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Stevie Wonder — Don't You Worry 'bout A Thing
Album: Innervisions
Avg rating:
7.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3780









Released: 1973
Length: 4:42
Plays (last 30 days): 4
Everybody's got a thing
But some don't know how to handle it
Always reachin' out in vain
Just taking the things not worth having but

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out

They say your style of life's a drag
And that you must go other places
But just don't you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces but

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out...Yeah
When you get it off...your trip

Don't you worry 'bout a thing...Yeah
Don't you worry 'bout a thing...Yeah

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out...
When you get it off...your trip

Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
But you're the only one to see
The changes you take yourself through

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, pretty mama
Cause I'll be standing in the wings
When you check it out

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Comments (369)add comment
The best three consecutive albums anyone ever made—Talking Book, Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life.
soooo gooood - big favourite love it....shimmy....
one of my all time favourites - such a happy, upbeat, joyous number :)
Music of My Mind ( 5 Gold Stars) m_
Todo está bien chévere.
 bluematrix wrote:

I always thought he said that too... then I read this:

It begins with a dialogue, partly in mock-Spanish, in which Wonder portrays a slick character trying to impress a woman with his worldliness: "'Cause like I been to, y'know, Paris, Peru, y'know, I mean, uh, Iraq, Iran, Eurasia... y'know I speak very, very, um fluent Spanish ... 'Todo 'stá bien chévere' .... you got that?"

The tune is in E♭ minor, starting with a Latin piano intro. The song's second chorus begins with Stevie taking the vocals up an octave with two vocal overdubs singing the same line. He also sings two other background overdub vocals, mimicking a horn line with the Spanish phrase "Todo 'stá bien chévere", which, loosely translated, means "Everything's really cool."


Well, I like this song better now, knowing he wasn't using bad language.

Silver Linings Playbook...
i think there was a tribute concert several years ago - it was fantastic. kept it on my dvr for years and then *poof* it was gone. anyway, i think john legend did this one. it was pretty great, too. no one can touch stevie, but it was great.
Love this Stevie-liciousness.
1976, working in a jeans shop in Edinburgh.  We played this to death. 
This one inspires me to stop what I'm doing, read the lyrics and crank it up EVERY time. THANK YOU for including this as a regular.
        Posted 3 years ago by dmcanany:
Where is the intro in the lyrics? We got to have that!

        Posted 2 years ago by unclehud:

Yeah, Bill; where's the muttering intro?

Like the chorus background: "Don't stop, yeah, Chevrolet!"

Found it, thanks to lyricstranslate.com:

See dig, mama, uh, do ya understand that? (No)
Well uh, like, I can understand how you can't, because I've been uh,
You know, Paris, Beirut, 
you know, I mean Iraq, Iran, "Ukrainia",
you know, I speak very very um, fluent Spanish
Ah, todo esta bien, chévere,
you understand that?
(Chévere?)  [ed note: decidedly not "Chevrolet."]
Chevere, bien chevere, is that right mama?
'Cause I've got my shaky ...
My favorite Stevland Morris song. 
 sqqqrly wrote:
Dick Dale and Stevie Wonder in "Muscle Beach Party" (1964).  They were both horrible in this movie, amazingly bad for such talents.


Has there ever been a good Beach Party movie? Or Beach Party TV Show? The only good beach party I can remember was when there was only one other person on the beach!
 DanielHLloyd wrote:
All Stevie STARTS at 10. 


Except "I Just Called...."
Nice sequence : both Bob Marley (three little birds) and Stevie are feeling confident
chevere
 Jelani wrote:



Don't you suppose their talents were in a different discipline than acting?


They can't all be Lady Gagas....
How is it that almost 50 years ago this was at the forefront of R&B, and now it's artists like Drake, Jay-Z, and Kesha?  Those smooth, feel-good grooves, positive messages, and sunshine lyrics don't resonate at all with younger people?
 sqqqrly wrote:
Dick Dale and Stevie Wonder in "Muscle Beach Party" (1964).  They were both horrible in this movie, amazingly bad for such talents.



