— de Stevie Wonder. Llançada l’any 1984, es va convertir en un fenomen mundial, encapçalant les llistes en 28 països i guanyant l’Oscar a la Millor Cançó Original per la seva inclusió al film “The Woman in Red”. A la tornada de la cançó hi ha un missatge senzill i sincer: l’amor no necessita una ocasió especial. Com diu la lletra, “no és Cap d’Any per celebrar”, només una trucada espontània per dir: “T’estimo”. Aquesta honestedat va tocar el cor de milions de persones, tot i que la crítica sovint va considerar la cançó massa sentimental o mancada de la profunditat de les seves obres anteriors, més compromeses socialment.

Curiosament, la cançó no estava prevista inicialment per a la banda sonora de “The Woman in Red”. Va ser Dionne Warwick, que feia de coordinadora musical del film, qui va suggerir Wonder per al projecte. Finalment, va acabar component set cançons per a la pel·lícula. A banda del tema principal i “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, també s’hi incloïen “Love Light in Flight” i “Don’t Drive Drunk” —aquesta última amb un missatge clar de conscienciació social.

La història darrere d’“I Just Called to Say I Love You” va donar un gir inesperat l’octubre del 1985, quan Lloyd Chiate i Lee Garrett (antic col·laborador de Wonder) el van denunciar per plagi, afirmant que havien escrit una cançó anomenada “Hello It’s Me/I Just Called to Say” l’any 1976 i que l’havien interpretada per a ell. L’acusació assenyalava que Wonder hauria copiat el títol i la idea de la tornada.

Durant el judici, Stevie Wonder va declarar que havia creat la tornada de la seva cançó el 16 de juliol de 1976, mentre tornava d’una visita a casa de la seva mare. Tot i que la melodia s’havia iniciat llavors, va assegurar que la versió final va ser completada expressament per a la pel·lícula, cosa que la feia elegible per l’Oscar. Aquesta admissibilitat va ser qüestionada quan la cançó va guanyar l’estatueta als 57ens Premis de l’Acadèmia, en una competició que incloïa altres grans èxits com “Against All Odds” (Phil Collins), “Footloose” (Kenny Loggins), “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” (Deniece Williams) i “Ghostbusters” (Ray Parker Jr.). Totes les cançons nominades havien estat número 1 als Estats Units —l’única vegada en la història dels Oscars que ha passat això. Malgrat els dubtes, no es va prendre cap acció legal, i Wonder va conservar el seu Oscar.

A mitjans dels anys 80, Stevie Wonder ja havia adoptat un estil més suau i orientat al pop adult contemporani, allunyant-se del seu so més funk i reivindicatiu dels anys 70, com el de “Superstition” o “Living for the City”. Tot i les crítiques d’alguns seguidors, Wonder sempre ha defensat la senzillesa emocional i el missatge universal de la cançó, que continua interpretant als seus concerts. Malgrat la polèmica, segueix sent una de les cançons d’amor més reconegudes i emblemàtiques de tots els temps.

STEVIE WONDER - I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU

Released: August 1, 1984

UK #1 (6 weeks) US #1 (3 weeks)

“I Just Called to Say I Love You” is one of Stevie Wonder’s most commercially successful—yet critically divisive—songs. Released in 1984, it became a global phenomenon, topping the charts in 28 countries and earning him an Academy Award for Best Original Song for its role in the film “The Woman in Red”. At its core, the song delivers a simple, heartfelt message: love doesn’t need a special occasion. As the lyrics point out, there’s “no New Year’s Day to celebrate,” just a spontaneous call to say, “I love you.” This sincerity struck a chord with millions, though critics often derided the song for being too sentimental or lacking the depth of his earlier, more socially conscious work.

It wasn’t originally planned for “The Woman in Red” soundtrack. Dionne Warwick—serving as the film’s “song coordinator”—suggested Stevie Wonder for the project, and he ended up composing seven songs for the movie. Alongside the title track and “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” the album also featured “Love Light in Flight” and “Don’t Drive Drunk,” the latter of which was a cautionary anthem with a public service message.

The backstory behind “I Just Called to Say I Love You” took a dramatic turn in October 1985, when songwriters Lloyd Chiate and Lee Garrett filed a lawsuit against Stevie Wonder, claiming that he had plagiarized their song titled “Hello It’s Me/I Just Called to Say.” They alleged they had written and played it for Wonder back in 1976, and accused him of lifting the title and chorus idea. Ironically, Lee Garrett was a longtime collaborator and co-writer with Wonder on previous songs like “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).” 

In court, Wonder testified that he had actually come up with the chorus to his song on July 16, 1976, while traveling home from a visit to his mother. He maintained that although the melody began then, the full version as heard in “The Woman in Red” soundtrack was completed specifically for the film, making it eligible for the Academy Award. That eligibility came under scrutiny when “I Just Called to Say I Love You” won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 57th Academy Awards in 1985. It beat out some massive hits: “Against All Odds” (Phil Collins), “Footloose” (Kenny Loggins), “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” (Deniece Williams), “Ghostbusters” (Ray Parker Jr.). All five were #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles, marking the only time in Oscar history that every nominee for Best Original Song had topped the US charts. Though the lawsuit raised eyebrows about whether Wonder’s song had truly been written for the film (a requirement for Oscar eligibility), no action was taken, and Wonder kept his Oscar.

By the mid-‘80s, Stevie Wonder had shifted toward a smoother, adult contemporary sound, a notable departure from the funkier, socially conscious tracks of the ‘70s like “Superstition” and “Living for the City.” While some longtime fans lamented the change, Wonder stood by the song’s emotional simplicity and universal message, regularly performing it at concerts. Despite the criticism, the track remains one of the most recognizable love songs of all time.