music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Lately" is a song by American singer Stevie Wonder recorded for his album Hotter than July (1980). The song reached number three in the United Kingdom, and was later covered by R&B group Jodeci and released as a promotional single for the live album Uptown MTV Unplugged in June 1993, which reached number one on the R&B charts and the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Lately"
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Hotter than July
B-side	"If It's Magic"
Released	1981 (1981)
Genre	R&B soul ballad
Length	4:05
Label	Tamla
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (1980) "Lately" (1981) "Happy Birthday" (1981)

Critical reception

Jason Elias at Allmusic retrospectively praised the song, believing that unlike some of Wonder's similar material, "Lately" in particular hit all the perfect emotional and musical notes. Of the song's emotional power itself Elias stated, "it's enough to make a listener fall prey to an old-fashioned cry."[1]

Personnel

• Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, bass synthesizer, piano

Jodeci version

"Lately"
Single by Jodeci
from the album Uptown MTV Unplugged
Released	1993 (1993)
Recorded	1993
Genre	R&B soul
Length	5:49 (MTV Unplugged version) 6:24 (studio version)
Label	Uptown/MCA
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder, DeVante Swing
Producer(s)	DeVante Swing
Jodeci singles chronology
"Let's Go Through the Motions" (1993) "Lately" (1993) "Cry For You" (1993)

"Lately" was notably covered by R&B group Jodeci for the Uptown MTV Unplugged release in 1993. Executive producer Andre Harrell referred to it as their "End of the Road", analogous to the chart-topping single for Boyz II Men.[2] The group's version of the song was released as a promotional single, claiming the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts as the group's fourth R&B number one hit. It was also Jodeci's highest peaking pop hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1993.[3] It sold 900,000 copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[4][5] This version also appears on Back to the Future: The Very Best of Jodeci, a greatest hits album from the group, released by Universal Records in 2005.

The group also recorded an alternate studio version of the song, produced by group leader DeVante Swing.^{[citation needed]} It is slightly longer than the Uptown MTV Unplugged version and features an additional outro. They performed this version on The Arsenio Hall Show, with Stevie Wonder making a guest appearance and performing the song with Jodeci.^{[citation needed]}

Chart performance

Chart (1981)[6][better source needed]	Peak position
UK Official Charts Company[7]	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	64
U.S. R&B Singles	29

Jodeci version

Chart (1993)[3][better source needed]	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	4
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	12
U.S. Hot R&B Singles	1
U.S. Rhythmic Top 40	1
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream	17

Year-end charts

Chart (1993)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8]	15

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9]	Silver	250,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1993 (U.S.)

References

External links

• "Lately" Review at AllMusic

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