Lately (Stevie Wonder song)

Jason Elias at Allmusic retrospectively praised the song, believing that unlike some of Wonder's similar material, "Lately" in particular hit all the perfect emotional and musical notes. Of the song's emotional power itself Elias stated, "it's enough to make a listener fall prey to an old-fashioned cry."[1]

"Lately" was notably covered by R&B group Jodeci for the Uptown MTV Unplugged release in 1993. Executive producer Andre Harrell referred to it as their "End of the Road", analogous to the chart-topping single for Boyz II Men.[2] The group's version of the song was released as a promotional single, claiming the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts as the group's fourth R&B number one hit. It was also Jodeci's highest peaking pop hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1993.[3] It sold 900,000 copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[4][5] This version also appears on Back to the Future: The Very Best of Jodeci, a greatest hits album from the group, released by Universal Records in 2005.

The group also recorded an alternate studio version of the song, produced by group leader DeVante Swing. It is slightly longer than the Uptown MTV Unplugged version and features an additional outro. They performed this version on The Arsenio Hall Show, with Stevie Wonder himself making a guest appearance and performing the song with Jodeci.

Jodeci also notably performed the song on Martin during the Season 2 episode "Hollywood Swinging (Part 2)", in which Martin interrupts their performance on the Varnel Hill talk show, much to the dismay of the group members.

A reggae version by Rudy Grant reached no. 58 in the UK Singles Chart in 1981, prior to the original entering the same chart.

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1993 (U.S.)

• "Lately" Review at AllMusic
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics