Fingertips
Encyclopedia
"Fingertips" is a 1963 number one hit single recorded live by "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 Pop Singles
chart in the United States
since Johnny Standley's 1952 comic monologue "It's in the Book
".
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 bongos
and the harmonica
.
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
.)
charts. "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 Pop Albums
chart, making him the youngest artist to accomplish that feat.
Both the studio and live versions of the song featured drumming by Freddie Waits
, who had been playing drums for Wonder and other Motown artists in 1960.
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
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 Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since Johnny Standley's 1952 comic monologue "It's in the Book
It's in the Book
"It's in the Book" is a recorded comic monologue, partly sung, partly an exhortation in the manner of a revivalist preacher on the subject of Little Bo-Peep. It was marketed as a pop song and made the Billboard chart in 1952, reaching number one...
".
Overview
Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence PaulClarence Paul
Clarence Otto Pauling , better known as Clarence Paul, was a songwriter and record producer for Detroit's Motown Records....
and Henry Cosby
Henry Cosby
Henry "Hank" R. Cosby was an African American songwriter and record producer for Motown Records...
, "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental recorded for Wonder's first studio album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie is the 1962 debut album by Stevie Wonder on the Tamla label.The LP showcases the twelve-year-old Wonder's talents as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist...
. The live version of the song was recorded in June 1962 during a Motortown Revue
Motortown Revue
The Motortown Revue was the name given to the package concert tours of Motown artists in the 1960s. Early tours featured Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Mary Wells, The Marvelettes, Barrett Strong, and The Contours as headlining acts, and gave then-second-tier acts such as Marvin Gaye, Martha & The...
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 bongos
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
and the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
.
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 responseCall and response
Call and response is a form of "spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which all of the statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener."...
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
Mary Wells
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
. 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
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
.)
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 Billboard Pop Singles and R&B SinglesHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
charts. "Fingertips" was Motown's second number-one pop hit (following The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
' "Please Mr. Postman
Please Mr. Postman
"Please Mr. Postman" is the debut single by The Marvelettes for the Tamla label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr...
"), 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
Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius
Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius is the first live album by Stevie Wonder. The album was released on the Tamla record label in May 1963, the same month as the single release of "Fingertips"...
, reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, making him the youngest artist to accomplish that feat.
Both the studio and live versions of the song featured drumming by Freddie Waits
Freddie Waits
Freddie Douglas Waits was a hard bop and post-bop drummer.He was a member of Max Roach's M'Boom percussion orchestra....
, 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 YouI Feel for You"I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. It became a hit single in 1984 for female R&B singer Chaka Khan, appearing on her album, which was also called I Feel for You...
" by Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
. - Art-rock band SparksSparks (band)Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
included a synthesiser-based cover of "Fingertips" on their fourteenth album Music That You Can Dance ToMusic That You Can Dance To- Personnel :* Russell Mael - vocals* Ron Mael - all synthesizers * Bob Haag - Endodyne guitars, Roland synthesizers, backing vocals* Leslie Bohem - bass guitar, backing vocals* David Kendrick - drums... - Samples of this song can be heard in Le Juan Love's single "Everybody Say Yeah"
- The song is featured in the opening scene of the Quantum Leap episode "One Strobe Over the Line"
- The song was performed by Sounds IncorporatedSounds IncorporatedSounds Incorporated, later known as Sounds Inc., were a British instrumental pop group who recorded extensively in the 1960s.-Career:The group formed in 1961, in Dartford, Kent, and gained a local reputation in nearby South London for the fullness of their saxophone-led instrumental sound...
when they opened for The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
at their famous 1965 concert at Shea StadiumShea StadiumWilliam A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
in New York City.
Personnel
- Vocals, bongos, and harmonica by Little Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
- Drums by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
- Bass by James JamersonJames JamersonJames Lee Jamerson was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s , and he is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history...
, Larry Moses