For the day after Valentine’s Day, today’s classic love song of the day is one of Stevie Wonder’s best. “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)” was the final track (side 2, track 5) on his 1972 album, Talking Book. It is one of the most inspirational love songs ever written.
Talking Book was the second in a string of extraordinary albums by Stevie Wonder during the 1970s. The run started with Music of My Mind (released earlier in 1972) and continued with Talking Book, Innervisions (1973), and Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974), culminating in his masterpiece, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). I don’t know of any artist who’s ever had a similar run of incredible albums over such a short period of time. His output during those years was simply amazing.
The Talking Book album included two big hits (“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Superstition“) and several classic album tracks, including “Tuesday Heartbreak,” “You’ve Got It Bad Girl,” and today’s classic song of the day. The album took home Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (for “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”) and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song (for “Superstition”). It peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart and #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart.
Stevie Wonder wrote “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)” along with Yvonne Wright. The song starts out somewhat bleak, as the singer bemoans his then-loveless life:
Shattered dreams, worthless years
Here am I encased inside a hollow shell
Life began, then was done
Now I stare into a cold and empty well
Those dark thoughts turn into bright daylight when the singer meets the love of his life. That’s when the lyrics (and the accompanying music) get upbeat and hopeful, creating something uniquely joyful:
Without despair we will share
And the joys of caring will not be replaced
What has been must never end
And with the strength we have won’t be erased
When the truths of love are planted firm
They won’t be hard to find
And the words of love I speak to you
Will echo in my mind
I believe when I fall in love with you it will be forever
I believe when I fall in love this time it will be forever
And it gets even better from there, as Stevie brings it home with a gospel-like fervor. It is a marvelous song, a true masterpiece, and one that has inspired generations of lovers.
Like most of the songs on Talking Book, Stevie played all the instruments on this track, including piano, Clavinet, Moog bass, and drums. Which, of course, is somewhat amazing in and of itself.
You may know “I Believe…” from its inclusion at the end of John Cusack’s 2000 film, High Fidelity, where it ended the movie on a hopeful note. It was also featured, appropriately, in the 2020 television series inspired by the movie. Many couples have chosen the tune as their wedding song, and I can see why.
Which leads us to today’s daily bonus video of the day, from the end of High Fidelity, with “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)” playing over the credits. (“The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do… There are a lot of rules.”) It was the perfect way to end a near-perfect movie.
So when you’re looking for a timeless, indestructible, uplifting love song, look no further than “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever).” It is one of Stevie Wonder’s all-time bests.
