Jump to content
 







Main menu
    


Navigation  


●Main page
 ●Contents
 ●Current events
 ●Random article
 ●About Wikipedia
 ●Contact us
 ●Donate
  



Contribute  


●Help
 ●Learn to edit
 ●Community portal
 ●Recent changes
 ●Upload file
  







Search  

































●Create account

●Log in
 









●Create account
 ● Log in
  



Pages for logged out editors learn more  


●Contributions
 ●Talk
  


















Contents

   



(Top)
  


1 Background  




2 Personnel  




3 Chart performance  




4 Notable covers  




5 References  













Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)






●Français
 ●Italiano
  
Edit links
  








●Article
 ●Talk
  
















●Read
 ●Edit
 ●View history
  







Tools
    


Actions  


●Read
 ●Edit
 ●View history
  



General  


●What links here
 ●Related changes
 ●Upload file
 ●Special pages
 ●Permanent link
 ●Page information
 ●Cite this page
 ●Get shortened URL
 ●Download QR code
 ●Wikidata item
  



Print/export  


●Download as PDF
 ●Printable version
  















Appearance
    

 





From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  

"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"
SinglebyStevie 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Chart performance

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

Notable covers

[edit]

References

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

    This 1970s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • t
  • e

    • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superwoman_(Where_Were_You_When_I_Needed_You)&oldid=1232577913"
    Categories: 
    ●1972 singles
     ●Stevie Wonder songs
     ●Songs written by Stevie Wonder
     ●1970s ballads
     ●Rhythm and blues ballads
     ●Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder
     ●Tamla Records singles
     ●1970s single stubs
     Hidden categories: 
    ●Articles needing additional references from April 2021
     ●All articles needing additional references
     ●Articles with short description
     ●Short description is different from Wikidata
     ●Articles with hAudio microformats
     ●All stub articles
      


    ●This page was last edited on 4 July 2024, at 13:21 (UTC).
    ●Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.


    ●Privacy policy
    ●About Wikipedia
    ●Disclaimers
    ●Contact Wikipedia
    ●Code of Conduct
    ●Developers
    ●Statistics
    ●Cookie statement
    ●Mobile view


    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki