For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday, I’m honored that Jim Adams took my suggestion for a theme using the words Concern, Fear, Fret, Worry. There’s a lot to be concerned about, to fret about, and to fear these day, but I don’t want you to worry ‘bout a thing.
“Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” was a single by Stevie Wonder from his 1973 album Innervisions. It reached number 16 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, number 10 on the Cash Box chart, and number 2 on the R&B chart.
In this song, Stevie Wonder encourages his lady to be fearless in exploring all life has to offer because he’ll always be by her side. Although he claims to speak fluent Spanish in the intro, saying “Todo está bien chévere” (“Everything’s really great” or “Everything’s cool”), Wonder didn’t really know the language.
The Spanish lyric was inspired by a Puerto Rican woman that Wonder met in a record store. He said that he remember the night he was going to do this song and he just so happened to meet this girl named Rain. And she was beautiful. She worked at this record shop. Wonder said, “And I’m like saying to her, hey, you know, it’s amazing. You know, she sings. You know, she’s Puerto Rican. I say, yeah, OK, well, you know, I’m doing a little thing and like a little something called ‘Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing.’ What can I – I mean, give me something, something. I’ll let you come to the studio if you have anything to say. I’ll say some things, and it will be a wonderful day. And she said, ‘todo esta bien chevere.’ And that’s how I got that in a song. And, you know, we fell in love, and it was a beautiful thing.”
The night before Donald Trump was elected President in 2016, Wonder appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and expressed his disdain for Trump. Colbert asked the singer to perform this tune to allay the fears of liberal voters. Unfortunately, Trump won that election and the worst of the liberal fears were realized.
Here are the lyrics to “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing.”
Eee eee!
Watch this y’all
Comprende señora
See here mama, uh, you understand that? (No)
Well, uh, like, huh, I understand how you can’t
I been to you know Paris, Beirut, you know, I mean
Iraq, Iran, Eurasia, you know
I speak very, very, um, fluent Spanish
Todo ‘stá bien chévere’, you understand that?
Chévere, bien chévere
It’s alright mama, ’cause I got my shakers moving…
Everybody’s got a thing
But some don’t know how to handle it
Always reachin’ out in vain
Just taking the things not worth having but
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing on the side
When you check it out
They say your style of life’s a drag
And that you must go other places
But just don’t you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces but
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing on the side
When you check it out
When you get it off your trip
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Bam bambam bambam bambam
Bambambambam bambambambam
Bam bambam bambam bambam
Bambambambam bambambambam
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing on the side
When you check it out
When you get it off your trip
Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
But you’re the only one to see
The changes you take yourself through but
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, pretty mama
‘Cause I’ll be standing in the wings
When you check it out
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Yeah
Bam bambam bambam bambam
Bambambambam bambambambam
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, sugar
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, mama
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, sugar
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
This, That, and the Other 
Great song!
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Thanks. Very upbeat.
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Great song, Fandango.
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Isn’t it?
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Stevie Wonder is without doubt one of the world’s greatest and most loved pop icons. Great choice Fandango.
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Thanks, Jim.
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Yes, yes and yes great choice 💜 and thanks for the great prompt 💜
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I’m glad you liked it. Both my song choice and the prompt.
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Thank you I did 💜
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That’s a fantastic song, and he sang it in a suburb delivery.
I’m going to take this opportunity to go with the spirit of the prompt.
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Big Tech BOMBSHELL: You Won’t BELIEVE This!!
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RT is a questionable source for news in terms of taking them at their word (referenced in the above presentation while R Brand is not part of RT), but I think everything in this particular presentation is correct. I was going to college when the Internet was in the process of being put together; it was much discussed and touted (for the future) by the graduate adviser of my husband.
I want to clarify this portion, however: Of the five federal agencies that have spent most on the services of major tech companies over the past two decades, four were central to, or established as a result of, the War on Terror — the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State.”
Only one of them was “established” because of 9/11 and the subsequent boondoggle on terror: Homeland Security. The other three would only be “central to” it.
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This last portion, in what I wrote just before, should not have been in the italicized part:
Only one of them [those departments] was “established” because of 9/11 and the subsequent boondoggle on terror: Homeland Security. The other three would only be “central to” it.
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Muse – [Fucking] Psycho
Jesus Christ; you should hear what they teach our kids to say when they’re marching in formation or standing at attention.
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What’s behind our soaring military budget, with journalist Andrew Cockburn and Marianne Williamson
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Muse – Knights Of Cydonia
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Easter egg: https://lindaghill.com/2022/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2022/
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Algorithm
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Sorry for including the word “Algorithm” up there; that’s a different song by them. The video I included was of “The Handler” — obviously.
Muse – Exogenesis Symphony (Full with Lyrics)
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And, now, back to my regularly-scheduled programming:
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Yes, I’ve seen them live in concert.
Muse – Map Of The Problematique [Live From Wembley Stadium]
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A great song. Thanks for the back story.
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One of my favorites. Chases the blues away.
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I have always liked this one… nice to know a little more about it. Well done Fandango!
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We were listening to this song lot while I was with my family last month. My little niece loved dancing to it. We played her the version from the animated film “Sing”, with Meena the elephant:
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Thanks. I’d never seen that before. That was great!
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These animated flicks are great to cheer us up when we have been under the weather.
I love that scene. I think perhaps even better is when Rosita the lovely Mrs Piggy sings “Shake It Off”….my oh my!
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Fabulous choice of song! Why didn’t I think of it? 🤣
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Your song fit the theme words quite well.
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Wonderful choice! Nothing can go wrong with Stevie!
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