Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Part-time lover is Stevie Wonder's 9th (out of 10 so far) US #1 in 1985 following the success of I just called to say I love you earlier. The song hit the #1 spot in four different Billboard charts simultaneusly - a first ever!  In UK it reached #3 and charted all over the globe. Luther Vandross, Stevie's ex-wife Syreeta Wright and Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailay are providing the backup vocals.    Puerto Rican Bobby Valentin brought the song to Latin charts the year after. 

Stevie Wonder scores his second #1 (out of 10 so far) with Superstition, his first single off the highly succesful Talking book album that he wrote, mostly played and produced himself. Up and coming guitarist Jeff Beck was included in the recording of the song, and Wonder mostly improvised it all in the studio while writing and paying the song. Originally he was to give it to Beck's new band to release first but it was delayed and Gordy predicted a smash hit so he pushed Wonder's version out first as the lead single.    The song has been covered live by many, and featured in films like The Thing. 

This song has a curious story as well. Co-writtten by Mick Jackson he recorded it in 1977 but its release was delayed due to a problem at the pressing plant and his publisher sold it to Motown without his knowledge at MIDEM. On the other hand he had hoped Stevie Wonder would record it. Instead it went to The Jacksons who released it in August 1978, just before Mick's version. Also in the UK the versions were released within a few days in September. In the end Mick peaked at #61 and The Jacksons #54. The song did better in UK where The Jacksons scored a #8 hit with it and Mick #15.    In 1989 Stock, Aitken and Waterman produced the song for Big Fun and scored its best placing yet:  #4 UK hit. The song has been covered countless times either live or in studio by big and not so big artists. 

Among the dozens and dosens of Motown megahits and evergreens this is lesser known. the Four Tops recorded this song co-written Stevie Wonder, who also plays drums on the recording in 1966. It went to #45. Today it is maybe better know by the version by Madonna protegée Nick Kamen who took this to # in Italy and #16 in the UK and charting here and there in Europe.

Uptight was Stevie Wonder's 12th single and released in 1965 and became a #3 hit in the US. It's from his sixth album and he was only 15. His career was in danger - despite having scored already one #1 with Fingertips - as his voice was changing and his musical direction was considered a bit uncommercial by Gordy. Wonder toured with The Rolling Stones and was inspired by their (I can't get no) Satisfaction and the result is Uptight , even if it does sound very much like Motown as well.  Sylvia Moy tells:  On the day of the recording, I had completed the lyrics, but didn't have them in Braille for Wonder to read, and so I sang the song to him as he was recording it. I sang a line ahead of him, and he simply repeated the lines as he heard them. In 2008, Moy commented that "he never missed a beat" during the recording. That's how Motown magic was done those days.  Cover version include Human Nature , Glee , 

Israeli Justin Timberlake. So he is called. He is the third youngest artist this year, and one of the most inexprienced as he just came to the spotlight a few months ago when participating (and winning) a talent show in his homecountry Nadav turned 16 only last November. But he and his team has managed to create him a full package: a catchy song Golden boy , and an image to match, even with a slogan from the song that went viral after the song was released: Before I leave, let me show you Tel Aviv . For the first time Israel also drops any Hebrew parts in the song and goes full English version. The song itself is a real cocktail of old and new, Mediterranean and global styles in three minutes but strangely it all works!

It's 25 years since Celine Dion won Eurovision with Ne partez pas sans moi . Since then she's been having due different careers in French and in English; different productions, songs and even style, I'd say. Occasionally, but very rarely those two meet. This ads to the fact she was also a child star and when Eurovision came it was a bit of an ultimatum and deal breaker; or she wins or it's over.... She won, walked into Berlitz school of languages in Quebec and the rest is history as they. Over 200 million albums sold worldwide speak louder than she sings.  She's has just released her 11th studio album in English, Loved me back to life , the first one in six years. As usual for a global star of her caliber it's filled with collaborations (duets with Stevie Wonder and Ne-Yo to start with) and songs picked from the finest in the industry. The first single is the title track Loved me back to life , and other songs like Somebody loves somebody , and Water and a...