Stevie Wonder was only 22 when he recorded “Superstition,” the funk classic that became a No. 1 hit in 1973 and later earned a place among Rolling Stone’s greatest songs of all time.
Released in 1972 as the lead single from Wonder’s Talking Book, “Superstition” reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on Jan. 27, 1973. Billboard lists the song with a peak position of No. 1 and 16 weeks on the chart. It became one of the defining hits of Wonder’s career.
The song was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York’s Greenwich Village during sessions for Talking Book, per Songfacts. Electric Lady Studios confirms that the album was recorded and mixed entirely at the studio, which was also closely connected to Jimi Hendrix’s recording history.
Decades later, the track’s reputation grew even further. Rolling Stone ranked “Superstition” No. 12 on its 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, placing Wonder’s recording ahead of songs by artists including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Beach Boys.
Stevie Wonder recording at the microphone in circa 1973.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
“Superstition” arrived during a major change in Wonder’s music.
At the time, the singer was moving beyond the child-star image that had followed him since his Motown years. The song’s heavy drum groove, Hohner Clavinet and electronic sounds gave it a different feel from many of his earlier hits.
Wonder played several of the instruments on the recording, including the clavinet, drums and Moog bass. Steve Madaio played trumpet, while Trevor Lawrence played tenor saxophone. The production team included Wonder, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff.
The recording also came from a moment of creative freedom for Wonder. His work with Cecil and Margouleff at Electric Lady helped him build songs around keyboards, synthesizers and other electronic instruments.
According to Robert Margouleff, Wonder arrived at the studio with much of “Superstition” already in his head. Margouleff told The Atlantic in 2012, “The whole song was in his head,” and described Wonder as one of the greatest living songwriters of his generation.
The song itself was built around an idea that Wonder did not personally believe in. In a 2000 NPR interview, Wonder explained why he wrote about superstition.
“I think that the reason that I talked about being superstitious is because I really didn’t believe in it,” Wonder said. “I didn’t believe in the different things that people say about breaking glasses or the number 13 is bad luck and all those various things.”
He added, “When you believe in things you don’t understand, then you suffer.”
The song refers to familiar ideas about bad luck, including broken mirrors, ladders and the number 13. Rather than encouraging those beliefs, Wonder used the song to warn against allowing superstition to control people’s choices.
One of the most unusual parts of the song’s history involves guitarist Jeff Beck.
Wonder and Beck had formed a musical connection while Wonder was working on Talking Book. Beck was a fan of Wonder’s music and contributed guitar to another song on the album, “Lookin’ for Another Pure Love.”
The original plan was for Wonder to write a song for Beck. “Superstition” was meant to become that song, and Beck recorded an early version.
Wonder recalled that the idea for the track came while he was performing with the Rolling Stones.
“I was sitting on the drums, and the first thing that I put down were the drums, and then after that, I put the Clavinet down, and really, I just started singing the melody,” he said.
The recording history became complicated when Motown chief Berry Gordy heard the song and believed it could become a major hit. Wonder’s version was released before Beck’s version, making the Stevie Wonder recording the one that reached radio audiences first.
Beck’s version eventually appeared in 1973 on the album Beck, Bogert & Appice. By then, Wonder’s recording had already become a major hit.
“Superstition” became his second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, following “Fingertips (Part 2),” which topped the chart in 1963 when he was still known as Little Stevie Wonder.
The song’s influence did not stop with its chart success. “Superstition” helped establish the sound of Wonder’s early-1970s classic period and became a lasting example of funk, R&B and electronic music coming together.
What began with a 22-year-old musician building a song from a drum part and clavinet became a No. 1 hit, a Grammy-winning recording and a song ranked among the greatest in music history.
Related: 1975 Soft Rock Song, Recorded in Doraville, Georgia, Is Still a Powerful Hit 51 Years Later
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