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Hotter than July

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This article is about the album. For the Detroit festival, see Hotter than July (festival).

Hotter than July is the nineteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on September 29, 1980, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. Wonder primarily recorded the album in Los Angeles, California, at Wonderland Studios, which he had recently acquired.[3] The album peaked at number three on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 1981. It was Wonder's most successful album in the UK, where it peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and produced four top-10 singles. Music videos were produced for the album's first, third, and fourth singles.[4]

Hotter than July
Studio album by
Stevie Wonder
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1980
Recorded1979–1980
StudioWonderland (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length45:52
LabelTamla
ProducerStevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder chronology
Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"
(1979) 		Hotter than July
(1980) 		Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I
(1982)
Singles from Hotter than July
  1. "Master Blaster (Jammin')"
    Released: September 1980
  2. "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"
    Released: October 1980
  3. "Lately"
    Released: January 1981
  4. "Happy Birthday"
    Released: April 1981
  5. "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me"
    Released: July 1981

The album was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 1982 American Music Awards.

Background

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The relative critical and commercial failure of Wonder's previous album Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (1979), from which only one single ("Send One Your Love") reached the top 5 of a Billboard chart, left him struggling at the turn of the new decade,[5][6] and he let the media know he felt Motown had not promoted that album very well.[7] During this time of upheaval, Wonder co-wrote the song "Let's Get Serious" with Lee Garrett for Jermaine Jackson's 1980 album of the same name and the song "You Are My Heaven" with Eric Mercury, which became a success for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway on Atlantic Records. Wonder was also in demand as a guest on the recordings of artists such as B.B. King, James Taylor, Quincy Jones, and Smokey Robinson.[6]

In addition to performing, Wonder handled the writing, arranging, and producing of Hotter than July, which was primarily recorded in Los Angeles at his newly-acquired Wonderland Studios.[3] "Master Blaster (Jammin')" (US No. 5; R&B No. 1), the album's lead-off single, was inspired by the reggae music of Bob Marley, who Wonder had met in 1979 after their performance at the Black Music Association in Philadelphia.[8][9] The country-tinged "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (U.S. No. 11; R&B No. 4), the ballad "Lately" (U.S. No. 64) and the upbeat "Happy Birthday" were other notable successes from the album. In the UK, all four singles reached the top 10, with the first and fourth releases peaking at No. 2.[10]

"All I Do" had originally been written by a teenaged Wonder and collaborators Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax in 1966. Tammi Terrell recorded the first version of the song that year, but it remained in the Motown vaults until it was included in the compilation A Cellarful of Motown! in the UK in 2002, 32 years after Terrell's death. Brenda Holloway also recorded a version of the song, which was released in 2005 on her Motown Anthology set. Michael Jackson, Eddie Levert and Walter Williams of the O'Jays, and Betty Wright provided backing vocals for Wonder's recording of the song for Hotter than July. The backing vocals for "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" were handled by Charlie and Ronnie Wilson of the GAP Band, and Wonder's ex-wife Syreeta backed Wonder on "As If You Read My Mind".

While a number of Wonder's previous works, such as Songs in the Key of Life and Innervisions, had received wide critical acclaim and had chart success, Hotter than July was his first album eligible to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, as Motown sales records before 1977 were not audited by the organization after they introduced the category.

Sleeve liner design and Martin Luther King Jr. Day activism

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Wonder wrote "Happy Birthday" to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and used the song to campaign for King's birthday, January 15, to become a national holiday in the United States (Martin Luther King Jr. Day would be declared a federal holiday in 1983, and first be celebrated nationwide in 1986). The design of Hotter than July's original record sleeve is also dedicated to these two purposes. Both sides of the sleeve are printed in a black-and-white semi-glossy photographic process. One side features a large square photographic portrait of King inset on a black background with white lettering above and below. Above the photo is printed "Martin Luther King, Jr." "January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968" (on two lines, centered), and below it appears a passage of text written by Wonder, which reads:

It is believed that for a man to lay down his life for the love of others is the supreme sacrifice. Jesus Christ by his own example showed us that there is no greater love. For nearly two thousand years now we have been striving to have the strength to follow that example. Martin Luther King was a man who had that strength. He showed us, non-violently, a better way of life, a way of mutual respect, helping us to avoid much bitter confrontation and inevitable bloodshed. We still have a long road to travel until we reach the world that was his dream. We in the United States must not forget either his supreme sacrifice or that dream.

I and a growing number of people believe that it is time for our country to adopt legislation that will make January 15, Martin Luther King's birthday, a national holiday, both in recognition of what he achieved and as a reminder of the distance which still has to be traveled.

Join me in the observance of January 15, 1981 as a national holiday.
Stevland Morris a/k/a Stevie Wonder

To the right of this text is a thumbprint, presumably Stevie Wonder's (Stevland Morris's), serving as his signature.