Don't you suppose their talents were in a different discipline than acting?
All Stevie STARTS at 10. 
It blows my mind how anyone could rate this below an eight. It's a ten for me!
This tune hasn't aged a day. Amazing.
Dick Dale and Stevie Wonder in "Muscle Beach Party" (1964).  They were both horrible in this movie, amazingly bad for such talents.
 bluematrix wrote:

I always thought he said that too... then I read this:

It begins with a dialogue, partly in mock-Spanish, in which Wonder portrays a slick character trying to impress a woman with his worldliness: "'Cause like I been to, y'know, Paris, Peru, y'know, I mean, uh, Iraq, Iran, Eurasia... y'know I speak very, very, um fluent Spanish ... 'Todo 'stá bien chévere' .... you got that?"

The tune is in E♭ minor, starting with a Latin piano intro. The song's second chorus begins with Stevie taking the vocals up an octave with two vocal overdubs singing the same line. He also sings two other background overdub vocals, mimicking a horn line with the Spanish phrase "Todo 'stá bien chévere", which, loosely translated, means "Everything's really cool."

 

20/10
 RabbitEars wrote:
Probably every song on this album gets a 10. Amazing piece of work.
 
Agreed!  Just bumped this up from my original 9. ALSO - if you like this song, watch the movie "Sing" - Tori Kelly sings it at the end and kills it in the best way possible (as an animated elephant who overcomes her shyness to share her gift).
Probably every song on this album gets a 10. Amazing piece of work.
 unclehud wrote:

Yeah, Bill; where's the muttering intro?

Like the chorus background: "Don't stop, yeah, Chevrolet!"
 
I just heard it. . . .
 dmcanany wrote:
Where is the intro in the lyrics? We got to have that!
 
Yeah, Bill; where's the muttering intro?

Like the chorus background: "Don't stop, yeah, Chevrolet!"
Although not "great",  he plays a pretty good background piano.  
The world truly had a different vibe when this was the kind of music you'd hear blaring out of a car radio. I so miss the optimism.
Respect to Stevie, but man: Praise the mix/mastering engineers.  This is so beautifully recorded.
Glory time the King 9’ music !!! BMM
Where is the intro in the lyrics? We got to have that!
Agreed. Bill, Bec & Stevie are in tune with life 🎼
Wonderful, just magic. Stevie was a giant in my eyes from being a very young feller. Inspiring and joyful.
Thanks for clearing up the 'Chevrolet' thingie. Had me fooled.
Wonderful, just magic. Stevie was a giant in my eyes from being a very young feller. Inspiring and joyful.
Keeping it on RP all day keeps me from worrying about a thing. I love to let Bill get in my head with subtle messaging to counter the negative- especially these days with the COVID19. Someday these messages may look a little strange to those who weren't living the siege but I know that RP is always going to be here for the next one.  The music will always uplift the spirits and hopefully leave us all a little saner for it. Bill- thank you very much for your passion, positive messaging and for making a difference. Love you, brother! 
Who else could incorporate a chromatic decline melody and have it sound catchy and meaningful? Right! Not many...but Stevie!
 MassivRuss wrote:
Play it LOUD! 
 
AMEN!!
Bill's definitely working the coronavirus theme these days!
Today I have to bump this from a 9 to a pure gold TEN!
(Feb 18, 2020)
Play it LOUD! 
 bluematrix wrote:

I always thought he said that too... then I read this:

It begins with a dialogue, partly in mock-Spanish, in which Wonder portrays a slick character trying to impress a woman with his worldliness: "'Cause like I been to, y'know, Paris, Peru, y'know, I mean, uh, Iraq, Iran, Eurasia... y'know I speak very, very, um fluent Spanish ... 'Todo 'stá bien chévere' .... you got that?"

The tune is in E♭ minor, starting with a Latin piano intro. The song's second chorus begins with Stevie taking the vocals up an octave with two vocal overdubs singing the same line. He also sings two other background overdub vocals, mimicking a horn line with the Spanish phrase "Todo 'stá bien chévere", which, loosely translated, means "Everything's really cool."


