Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

Album: Signed, Sealed and Delivered (1970)
Charted: 15 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Stevie Wonder is returning to his girl and putting himself at her mercy. It's a similar sentiment to the Temptations song "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," as the guy probably did something stupid - like cheat on her - but is now willing to become a crying puddle of mush if she will just take him back.
  • Wonder wrote "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" with the Motown songwriters Lee Garrett and Syreeta Wright. There's a fourth name on the credits as well: Lula Mae Hardaway, Stevie's mother. Wonder explained in Blues & Soul in 1970: "Syreeta has a unique ability to express exactly what I want to say with a lyric. I write the melody and music and might come up with the main idea. I would also come up with the rhythm music. On 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered,' for example, I came up with the music and Syreeta came up with the lyric. And my mother came up with some ideas on that one, too."

    Garrett and Wright also worked with Wonder on the Spinners song "It's A Shame." Soon after the Signed, Sealed and Delivered album was released, Wonder and Wright got married, but it didn't last: They split in 1972 but kept working together.

    Like Stevie Wonder, Lee Garrett is also blind. They first met at the Michigan School for the Blind.
  • There are no official credits for the musicians on this track, but Motown house musician (Funk Brother) Bob Babbitt, who died in 2012, claimed that he played the famous descending bassline, and Motown historians agree. Babbitt said that Eddie Willis played the electric sitar.
  • Peter Frampton took this song to #18 with his 1977 version. Other artists to cover this song include Elton John, Chaka Khan, Michael McDonald, Jermaine Jackson, The String Cheese Incident, and the California Raisins. Syreeta Wright, who co-wrote the song, recorded it using her stage name Syreeta.
  • This song features in the films Crooklyn (1994), Now And Then (1996), You've Got Mail (1998), and Laws Of Attraction (2004).
  • Elton John in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Times issue said of Stevie Wonder: "He's so multitalented that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes him one of the greatest ever. But first, there's that voice. Along with Ray Charles, he's the greatest R&B singer who ever lived. Nobody can sing like he does. I know: I actually recorded a version of 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' when I was young, and I really had to squeeze my balls to get those high notes." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • In The Office episode "Get The Girl" from season 8, Andy pops out of a box and sings this to Erin when he tracks her down in Florida. It was also used in these TV shows:

    Glee ("Wonder-ful" - 2013)
    How I Met Your Mother ("Splitsville" - 2012)
    Chicago Hope ("Full Moon" - 1995)
    Designing Women ("Howard The Date" - 1987, "One Sees, The Other Doesn't" - 1989)
  • "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" was Stevie Wonder's first track that he produced on his own. After molding it, he sent it to Berry Gordy in Los Angeles. "Man," Smoky Robinson remembered Gordy telling Wonder shortly before the song crashed into the Hot 100 Top 5, "you really pitched a bit cheesy."
  • This was the first Stevie Wonder song to feature his female backing group of Lynda Tucker Laurence, Syreeta Wright, and Venetta Fields. Their soulful vocals provided a beautiful counterpoint to Wonder's powerful voice. Wonder had previously relied on Motown's established backing singers, but by producing the single himself and bringing in his own chosen vocalists, it demonstrated his evolving artistic vision and desire for greater creative control.
  • Here's some more info about Wonder's backing group:

    Lynda Tucker Laurence: She went on to become a member of The Supremes, replacing Cindy Birdsong in 1970. Her career with The Supremes lasted from April 1972 through October 1973.

    Syreeta Wright: Beyond being a backing vocalist, Wright co-wrote "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" with Wonder. She later became his wife (1970-1972) and a successful singer-songwriter in her own right.

    Venetta Fields Originally a member of Ike and Tina Turner's backing vocals, The Ikettes, Fields later worked with Steely Dan, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.

Comments: 2

  • Jeanmarie Jackman from New York Also featured in the film Overnight Delivery.
  • John from Nashville, TnStevie Wonder said in an interview that he was influenced by the Stax Records sound when he wrote this classic.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."