I Just Called To Say I Love You

"I Just Called To Say I Love You" is Stevie Wonder's best-selling single worldwide, and also one of his most maligned. The song is about a guy who calls his special someone with a simple message of love. It's very sweet, but to many, it crossed over to sickly. Wonder had moved to a more middle-of-the-road, adult contemporary sound when he released the song. His early hits like "Superstition" and "Higher Ground" were often filled with funk, but in the '80s, songs like this one and "Part-Time Lover" had a smoother sound, resulting in big hits, but disappointment for those hoping for a classic Wonder groove. Wonder though, stood by the song, often playing it at live shows throughout his career.

This was featured in the movie The Woman In Red, starring Kelly LeBrock as the woman and Gene Wilder as the married man mesmerized by her. Stevie wrote most of the soundtrack for the movie; he got the gig after Dionne Warwick, who was the "song coordinator" on the film, suggested him to the producers. Wonder wrote seven songs that were used in the movie, including one called "Woman In Red." He sang lead on three of the tracks, including "I Just Called To Say I Love You." The soundtrack was issued by Wonder's label, Motown Records," which pegged the song as a hit and released it as a single. Two more songs from the soundtrack were also released: an instrumental called "Love Light in Flight," which made #17 US and #44 UK, and "Don't Drive Drunk," which reached #62 UK.

This won the Oscar for Best Original Song, beating out "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)," "Footloose," "Let's Hear It For The Boy" and "Ghostbusters." All five nominees were #1 hits on the Hot 100, the only time that has happened.