 

Thanks for the "translation"- I always thought he was extolling the virtues of goat cheese.
Nothing but a 10, which applies to the entire album.
One of my all-time favorites.  Thank you, RP!
I guess I need to start rating these great tunes from my generation, which for me were just another awesome piece of music made in the 70's.   
    9
of course mr.wonder, things are too funny to worry. :D
 Skydog wrote:
this album and Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' came out at about the same time and if one wasn't on the radio the other one was, it was good

 
I marvel almost every day that I was able to grow up during the mid 70s and the musical brilliance that was everywhere.
Nice{#Exclaim}
It does not get much smoother then this.  Great tune from Stevie Wonder.
 brainstormescu wrote:
I don't doubt RP was there, but a Café, in rural Romania? 

Far wrote:
LOL stepped into a Cafe in rural Romania for wfi, and RP is on their sound system.

 

 
Yes, we require more information on your location please. Because I really need to have a clearer daydream about "a Cafe in rural Romania" while I toil away in a drab office building in Houston.
I don't doubt RP was there, but a Café, in rural Romania? 

Far wrote:
LOL stepped into a Cafe in rural Romania for wfi, and RP is on their sound system.

 


 bluematrix wrote:

I always thought he said that too... then I read this:

It begins with a dialogue, partly in mock-Spanish, in which Wonder portrays a slick character trying to impress a woman with his worldliness: "'Cause like I been to, y'know, Paris, Peru, y'know, I mean, uh, Iraq, Iran, Eurasia... y'know I speak very, very, um fluent Spanish ... 'Todo 'stá bien chévere' .... you got that?"

The tune is in E♭ minor, starting with a Latin piano intro. The song's second chorus begins with Stevie taking the vocals up an octave with two vocal overdubs singing the same line. He also sings two other background overdub vocals, mimicking a horn line with the Spanish phrase "Todo 'stá bien chévere", which, loosely translated, means "Everything's really cool."



 
That's right, chévere is Venezuela's contribution to this masterpiece
{#Daisy}
 Far wrote:
LOL stepped into a Cafe in rural Romania for wfi, and RP is on their sound system.

 
Haha, I wonder where
LOL stepped into a Cafe in rural Romania for wfi, and RP is on their sound system.
this song is wonderful!  (cures depression imo : )
Love you Stevie!  This track is brilliant.
Sorry but descending of "a" is awful. 1 of 10.
this album and Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' came out at about the same time and if one wasn't on the radio the other one was, it was good
.....  song 10, album 10.  Godlike for sure.
Life is too short to worry too much! ;)
Godlike  : )
 easmann wrote:
"They say your style of life's a drag
And that you must go other places
But just don't you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces but" ...

— Stevie Wonder, Don't You Worry 'bout A Thing

I believe that "smiling faces" line is a deliberate and admiring reference to The Staple Singers' I'll Take You There:

"Ain't no smilin' faces
Mmm, no no
Lyin' to the races"

Both great tunes.
And thanks bluematrix for the "chévere" explanation. : )

 
I always too it to be a reference to "Smiling Faces Sometimes," or maybe even to "Back Stabbers," which quotes "Smiling Faces Sometimes."  Could be a reference to all three, come to think of it.
fell in love to this song
 lemmoth wrote:
Chevrolet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
I always thought he said that too... then I read this:

It begins with a dialogue, partly in mock-Spanish, in which Wonder portrays a slick character trying to impress a woman with his worldliness: "'Cause like I been to, y'know, Paris, Peru, y'know, I mean, uh, Iraq, Iran, Eurasia... y'know I speak very, very, um fluent Spanish ... 'Todo 'stá bien chévere' .... you got that?"

The tune is in E♭ minor, starting with a Latin piano intro. The song's second chorus begins with Stevie taking the vocals up an octave with two vocal overdubs singing the same line. He also sings two other background overdub vocals, mimicking a horn line with the Spanish phrase "Todo 'stá bien chévere", which, loosely translated, means "Everything's really cool."


Who was it that he sold out to?  American Express?  I can't remember, but what a waste. 
This is such a powerful tune.
Yeah - you know you're getting old when you start hearing things that you really dig on in the grocery store.That's because grocery store managers have great taste in music.I can't speak for you, but I've always dug grocery store, elevator, and all lobby music. 

  
That's because grocery store managers have great taste in music.
I can't speak for you, but I've always dug grocery store, elevator, and all lobby music. {#Iamwithstupid}
What y'all have been hearing at the grocery store, Macy's, etc is almost positively John Legend's lame-ass cover.


