Stevie Wonder set up camp at the top of the Billboard pop charts for a two-decade span, landing at the No. 1 spot eight times from 1963 to 1985. “Part-Time Lover,” the last of those chart-toppers, features Wonder diving into the clandestine world of cheating love affairs.
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What is the song about? How was the album containing it a comeback of sorts for Wonder? And what massive star contributed a memorable backing vocal part to the track? Here’s the story behind “Part-Time Lover,” along with the meaning behind its lyrics.
Part-Time Stevie
Stevie Wonder hit the brakes in the first half of the ’80s. You couldn’t blame the guy too much, considering the way he dominated the previous decade, both in terms of consistently smashing singles and groundbreaking albums, seemingly released one on top of another.
Wonder’s first album of the ’80s, Hotter than July, added to his list of commercial successes, even if it lacked some of the ambition of ’70s classics like Talking Book and Songs in the Key of Life. His next proper album wouldn’t appear until 1985, which was an extremely long time in between LPs for a superstar of Wonder’s status.
He wasn’t completely inactive during that time. Several new singles (a few of which were big hits) were added to his 1982 greatest hits package Stevie Wonder’s Original Musiquarium I. There was also the soundtrack album The Woman in Red, which featured several Wonder originals, including the No. 1 hit “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Nonetheless, the anticipation for the 1985 release In Square Circle was high, and “Part-Time Lover,” as the opening track and lead single, introduced the world to the record.
Lover Discovered
The inspiration for “Part-Time Lover” came from Wonder’s own secretive, romantic escapades, as he explained to interviewer David Nathan (as reported by Classic Motown):
“I remember when I was breaking up with this girl and I was, like, seeing this other girl. I came home and some guy called up and disguised his voice, tried to sound like one of her girlfriends to see if she was around.”
Wonder made use of a LinnDrum, which was then a relatively new technology, to drive the instrumental track, which like so many of his classics features him playing all the instruments. But he did utilize some big names as backing vocalists, including his ex-wife and frequent collaborator Syreeta Wright, Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire fame, and Luther Vandross, the soul legend who did some unique scatting alongside Wonder’s main vocal.
The total package proved irresistible to fans, especially when you consider there was high demand for major new product from Wonder. “Part-Time Lover” not only brought Wonder another No. 1 on the pop side, but it also simultaneously hit the top in the black, dance, and adult contemporary charts at Billboard.
The Story and Meaning Behind “Part-Time Lover”
“Part-Time Lover” features a narrator giving detailed instructions to his mistress that will help them continue their affair without being detected by his steady girlfriend. (Or wife. That part is left unsaid.) The machinations they have to undergo are worthy of an international spy: Call up, ring once, hang up the phone / To let me know you made it home.
In the middle eights, Wonder takes a break from the different scenarios to take emotional stock of the situation: We are undercover passion on the run. And later, We are strangers by day, lovers by night / Knowing it’s so wrong, but feeling so right.
While the illicit nature of the affair thrills this guy, he ends up feeling differently thanks to a twist ending whereby it becomes clear he’s not this girl’s only tryst partner: And then a man called our exchange / And didn’t want to leave his name / I guess that two can play that game. “Part-Time Lover” showed a mischievous side of Stevie Wonder’s persona, but it still brought him to the pinnacle of the pop world, like so many times before.
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