"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" is asoul song, by American musicianStevie Wonder, released in June 1970 as a single onMotown's Tamla label. It spent six weeks at number one on theU.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on theU.S. Pop chart.[2] In the same year, the song was also released on the albumSigned, Sealed & Delivered.
The song was arranged byPaul Riser and features anelectric sitar[3] played byEddie "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 ofLynda Tucker Laurence (who went on to become a member ofThe Supremes),Syreeta Wright (who also co-wrote the song and later married Wonder), andVenetta Fields. The song gave Wonder his sixthGrammy nomination, with the award that year going to theClarence 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 onRolling Stone's list ofThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6]
In 1977,Peter Frampton recorded the song on his albumI'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 theBillboard Hot 100 and number 13 on theCashbox Top 100.[19] His cover also reached number 13 in Canada. In Chicago, the song reached number nine on superstationWLS-AM,[20] and in Toronto it reached number one onCHUM.[21]
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was covered in 2003 by English boy bandBlue. Their version includes vocals fromAngie 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 theUK 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.[29]
Rufus Wainwright released a version in 2017 that was part of a tribute for a fundraising gala that honored Wonder.[69]
In 2018,The Fearless Flyers covered the song (as ″Signed Sealed Delivered") as part of their eponymous debut EP. The track featuresSandra Crouch on tambourine andBlake Mills on guitar.[70]
^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)
