"Uptight (Everything's Alright)" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder for the Tamla (Motown) label. This was one of his most popular early songs, and it was the first hit single that Wonder co-wrote. The song was a major success, reaching number three on the US Billboard Pop Singles chart in early 1966 and spending five weeks at the top of the Billboard R&B Singles chart. Billboard listed it as the 59th biggest American hit of 1966. An album titled Up-Tight (1966) was created quickly to take advantage of the song's popularity. This album also earned Wonder his first two Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.
Background
In 1963, Wonder had a number-one hit in the United States with "Fingertips." He also had two other songs in the Top 40: "Workout, Stevie, Workout" (1963) and "Hey Harmonica Man" (1964). However, in 1965, when Wonder was 15 years old, his voice began to change. Motown CEO Berry Gordy was concerned that Wonder might no longer be successful as a musician. Instead, producer Clarence Paul found it easier to work with Wonder's now-mature voice. Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby wrote a new song for Wonder based on an instrumental idea he had created. Nelson George, in Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, noted that Wonder was inspired by the Rolling Stones' song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" after performing with the band. As Wonder shared his ideas, Moy said, "He went through everything." When Moy asked if he had more, Wonder began singing and playing, "Everything is alright, uptight." Moy said, "That's it. Let's work with that." The song "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" tells the story of a poor young man who is grateful to a rich girl who sees beyond his poverty. On the day of the recording, Moy had finished the lyrics but did not have them in braille for Wonder to read. Instead, she sang the song to him as he recorded it. She sang each line before him, and he repeated the lines as he heard them. In 2008, Moy said, "He never missed a beat" during the recording. Cash Box described the song as "a lively pop and R&B song with a strong chorus, about a lucky person who has the world under control."
Personnel
- Stevie Wonder – sang and played keyboards
- James Jamerson – played the bass guitar
- Benny Benjamin – played drums
- The Funk Brothers – played other instruments
- Johnny Allen – arranged the horn parts
- The Andantes – provided background vocals
Other notable versions
A new recording that exactly matches the original version of "Uptight" was used as the background music for Bill Cosby's 1967 musical comedy song, "Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright)." The song reached number 4 on the US charts. Bill Cosby is not related to the song's co-writer, Henry Cosby.
In 1994, British reggae singer C. J. Lewis released a version of the song titled "Everything Is Alright (Uptight)." His version reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, making it his second and final UK top-10 hit. It also reached the top 20 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
In 1995, British rock band Oasis recorded a song called "Step Out" that included parts of "Uptight." The song was meant to be on their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, but it was not included. Instead, parts of another song, "The Swamp Song," were used. "Step Out" was not released until a year later as a b-side to the song "Don't Look Back in Anger."
In 1997, American rock band Green Day released a song titled "Uptight" on their album Nimrod. Fans have noticed similarities between this song and the version by Wonder, but the band has not confirmed if they were directly inspired by it.