"Superstition"
Single byStevie Wonder
from the albumTalking Book
B-side	"You've Got It Bad Girl"
Released	October 24, 1972
Recorded	1972
Studio	Electric Lady, New York City
Genre	Funk[1][2] funk rock[3] pop[4] soul[5][6]
Length	4:26 (album version) 4:07 (7" single version)
Label	Motown
Songwriter	Stevie Wonder
Producers	Stevie Wonder Malcolm Cecil (add.) Robert Margouleff (add.)
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Keep on Running" (1972) "Superstition" (1972) "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (1973)
Music video
"Superstition" (Official Audio) on YouTube

"Superstition" is a song by American singer-songwriterStevie Wonder. It was released on October 24, 1972, as thelead single from his fifteenth studio album,Talking Book (1972), byTamla.^[7] The lyrics describe popularsuperstitions and their negative effects.^[8]

"Superstition" reached number one in the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 in January 1973^[9][8] and on the soul singles chart.^[10] It was Wonder's first number-one single since "Fingertips, Pt. 2" in 1963.^[11] It peaked at number eleven in theUK Singles Chart in February 1973. In November 2004,Rolling Stone ranked the song number 74 on its list of the500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was re-ranked number 73 on its 2010 list,^[12] and number 12 on its 2021 list.^[13] At the16th Grammy Awards, the song earned Wonder two Grammys:"Best Rhythm & Blues Song" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male". In 1998, the song was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.^[14]

"Superstition"

A sample from "Superstition", the song contains afunk-oriented sound with a bassline and riff played by Wonder

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In the early 1970s, Wonder was playing most of the instruments on his songs by himself. But he preferred to let other guitarists play on his records, and after he learned thatJeff Beck was an admirer of his, an agreement was quickly made for Beck to become involved in the sessions that became theTalking Book album, in return for Wonder writing him a song.

Between the album sessions, Beck came up with the opening drum beat. Wonder told Beck to keep playing while he improvised over the top of it. He improvised most of the song, including theriff, on the spot. Beck and Wonder created a rough demo for the song that day.^[15][16]

For the recording, Wonder sang and performed thefunkyclavinet riff on aHohner Clavinet model C. Co-producers Malcolm Cecil andRobert Margouleff programmed theMoog synthesizer bass, Steve Madaio played the trumpet, andTrevor Lawrence played the tenor saxophone.^[17] While Wonder is also credited for drums on the track,Cheap Trick drummerBun E. Carlos has stated thatCozy Powell, the drummer ofThe Jeff Beck Group from 1970 to 1972, had intimated to him that the drum track used on the final version was actually his.^[18]

After finishing the song, Wonder decided that he would allow Beck to record "Superstition" as part of their agreement. Originally, the plan was for Beck to release his version of the song first, with his newly formed power trioBeck, Bogert & Appice. But after the trio's debut album was delayed and Motown CEOBerry Gordy predicted that "Superstition" would be a huge hit that would drive sales ofTalking Book, Wonder released the song as theTalking Book lead single on October 24, 1972, months before Beck's version was issued in March 1973 on theBeck, Bogert & Appice album.^[19]

Cash Box described it as "one of [Wonder's] most impressive releases to date" with an "accent...on funk."^[20] James Perone described the clavinet riff as "probably [Wonder's] most memorable" use of the minorpentatonic scale.^[21]

From the album's liner notes^[22]:

• Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, HohnerClavinet, drums,Moog bass
• Malcolm Cecil - Moog synthesizer programming
• Robert Margouleff - Moog synthesizer programming
• Trevor Lawrence –tenor saxophone
• Steve Madaio –trumpet, horn arrangements^[23][24]

• In 1973, Stevie Wonder performed a live-in-the-studio version of "Superstition" onSesame Street's episode 514. The recording was published on the 2003 collectionSongs from the Street: 35 Years in Music.^[37][38]

Wonder appeared inBud Light commercials that debuted duringSuper Bowl XLVII in 2013. As part of the "It's only weird if it doesn't work"campaign, which showed superstitious fans acting compulsively in an effort to guide their teams to victory, Wonder appeared as awitch doctor inNew Orleans, where the game took place. The fans perform superstitious acts to receive good luck charms from him. The instrumental intro of "Superstition", before Wonder's vocals kick in, plays throughout the commercials.^[16]

Sting and Stevie Wonder performed the song on January 30, 2025, atIntuit Dome inInglewood, California, forFireAid to raise money for relief efforts for theJanuary 2025 Southern California wildfires.^[39][40]

• List ofBillboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1973

• Hughes, Timothy S. (2003). "Superstition".Groove and Flow: Six Analytical Essays on the Music of Stevie Wonder (Ph.D.). University of Washington. pp. 140–177.OCLC 76889013.
• List of cover versions of "Superstition" at SecondHandSongs.com

• Songs about luck
• 1972 singles
• 1972 songs
• 1973 singles
• American funk songs
• Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
• Cashbox number-one singles
• Funk rock songs
• Motown singles
• Songs written by Stevie Wonder
• Stevie Wonder songs
• Tamla Records singles
• Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder
• Jeff Beck

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