Isn't She Lovely
Encyclopedia
"Isn't She Lovely?" is a song by Stevie Wonder
, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life
. In it he celebrates the birth of his daughter, Aisha. There are three verses, each ending with the phrase "isn't she lovely, made from love" (or "so very lovely..."). The song opens with the audio of a baby being born, and a lengthy outro featuring samples of Aisha playing with Wonder.
, is considered an example of the fusion of fundamental jazz
and pop
elements.. Although the song was very popular and has received much radio airplay, it did not chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
because Stevie Wonder would not allow it to be released as a 45 RPM single even though requested to do so by Motown. The song did make the Billboard
Adult Contemporary charts as an "album cut," entering the AC Top 40 on January
8, 1977, staying there for five weeks and peaking at #23.
was a UK top ten hit in 1977. The song was also covered by the punk rock
band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
on their album Take a Break. It was covered by the a cappella
group The Idea of North
on their album Evidence. Saxophonist Sonny Rollins
included a cover of this song on his 1977 album Easy Living
, rendered on soprano sax. Jazz fusion
artist Lee Ritenour
also covered the song in his 1977 album, Captain Fingers
. Frank Sinatra
recorded the song in 1979. Urban jazz
saxophonist Najee
covered the song from his Stevie Wonder tribute album "Songs from the Key of Life." Blues musician Keb' Mo'
has also covered the song on his 2001 album Big Wide Grin
. Another saxophonist, David Sanborn
covered the song from his 2003 album "Time Again."
Clay Aiken
performs a cover on Scrubs
at the end of the Season 4, Episode 17 episode My Life In Four Cameras . French guitarist Bireli Lagrene
performed an instrumental version of the song on his 1999 album "Duet" accompanied by Sylvain Luc
.
An instrumental version of the song was played after Michelle Obama
's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
In 2011 the song was covered on the television series Glee
by Artie with Sam, Finn, Puck, and Mike backing him up in the episode "Prom Queen"
. The song is directed towards Brittany in Home Economics class as an apology and a prom proposal.
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
. In it he celebrates the birth of his daughter, Aisha. There are three verses, each ending with the phrase "isn't she lovely, made from love" (or "so very lovely..."). The song opens with the audio of a baby being born, and a lengthy outro featuring samples of Aisha playing with Wonder.
The album
The song, musically constructed over a standardized circle-of-fifthsCircle of fifths
In music theory, the circle of fifths shows the relationships among the 12 tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys...
, is considered an example of the fusion of fundamental jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
elements.. Although the song was very popular and has received much radio airplay, it did not chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
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...
because Stevie Wonder would not allow it to be released as a 45 RPM single even though requested to do so by Motown. The song did make the Billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Adult Contemporary charts as an "album cut," entering the AC Top 40 on January
January
January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day...
8, 1977, staying there for five weeks and peaking at #23.
Cover versions
Numerous other artists have performed "Isn't She Lovely". A cover version by vocalist David PartonDavid Parton
David Parton is a singer-songwriter and record producer from Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire, England.He achieved songwriting success writing songs for Sweet Sensation in the mid 1970s, namely "Sad Sweet Dreamer" which was a #1 single in the UK, and "Purely by Coincidence" which also charted...
was a UK top ten hit in 1977. The song was also covered by the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in 1995. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione...
on their album Take a Break. It was covered by the a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group The Idea of North
The Idea of North
The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble, founded in Canberra in 1993. The group's name is taken from radio broadcasts of pianist Glenn Gould....
on their album Evidence. Saxophonist Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
included a cover of this song on his 1977 album Easy Living
Easy Living (Sonny Rollins album)
Easy Living is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1977, featuring performances by Rollins with George Duke, Paul Jackson and Tony Williams with Byron Miller and Bill Summers added on one track and Charles Icarus Johnson on two.-Reception:The Allmusic...
, rendered on soprano sax. Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
artist Lee Ritenour
Lee Ritenour
Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
also covered the song in his 1977 album, Captain Fingers
Captain Fingers
- Musicians :* Lee Ritenour – Electric guitar, Classical guitar, 360 systems polyphonic guitar synthesizer* Keyboards - Dave Grusin, Dawilli Gonga , Ian Underwood, Patrice Rushen, David Foster...
. Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
recorded the song in 1979. Urban jazz
Urban jazz
Urban jazz is the fusion of smooth jazz and R&B/hip-hop music. Urban jazz usually contains strong R&B percussion and bass lines. A few of the better known urban jazz artists are Boney James, Ronny Jordan, Nick Colionne, Wayman Tisdale, Najee, and Paul Jackson, Jr.Some of the more successful...
saxophonist Najee
Najee
Jerome Najee Rasheed , known professionally as Najee, is an urban jazz saxophonist and flautist.He attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with George Russell and Jaki Byard....
covered the song from his Stevie Wonder tribute album "Songs from the Key of Life." Blues musician Keb' Mo'
Keb' Mo'
Keb' Mo is an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.-Early life:From early on he had an appreciation for the blues and gospel music...
has also covered the song on his 2001 album Big Wide Grin
Big Wide Grin
Big Wide Grin is a blues album by Keb' Mo', it was released in 2001 by the Sony Wonder record label.- Track listing :# "Everybody Be Yoself" Big Wide Grin is a blues album by Keb' Mo', it was released in 2001 by the Sony Wonder record label.- Track listing :# "Everybody Be Yoself" Big Wide Grin is...
. Another saxophonist, David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
covered the song from his 2003 album "Time Again."
Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
performs a cover on Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
at the end of the Season 4, Episode 17 episode My Life In Four Cameras . French guitarist Bireli Lagrene
Biréli Lagrène
Biréli Lagrène is a French guitarist and bassist. He came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt-influenced style on the classical guitar, as well as for being a jazz fusion virtuoso on the electric guitar...
performed an instrumental version of the song on his 1999 album "Duet" accompanied by Sylvain Luc
Sylvain Luc
Sylvain Luc is a French jazz guitarist. His musicality, his great sense of improvisation and his virtuosity, and unique, technical abilities with the guitar have earned him high praises from all around the world, including from many musicians he has played with...
.
An instrumental version of the song was played after Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
In 2011 the song was covered on the television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
by Artie with Sam, Finn, Puck, and Mike backing him up in the episode "Prom Queen"
Prom Queen (Glee)
"Prom Queen" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 42nd overall. It aired May 10, 2011 on Fox in the United States. The episode was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and featured the return of guest...
. The song is directed towards Brittany in Home Economics class as an apology and a prom proposal.