"Part-Time Lover" is a song by American R&B singer and songwriter

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

, released as the first single from his twentieth studio album, '' In Square Circle'' (1985). The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, R&B,

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and adult contemporary charts, becoming Wonder's final number one hit to date. The song's simultaneous chart successes made Wonder the first artist to score a number-one hit on four different ''Billboard'' charts. The song was also released as a special 12" version. Lyrically, it tells the story of a man who is cheating on his wife with a mistress, only to find out in the end that his wife is cheating on him as well. "Part-Time Lover" also reached number three on the UK Singles Chart thanks in large part to a performance by Wonder on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' in late 1985. The song featured R&B singer

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

singing the ad-libs and backing vocals, in addition to

Syreeta Wright Syreeta Wright (born Rita Wright, February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), known mononymously as Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights were songs ...

and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire. Wonder earned a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1986, for the song. Wonder is noted in the liner notes of the four-CD set ''Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection Volume 2 1972-1992'' as describing the music for the song as an ode to " You Can't Hurry Love" and " My World Is Empty Without You", both by

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

, former

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

labelmates of Wonder.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Personnel

*Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, synthesizers, drums *

– lead vocal, background vocal *

, Philip Bailey ( Earth Wind & Fire), Keith John, Melody McCully, Billy Durham, Peter Byrne ( Naked Eyes), Renee Hardaway, Darryl Phinnessee - background vocal

Cover versions

*Puerto Rican salsa musician Bobby Valentin covered the song in 1986. His cover peaked at number 23 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1985 songs 1985 singles Stevie Wonder songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Stevie Wonder Dance-pop songs Tamla Records singles The Lost Fingers songs Songs about infidelity American synth-pop songs Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder