1969 Love Song, Inspired by a Teen Romance, Became a Timeless Classic

When it comes to choosing the best Stevie Wonder love songs, it’s sort of like picking your favorite child. How do you decide between romantic, soulful tracks like “For Once in My Life,” “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” or “You Are the Sunshine of My Life?” While you’re guaranteed to hear many of his tunes at weddings, there’s one that stands out above the rest.

Wonder wrote “My Cherie Amour” while he was still attending the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Michigan.

“I wrote it when I was, like, 16 years old,” he told CNN in 2019.

“Originally, the song was called, ‘Oh My Marsha,'” he continued. “Which I wrote for a girl I used to like named Marsha. But we broke up, and I asked Sylvia (Moy) to change the words, and it turned into ‘My Cherie Amour.'”

The B-Side That Highjacked the Airwaves

It took three years from when he wrote it to when it was put on an album. And even then, it became the B-Side to “I Don’t Know Why I Love You,” which was released in Jan. 1969. “It was just that the various people at ‘quality control’ felt it was not the appropriate song to make an A-side,” he toldDavid Breskin.

“I Don’t Know Why” was a modest hit, but it only reached No. 39 on the charts. Radio DJs began playing “My Cherie Amour” instead.

Eventually, Tamla Records flipped the two, making “My Cherie Amour” the A-Side. By August, “My Cherie Amour” had reached No. 4 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts. Across the pond in the U.K., where Wonder was on tour, the song also peaked at No. 4.

An Enduring Global Anthem

Seeing the fan response to the song, Motown decided to build on the momentum. Wonder recorded versions of the song in Spanish, “Mi Querido Amor,” and in Italian, “My Cherie Amor.” A new album, “My Cherie Amour,” was even released, with the hit song at the center.

“My Cherie Amour” has become one of Wonder’s most beloved and enduring singles in the 50 years since its release, and is listed at No. 22 on Rolling Stone’s list of best Stevie Wonder songs.