On the other side of the record sleeve is a collage of five historical photos: one filling the top third, three sharing the middle third, and one filling the bottom third. The top image is an aerial view of a low-lying urban area with a six-lane highway passing through it and thick smoke rising from many of the buildings on both sides of the highway—presumably a riot is taking place. The center three images consist of a central rectangular photo of a large peaceful demonstration march, with both black and white participants, being led by Martin Luther King Jr. and two square flanking photos of apparent police brutality: in the photo to the left, three officers in white helmets, one of whom is holding a club, are grabbing a male African-American youth by his arms and one leg, and, in the photo to the right, an officer in a white helmet stands in the foreground and looks toward an African-American man lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk in front of an urban store, while another African-American man crouches with his back against the wall and looks away (King directly mentioned police brutality in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech). The bottom image shows a confrontation in an urban street four or five lanes wide between a large group of African Americans standing in non-violent defiance and law enforcement officers in white helmets who appear to be advancing with weapons. These images contrast with the upbeat and positive mood of the music on most of the album—"Happy Birthday" included. Exceptions are the few songs about romantic turmoil ("Rocket Love", "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It", "Lately") and the socially critical "Cash in Your Face", which protests racial housing discrimination.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[12]
Pitchfork9.4/10[13]
Rolling Stone     [1]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide     [14]
Sounds     [15]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden said Hotter than July proved Wonder was still "our most gifted pop muralist" because of his evocative, unique synthesis of pop and African elements.[1] The album was voted the eighth best of 1980 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.[16] Robert Christgau, that poll's creator, ranked the album eighteenth on his own year-end list[17] and wrote in a retrospective review that, while "Master Blaster" and perhaps "Happy Birthday" were the only "great Stevie here", the pleasure with which Wonder performed the songs was evident in "his free-floating melodicism and his rolling overdrive, his hope and his cynicism".[12] In a review in (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide, J. D. Considine called the album "buoyantly tuneful" and said fans viewed it as a return to form for Wonder after the commercial disappointment of Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.[14]

Record World said of "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me" that "with its funky dance beat and Stevie's soulful vocal enthusiasm, this cut could easily have been the first hit single" from the album.[18] In Pitchfork in 2022, Hanif Abdurraqib wrote, "It is an album of seemingly endless abundance. An album that asks not only 'How do you want to feel?' but also, 'How do you want to survive?' and then turns us towards the expansive forest of ever-shifting answers."[13]

Track listing

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All songs written, produced and arranged by Stevie Wonder except where noted.

Side one
  1. "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me" – 4:07
  2. "All I Do" (music: Wonder; lyrics: Wonder, Clarence Paul, Morris Broadnax) – 5:06
  3. "Rocket Love" – 4:39
  4. "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" – 4:39
  5. "As If You Read My Mind" – 3:37
Side two
  1. "Master Blaster (Jammin')" – 5:07
  2. "Do Like You" – 4:25
  3. "Cash in Your Face" – 3:59
  4. "Lately" – 4:05
  5. "Happy Birthday" – 5:57

Personnel

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Singles

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Year Name US[20] US

R&B

UK[21] US

Club Play

1980 "Master Blaster (Jammin')" 5 1 2 10
1981 "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" 11 4 10 –
"Lately" 64 29 3 –
"Happy Birthday" – 70 2 –
"Did I Hear You Say You Love Me" – 74 – –

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[40] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[41] Gold 100,000*
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 73,000[26]
Netherlands (NVPI)[42] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Platinum 500,000[44]
United States (RIAA)[46] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 3,000,000[44]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Holden, Stephen (February 5, 1981). "Hotter Than July". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  2. ^ Brhel, John (May 1, 2010). "Top 10 Best R&B Albums of the '80s". Made Men. Defy Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Davis, Sharon Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder p.142.
  4. ^ "OfficialCharts.com – Stevie Wonder Hotter than July chart details". Archive.is. 1982-03-20. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  5. ^ Davis, Sharon Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder p.134.
  6. ^ a b Davis, Sharon Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder pp.135–7.
  7. ^ Davis, Sharon Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder p.132.
  8. ^ Davis, Sharon Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder p.141.
  9. ^ Davis, Sharon Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder p.107.
  10. ^ "OfficialCharts.com – Stevie Wonder UK chart discography". Archive.is. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  11. ^ AllMusic review
  12. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1990). Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. p. 444. ISBN 067973015X.
  13. ^ a b Abdurraqib, Hanif (February 27, 2022). "Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide review. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  15. ^ Phil Sutcliffe. "Sounds review". Rocksbackpages.com. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  16. ^ "The 1980 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. February 9, 1981. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  17. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 9, 1981). "Pazz & Jop 1980: Dean's List". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 1, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  19. ^ "Bill Wolfer | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  20. ^ "Stevie Wonder | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  21. ^ "Artists". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  22. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  23. ^ "austriancharts.at Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  24. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Archived 2016-05-14 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 20, 2013
  25. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  26. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  27. ^ "charts.nz Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  28. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  29. ^ "swedishcharts.com Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  30. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  31. ^ "allmusic ((( Hotter than July > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  32. ^ "Album Search: Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  33. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1980 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  36. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  37. ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1981". billboard.biz. December 31, 1981. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  38. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bestenlisten – 80-er album" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original (ASP) on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  39. ^ "Billboard Vol. 94, No. 23: Majors Flight Economics with Quirky Rock Originals". Billboard. December 6, 1982. p. A-NZ 8. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  40. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July". Music Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  41. ^ "French album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (in French). InfoDisc. Select STEVIE WONDER and click OK. 
  42. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 April 2019. Enter Hotter than July in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1980 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  43. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  44. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 500. ISBN 0668064595. The album was 17 weeks in the U.S Top 10 and 16 in Britain, whter it added over 500,000 to the total tally of an estimated 3 million
  45. ^ "British album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July". British Phonographic Industry.
  46. ^ "American album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Hotter than July". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
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