Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love
RELEASE DATE
19 MARCH 1968
ALBUM
LABEL
TAMLA / MOTOWN
TRIVIA
- This is a somewhat obscure entry in Stevie’s discography. Upon originally being released on 19 March 1968, it served as the B-side to Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day, the lead single from Wonder’s album For Once in My Life (1968). However, Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love was not featured on that project. And it did not make its way onto an album’s playlist until the release of the extensive compilation The Complete Motown Singles | Vol. 8: 1968 in 2007.
- Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love is one of the few songs in Stevie’s discography, from the first decade of his career, that was co-written by his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway (1930-2006).
- This song made an appearance on the long-running, critically-acclaimed Fox animated sitcom Bob’s Burgers. It appeared during the end credits of season 14, episode 2, “The Amazing Rudy”, which first aired on 8 October 2023.
LYRICAL ANALYSIS
This is yet another 1960s’ Stevie Wonder song, i.e. one from his teenage years, in which the singer goes about trying to bag the apple of his eye. What makes these lyrics different than other such tracks of a similar nature is that they don’t center on the vocalist’s feelings for the addressee. The emphasis is rather on how young Stevie is suffering from depression, including being friendless and lonely. In other words, he is a man devoid of love. And he’s looking to the addressee to be the one to cure this malady, not only by expressing her love for him but also proving, as implied in the bridge, to be his committed lover.
MY PERSONAL OPINION
Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love has that old African-American soul sound, as well as a noticeable tinge of gospel. This isn’t surprising since R&B music, especially back in the earlier days of the genre, was more or less secularized gospel. That said, it’s understandable why Motown didn’t feature this track on For Once in My Life, as it doesn’t really sound like the rest of the album.
SOURCES
Stevie Wonder – Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love. Genius. Accessed on 2 April 2024.
Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day. Wikipedia. Last edited on 29 June 2023.
Stevie Wonder. Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love. YouTube. 17 March 2020.
Michelle Topham. Listen to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love’ from Bob’s Burgers, S14 Ep 2 Ending Scenes. Leo Sigh. 9 October 2023.
“Bob’s Burgers” The Amazing Rudy (TV Episode 2023. IMDb. Accessed on 2 April 2024.
Gene Belcher. Bob’s Burgers – “Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love”. YouTube. 9 October 2023.
Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love (1968)
Why Don’t You Lead Me to Love (on Bob’s Burgers) (2023)