"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" is a soul song, by American musician Stevie Wonder, released in June 1970 as a single on Motown's Tamla label. It spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S. Pop chart.[2] In the same year, the song was also released on the album Signed, Sealed & Delivered.
The song was arranged by Paul Riser and features an electric sitar[3] played by Eddie "Chank" Willis.[citation needed] In the lyrics, the singer has left his girlfriend but realizes it was a mistake. "I've done a lot of foolish things that I really didn't mean." Now he has returned, making the commitment that he's back, similar to a special delivery package from the post office, "signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours."
The song was a series of firsts for the 20-year-old Wonder: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" was the first single Wonder produced on his own, and was also the first to feature his female backup singing group composed of Lynda Tucker Laurence (who went on to become a member of The Supremes), Syreeta Wright (who also co-wrote the song and later married Wonder), and Venetta Fields. The song gave Wonder his sixth Grammy nomination, with the award that year going to the Clarence Carter song "Patches".
Cash Box stated that the song is "polished and powerful enough to maintain an adult market power as well pointing toward giant sales."[4]Billboard called it a "funky beat swinger" with "blockbuster sales appeal."[5] It is ranked number 203 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6]
In 1977, Peter Frampton recorded the song on his album I'm in You. His version also contains instrumental elements from Wonder's hit "For Once in My Life". Mick Jagger is featured on backing vocals. Frampton's version was released as a single, reaching number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Cashbox Top 100.[18] His cover also reached number 13 in Canada. In Chicago, the song reached number nine on superstation WLS-AM,[19] and in Toronto it reached number one on CHUM.[20]
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was covered in 2003 by English boy band Blue. Their version includes vocals from Angie Stone and Wonder. This was the second single from Blue's third album, Guilty (2003), and was released in Australia two weeks before it was issued in the UK. The cover peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 20 on the charts of six other countries. Janet Jackson was originally approached to cover the song with the group but could not proceed due to scheduling conflicts.[28]
Shortly before being signed by Uni Records, Elton John (then performing under his birth name, Reg Dwight) recorded a cover of it for a collection of top hits of the day that were released as discount LP "sound-alike" versions. It was later released on several CD compilations, perhaps the most notable of which was Reg Dwight's Piano Goes Pop! Elton's (or rather Reg's) version was later included under the end titles of the 2004 romantic comedy film Laws of Attraction starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore.
In the early 1970s, Bobby Byrd performed an up-tempo cover of this song on a single with other songs performed by James Brown and Lyn Collins.[58]
In 1975, The Osmonds covered the song, and it appears on their album Around the World, Live in Concert.
Rufus Wainwright released a version in 2017 that was part of a tribute for a fundraising gala that honored Wonder.[67]
In 2018, The Fearless Flyers covered the song (as ″Signed Sealed Delivered") as part of their eponymous debut EP. The track features Sandra Crouch on tambourine and Blake Mills on guitar.[68]
^Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours (UK CD2 liner notes). Blue. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 2003. SINDX 54.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)