 Will62 wrote:
No need to say anything other than '9'

 
Yepper!   {#Yes}
No need to say anything other than '9'
There's no such thing as too much Stevie.

 
Proclivities wrote:

Too much Stevie Wonder?  There are only 15 of his tunes on the playlist - this is a great one.

 

A perfect song to exercise one's vocal chords - to the extreme
Wake n bake playlist...
 msymmes wrote:
This might jump from an 8 to a 10 imho !
 
I think '11' but that's just me. There are some really great tracks on this album.
This might jump from an 8 to a 10 imho !
Chevrolet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 TerryS wrote:
As they say: back from when Stevie was still Stevie.

 
Who are they?  Who is Stevie now if not Stevie? {#Doh}
I liked this song before the Silver Linings movie......
Joyous
 dalebryan wrote:
Too much Stevie on RP!  I can count on hearing him or Talking Heads almost every time I tune in.  Wassup??{#Eh}

 
Too much Stevie Wonder?  WTF are you talking about? There are only 15 of his tunes on the playlist - this is a great one.
Stevie - truly one of the greats.
Yeah - you know you're getting old when you start hearing things that you really dig on in the grocery store.

:-)  So sad . . .

84MacGuy wrote:
The only time I hear this song is on RP and when I'm shopping at Safeway.

 


Guess Bill was in a good mood when he made this playlist. 
Or maybe the shite had hit the fan. Could be either, I suppose.
A most excellent song. :-)
Too much Stevie on RP!  I can count on hearing him or Talking Heads almost every time I tune in.  Wassup??{#Eh}
 84MacGuy wrote:
The only time I hear this song is on RP and when I'm shopping at Safeway.

 
Throw this in there, too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ5mzW8JSGY
 SirLars wrote:
nice segue from Three Little Birds... here I am not worrying about a t(h)ing.

 

Ditto!! {#Daisy}

This song is pure sunshine! And RP has totally made this set a perfect afternoon slice of heaven!
As they say: back from when Stevie was still Stevie.
 84MacGuy wrote:
The only time I hear this song is on RP and when I'm shopping at Safeway.

 
That is so cool - I remember years ago working in a supermarket and they had this crappy musak on all the time.
If Safeway play Stevie Wonder then I will stop complaining about their elevated prices :)
The only time I hear this song is on RP and when I'm shopping at Safeway.
I's an EIGHT now (IMHO) !!

 
Great Friday song - happy weekend everybody :)
JUST the song I needed at this precise time.  Thank you
 ziakut wrote:
Wish Stevie were singing this to me about my life right now.
 
He is.
My ears are barely worthy of the bliss spread by this man.  Todo esta bien CHEVERE!
The Man at his peak.
 coloradojohn wrote:
Don't you worry 'bout a thing...Todo esta bien CHEVERE!  Everything is REALLY COOL!
I remember when this began to get major radio airplay; I was in 6th Grade, and I was strutting into class after recess, singing the chorus, and one of my mates said, "Hey and what I want to know is, why's he say that thing about Chevrolet?" and I said I didn't know.  Another piped up with, "That's right baby, I speak very fluent Spanish, and I totally test that Chevrolet!"  I said I didn't think THAT was quite what he said, but...anyway, we all agreed the song was a jammer, whatever it was he was saying.  Later, when I had learned enough of the lingo to deduce that he said, "Todo esta bien — " but for the life of me it still sounded a lot like Chevrolet, especially the way that some people in Latin America say it.  I'd also heard that some people from South America said something similar and it meant really fine, but I didn't hear it myself nor penetrate the secret with any degree of certainty until the summer of 2010 when I spent a couple months exploring Colombia and made my way to the time-forgotten jungle river idyll of Mompos and found myself happily surrounded by hard-partying hotties who loved to say, "Todo esta bien CHEVERE!" and, indeed it was...

 
Cool story, bro...


