Fingertips

"Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States.

Written by Wonder's mentors Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was origially recorded for Wonder's first studio album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder. The live version of the song was recorded during a Motor Town Revue performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Containing only a few stanzas of lyrics, "Fingertips" is essentially an instrumental piece, meant to showcase Wonder's talents on the bongos and the harmonica.

After leading the audience in a call and response routine ("Everybody say 'yeah!'"), Wonder leaves the stage and the band goes into its exit music. This turns out to be a false ending however, as Wonder sneaks back onstage for an encore, returning to his harmonica, bongos, and the vocal microphone. The other musicians were not aware Wonder would stage an encore; as a result, ba...