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For Once in My Life

"For Once in My Life" is a song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Stein & Van Stock publishing company, and first recorded in 1965.

It was written and first recorded as a slow ballad, in 1965 by Connie Haines, but the first version to be released was by Jean DuShon in 1966. Other early versions of the ballad were issued by Nancy Wilson, the Four Tops, the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes and Tony Bennett, whose recording was the first to reach the pop charts.


The most familiar and successful version of "For Once in My Life" is an uptempo arrangement by Stevie Wonder, recorded in 1967. Wonder's version, issued on Motown's Tamla label, was a top-three hit in the United States and the United Kingdom in late 1968 and early 1969.

"For Once in My Life"

1966

October 1965

2:56

Frank Wilson

"Angie Girl"

October 15, 1968

Summer 1967

Hitsville USA Studio A (Detroit)

Soul

2:52

Tamla T 54174

Henry Cosby

– vocals, harmonica

Stevie Wonder

– bass

James Jamerson

– drums[17]

Uriel Jones

- piano[18]

Earl Van Dyke

Background vocals are by the Originals (Freddie Gorman, Walter Gaines, Hank Dixon, C.P. Spencer) and the Andantes (Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps)

Additional instrumentation by the Funk Brothers

recorded a modified ballad version, more uptempo than Tony Bennett, but downbeat compared to Stevie Wonder. It lost in a cover record war; Wilson reaching number 70 in late 1968, Wonder peaking at number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100.[16]

Jackie Wilson

In 1969, recorded the song, arranged and conducted by Nicky Welsh on the President label, and had a chart hit in the UK reaching the No. 24 spot in an 11-week stay.[26]

Dorothy Squires

On June 17, 2012, finalist Darren Percival performed a cover of the song reaching number 6 on the iTunes download list.

The Voice Australia

List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1968

on YouTube

Stevie Wonder - For Once in My Life