If Stevie Wonder couldn't fix Iraq & Iran in 1973 - how are we surpose too.
Wish Stevie were singing this to me about my life right now.
 Zep wrote:
A killer song from a desert island disc.
  Was just about to say pretty much the same.  Awesome tune


A killer song from a desert island disc.
 Proclivities wrote:

I wholly disagree.  This is a great song from a great album.  I'm not sure if you know what "muzak" actually was, or just feel like throwing that term out there, but muzak (or "elevator music" as some other "critics" here have mentioned) sounded absolutely nothing like this.  This song has a complex melody and structure and Stevie's vocals are fantastic on this recording.  Well, we all hear different things, I guess.
 
I second what Proclivities wrote. Well put and my thoughts exactly. When I was a kid...I didn't think much of SW's music, but now as a seasoned musician and songwriter myself, I totally appreciate the detail and energy along with melody and performance this song has to offer.
Wow.  Just realized why this man became a super star.   Classic tune.  So much substance here in every aspect.
 johnjconn wrote:


One word for you  ——- decaf
 

 jmsmy wrote:
How did Iraq & Iran get into a song from 1973?
 
They've existed for a long time.
How did Iraq & Iran get into a song from 1973?
OMG.... this is a CLASSIC !
 coloradojohn wrote:
Don't you worry 'bout a thing...Todo esta bien CHEVERE!  Everything is REALLY COOL!
I remember when this began to get major radio airplay; I was in 6th Grade, and I was strutting into class after recess, singing the chorus, and one of my mates said, "Hey and what I want to know is, why's he say that thing about Chevrolet?" and I said I didn't know.  Another piped up with, "That's right baby, I speak very fluent Spanish, and I totally test that Chevrolet!"  I said I didn't think THAT was quite what he said, but...anyway, we all agreed the song was a jammer, whatever it was he was saying.  Later, when I had learned enough of the lingo to deduce that he said, "Todo esta bien — " but for the life of me it still sounded a lot like Chevrolet, especially the way that some people in Latin America say it.  I'd also heard that some people from South America said something similar and it meant really fine, but I didn't hear it myself nor penetrate the secret with any degree of certainty until the summer of 2010 when I spent a couple months exploring Colombia and made my way to the time-forgotten jungle river idyll of Mompos and found myself happily surrounded by hard-partying hotties who loved to say, "Todo esta bien CHEVERE!" and, indeed it was...
 
Dude, what the hell are you talking about?

:D

;) 
if Stevie started recording today 95% of current commercial playlists would have to hit the bin...
My Boy {#Clap}
Gah...>mute<
 tutakea wrote:
this maybe the worst song stevie wonder ever did! this is muzak for shopping-malls, nothing more
 

How much money does a clue cost these days.  Let me know and I will send it to you.
nice segue from Three Little Birds... here I am not worrying about a t(h)ing.
Don't you worry 'bout a thing...Todo esta bien CHEVERE!  Everything is REALLY COOL!
I remember when this began to get major radio airplay; I was in 6th Grade, and I was strutting into class after recess, singing the chorus, and one of my mates said, "Hey and what I want to know is, why's he say that thing about Chevrolet?" and I said I didn't know.  Another piped up with, "That's right baby, I speak very fluent Spanish, and I totally test that Chevrolet!"  I said I didn't think THAT was quite what he said, but...anyway, we all agreed the song was a jammer, whatever it was he was saying.  Later, when I had learned enough of the lingo to deduce that he said, "Todo esta bien — " but for the life of me it still sounded a lot like Chevrolet, especially the way that some people in Latin America say it.  I'd also heard that some people from South America said something similar and it meant really fine, but I didn't hear it myself nor penetrate the secret with any degree of certainty until the summer of 2010 when I spent a couple months exploring Colombia and made my way to the time-forgotten jungle river idyll of Mompos and found myself happily surrounded by hard-partying hotties who loved to say, "Todo esta bien CHEVERE!" and, indeed it was...

Is Bobby McFerrin Stevie's musical love child? 
I understand that others feel differently but this song has always annoyed me. >Mute<

 linden wrote:


Worse than "Part-Time Lover"? That would take some doing. But this song is awesome. Love early Stevie.
 

Linden is right.. Part Time Lover blows.. Hell just the dialog in this song is better that PTL!  Praise the Lord!


 Tamster wrote:
This song ALWAYS makes me feel better, regardless of how good I am already feelin' ....just sayin'
 
same!